LA at Chicago [R]

[elephantstone]

Anyone else see Valenzuela's howler at the end of the match? Cobi Jones took a free kick from about three yards outside the right edge of the penalty area. DaMarcus Beasley, as part of a two-man wall four or five yards inside the area, jumped to block the kick, bringing his arms up to do so. The AR on that side waved his flag, Valenzuela correctly whistled the handball... but didn't give a PK! Instead, he gave Beasley a yellow card, and re-placed a free kick in the same spot as the first.

How could the AR and Valenzuela, who consulted on the play after it happened, not have come to the conclusion that it should be a PK? With a kick that close to the area, how would the wall not be five/six yards inside the box? I'm just baffled.

[Statesman]

Beasley jumped forward before making contact with the ball. Thus he failed to respect the 10 yard requirement, one of the 7 cautionable offenses. Law 5 says the referee must punish the offense that occurs first. The restart according to Law 13 is a retake of the free kick.

Beasley's actions were hardly worthy of a penalty kick -- a free goal for the most part. Caution the guy causing trouble and retake the kick the proper way. Valenzuela made the correct decision; one most referees would screw up, and one only a biased fan would call a "howler." To those who truly understand the game he handled the situation magnificantly.

[GlennAA11]

I liked the way he handled this too. But I think he and his AR should have gotten together to caution or send off Jones for his blatant kick of his opponent that occurred just as that foul which set up the free kick was called. Cobi lashed out with a pretty wild retaliation there and deserved at least a caution. He gets away with a lot of that crap, I suppose based on his past reputation.