The assignments for Week 27 of the 2018 Major League Soccer season: 08/29/2018 D.C. United v Philadelphia Union Audi Field (8PM ET) REF: Nima Saghafi AR1: Corey Parker AR2: Nick Uranga 4TH: Ted Unkel VAR: Mark Geiger New York Red Bulls v Houston Dynamo Red Bull Arena (8PM ET) REF: Robert Sibiga AR1: Eric Weisbrod AR2: CJ Morgante 4TH: Alan Kelly VAR: Jorge Gonzalez Portland Timbers v Toronto FC Providence Park (10:30PM ET) REF: Fotis Bazakos AR1: Mike Rottersman AR2: Jeremy Hanson 4TH: Armando Villarreal VAR: Allen Chapman San Jose Earthquakes v FC Dallas Avaya Stadium (10:30PM ET) REF: Sorin Stoica AR1: Ian Anderson AR2: Chris Wattam 4TH: Alejandro Mariscal VAR: Drew Fischer 09/01/2018 Seattle Sounders v Sporting Kansas City CenturyLink Field (4PM ET) REF: Baldomero Toledo AR1: Eduardo Mariscal AR2: Ian Anderson 4TH: Alejandro Mariscal VAR: Dave Gantar Montreal Impact v New York Red Bulls Stade Saputo (7:30PM ET) REF: Jair Marrufo AR1: Kyle Atkins AR2: Gianni Facchini 4TH: Ismail Elfath VAR: Jon Freemon New England Revolution v Portland Timbers Gillette Stadium (7:30PM ET) REF: Jose Carlos Rivero AR1: Jose Da Silva AR2: Eric Weisbrod 4TH: Silviu Petrescu VAR: Robert Sibiga Orlando City v Philadelphia Union Orlando City Stadium (7:30PM ET) REF: Christopher Penso AR1: Kathryn Nesbitt AR2: Cameron Blanchard 4TH: Rubiel Vazquez VAR: Alex Chilowicz Columbus Crew v New York City MAPFRE Stadium (8PM ET) REF: Alan Kelly AR1: Adam Wienckowski AR2: Nick Uranga 4TH: Nima Saghafi VAR: Younes Marrakchi FC Dallas v Houston Dynamo Toyota Stadium (8PM ET) REF: Kevin Stott AR1: Adam Garner AR2: Jeremy Hanson 4TH: Daniel Radford VAR: Armando Villarreal Toronto FC v Los Angeles FC BMO Field (8PM ET) REF: Ted Unkel AR1: Oscar Mitchell-Carvalho AR2: Brian Dunn 4TH: Sorin Stoica VAR: Kevin Terry Jr. Real Salt Lake v LA Galaxy Rio Tinto Stadium (10PM ET) REF: Drew Fischer AR1: Brian Poeschel AR2: TJ Zablocki 4TH: Marcos Deoliveira VAR: Geoff Gamble Vancouver Whitecaps v San Jose Earthquakes BC Place (10PM ET) REF: Mark Geiger AR1: Frank Anderson AR2: Jeff Hosking 4TH: Fotis Bazakos VAR: Edvin Jurisevic 09/02/2018 D.C. United v Atlanta United Audi Field (7:30PM ET) REF: Allen Chapman AR1: Joe Fletcher AR2: Jeremy Kieso 4TH: Chico Grajeda VAR: Robert Sibiga Both Ian Anderson and Alejandro Mariscal have an incredibly quick turnaround with a late game in San Jose followed by an early game in Seattle.
Anybody have an explanation why Chad Marshall was sent off via VAR in the Seattle-Sporting KC match? Announcers spent ten minutes looking at the replays and couldn't figure out why....
The angle at the end shows the "why". File it under the "never SFP in the World Cup" category. https://streamable.com/9y73b
Yet also, exactly how—on paper—VAR is supposed to work. Watching MLS, Italy, Bundesliga and especially some Polish highlights, it’s clear the leagues are still treating VAR far differently than FIFA did. If VAR is here to stay and is going to be expanded, I really fear that a lot of effort over 20 years to uniformally apply the Laws is going to go out the window. When VARs get added in UEFA and EPL, things are going to get very strange.
In what world is that not SFP? What were the announcers complaining about? High, studs into the knee, nowhere nrantye ball.
I think a lot of folks get caught up in the fact that Marshall is not a dirty player at all, but SFP doesn't have to be dirty. It just has to be excessive and dangerous.
My memory of the US broadcast (I haven't gone back and checked) is that they didn't have this angle. The video they did show was much less clear. The tweet embedded below from the pool reported confirms that. Head ref Toledo told me he gave Marshall red card for “straight leg; cleats to opponent” knee and upper calf — endangering opponent. He and assistants showed me their video angle, different than what we saw on TV. Said had Marshall gone foot to foot, would be different. #Sounders pic.twitter.com/PkLrfl57F0— Geoff Baker (@GeoffBakerTIMES) September 1, 2018 More context, since I was at the game: about a minute after the red card was shown and as Marshall was walking off the field, they showed the same clip as was on the US broadcast (with some sort of VAR logo) three times at normal speed on the screen, where the Sounders defense was facing. They clearly saw it and that's when they blew up at Toledo. It's an interesting data point on the "should they show video in the stadium."
But it was neither excessive or dangerous in the context of the action....both players were going for the ball, their bodies were twisting (Marshall did a complete 360 in the course of the play) and Marshall actually gets a touch on the ball before making contact with the attackers leg. There was no intent at all. Basically Marshall was twisting around in the process of playing the ball and his foot accidentally came down on the attackers leg in the process of completing his step (his foot does have to come down somewhere after all). He had no clue where the attackers leg was at the time his foot was coming down.
First of all, Casey Keller knows less about officiating than most fans do, which is pretty mind-boggling in and of itself. Second, once again the fans screaming against this call have no clue what constitutes serious foul play. They think it's only called for intentional or blatantly ugly plays. This is as textbook of SFP as it gets. In no way do I think Chad Marshall is a dirty player. Physical and tough, you bet. Dirty, absolutely not. However, this is a send-off. There is simply no two ways about it. This is also EXACTLY why VAR is in use. In full speed, I get why Toledo didn't call it on the first look. VAR identified it as something that was clear and obvious, and the right call was made.
Yes and no. This is an incident that is covered under VAR protocols and, based on how everything was written, is exactly the type of scenario VAR is supposed to cover. But if you think FIFA wanted this to be red at the WC, you’re kidding yourself. There’s a bigger philosophical question about whether or not a challenge that barely anyone but referees think is a 100% red actually is “exactly why” VAR was implemented. VAR was implemented to catch the type of incidents that “no one” in football could abide being missed. People could abide this being missed in the past. FIFA can still abide this being “missed” at the WC. A lot of people could have abided this being missed yesterday. So there really is a question as to whether or not this is the type of play that VAR was meant to fix. On paper, yes. Conceptually, when the powers that be said “we need replay,” probably not. And because “clearly wrong” is so subjective and in the eye of the beholder, it’s going to be a long time before we all understand if VAR will operate as it is written or in a manner consistent with the reasons it was designed. There is a huge range between those extremes (and with room to grow, given the slippery slope principle) and we’ve already seen it when you juxtapose the WC against many of the domestic competitons that have implemented VAR.
I'm not upset, because it didn't impact the outcome of the game. I thought it was a penalty live but now I'm watching the angle at 4:15 on this video: https://www.mlssoccer.com/post/2018/09/04/did-seattles-chad-marshall-deserve-his-red-card Do you definitely see contact there? I'm struggling to see any contact, but if there was contact it honestly looked like Arriola initiated it. But honestly it looked more like he dragged his foot (from the spray coming up) and tripped. I truly am not complaining about the call, so this is not rage or some kind of vague hope that getting someone to agree with me will make things all better... I just legitimately don't see it. EDIT: to say that I also don't think the video is strong enough to have overturned it on VAR, regardless of what I think I see. Not clear and obvious if you have to zoom in and go slow-motion, and STILL second guess yourself.
Sounders Chad Marshall situation continues: --Seattle Times has an interesting article about Toledo's interview with their pool reporter. Venturing inside referees’ dressing room: A rare, detailed postgame account given me Saturday by officiating crew on why #Sounders defender Chad Marshall was red carded. Sounders have appealed decision, are confident of overturning it. https://t.co/wW37jFpwux #MLS #SKC— Geoff Baker (@GeoffBakerTIMES) September 5, 2018 --Sounders say they are challenging the card. Brian Schmetzer tells @Softykjr that Chad Marshall’s red card is under appeal to the DisCo and he feels confident they’re going to win it.— Ari Liljenwall (@AriLiljenwall) September 5, 2018
I didn't think it was a penalty and even with all the replays I'm failing to see where the contact was. The DC pitch seems really swampy in spots, where the ball hits those big wet spots and slows down. That's what looks to have happened here, the ball slows and the player tried to gain control while falling over.
Marshall card rescinded by Independent Panel: RESCINDED! Chad Marshall is eligible for next Saturday's match against @WhitecapsFC after his red-card ruling was appealed and overturned.📝 https://t.co/MYLwiEfP5Z pic.twitter.com/PYow3YpbAN— Seattle Sounders FC (@SoundersFC) September 6, 2018 This is at least the second time that the IP has rescinded an RC that was sent to the field through VAR, yes? I remember a discussion of at least one other time here.
It's just unbelievable the lengths MLS will go to in order to avoid punishing players. It was a red card tackle. Two qualified officials used video and said it was a red card tackle. If we're going to second-guess the second-guessing, why not just have the IRP sit at a centralized video booth in NYC and act as the VAR? Cut out the middle man. Meanwhile, in France, one of the best players in the world got 3-games for this because VC is VC and that's how it goes (worth noting the initial tackle got 5 games: 4 games for the challenge plus 1 game of a suspended sentence from last season activated) :
T'would be nice if PRO would explain how its rep makes decisions as they seem so rarely in sync with what PRO seems to say otherwise. Yes, I know that is even less likely than MLS joining the rest of the world with automatic multi-game suspensions for VC/SFP . . .
I'm sure it was "Chad Marshall is a nice guy, he didn't mean to do it, red card rescinded". Sarcasm meter on, of course.
It's almost like MLS wants this controversy surrounding its officials to generate more social media activity and interest in the league. When I think of a call being reversed, I'm thinking something so obvious that even my parents (who admittedly don't know much about soccer at all) would be able to look at the play in question and say, "Yes, that was a mistake and needs to be reversed." In no way is this a situation like that. I don't care what the uninformed masses say - Chad Marshall committed serious foul play. I get what MassRef has said about only referees saying this is a 100% SFP event, but it's the referee's opinion that counts - not the fans. MLS had a great chance to publicly back one of its crews by not reversing this, and they screwed up big-time. If MLS and USSF want to understand why its officials continue to be blasted in the cesspool of social media, decisions like this are why. I'm not the biggest Toledo or Gantar fan, but they got this call stone-cold right. MLS once again looks weak and non-supportive of its officials by rescinding this card.
Really is remarkable. It seems like MLS' justification for rescinding these red cards basically boils down to "it was an accident and he didn't mean to do that." At a certain point, the rescinding of all these SFP cards will lead to even more appeals and you will eventually have to pretty much overturn every card that doesn't involve "intent."
I asked Paul Tenorio at The Athletic about the card being overturned, and he says the call on the field was a "bad call" (regardless of the fact that it went to video review) and that overturning the red was the correct decision.