You're never going to let a player re-enter the field that way because he's out of sight of all the players and it presents a really bad situation if the defenders play the ball backwards. Really, the player should know that. I'm at a loss as to why he'd have done that. As for the game, that second half was something. It's a completely different team in the way they perform right now. First half wasn't great but they got it right in the second. Ilsinho had been ridiculous too. It's much better seeing him in the middle rather than isolated outside like he'd been.
Funny to hear Haris say they knew they would win after scoring the first. When 4 games ago, we all knew they wouldn't hold on to a 3 goal lead once Portland got a first.
I'm not saying the card wasn't deserved, how the ref handled every interaction was confrontational. Whether for us or against us. I'm glad we won, but it was like watching someone fall down the stairs. You hope they weren't hurt too bad and feel embarrassed for him.
the yellow (turning to red) was just nuts. Any player out there let alone a professional should know the rules. You can't just go back in when you feel like it or because someone else tells you to do it.
Yeah, he was really bad, for both teams. Bedoya was very fortunate/lucky to not pick up two yellows. Same can be said for a number of Rapids players as well. How De Font escaped a yellow card in the first half is mind boggling. Ditto for Sjoberg, as he was lucky not to give up a PK in the first half. The PK that was called could have been a Red Card as well for deliberately handling the ball in the box and denying a goal scoring opportunity. Immediately after that call, it sure looked as if Howard shoved Gooch away with a hand to his face (it could have just been the angle of my seats and view of the play though). Hands to the face are an auto red this year, Chara got sent off for less against Mtl earlier in the day. Just a very inconsistent game from the CR. I've seen Rugby matches that were less physical. I have to imagine that the players were frustrated not knowing what was a foul, a cardable foul, or not a foul at all. Just be glad that Sheanon Williams and the FarFans no longer play for the Union...........In a game like that, in the past the Union would have been lucky to finish with 8 guys on the field at the end.... Anyways, the second half was actually a lot of fun. It's actually enjoyable to watch the Union at Talen NRG Stadium again!
Pretty sure they try to avoid reds when penalties are awarded to avoid "double jeopardy". I've seen they several times recently. What would have been a red and PK is yellow and PK. Maybe our resident rules expert @billf can weight on on that??
The hand ball was not DOGSO. It was deliberate, thus leading to a yellow, but it was not blocking a shot or directly preventing a goal so a red would have been exceedingly harsh. And I think the guy only pushed Gooch away. Chara actually hit Piatti in the face. Piatti made a meal of it but was smacked in the face. DOGSO still applies to handling regardless. This case for doesn't apply to DOGSO. The yellow rather then red applies to plays were the player makes a true attempt at the ball but ends up fouling the player. If you just drag a guy down and you are the last defender it would still be a red. You likely won't see keepers sent off on a bang bang play where they slide out trying to get the ball, the player gets clipped after touching the ball around the goalie. That would be yellow and a pk. See Blakes yellow against Portland.
Glad to see the discussion on the ref here. The guy was 100% shit tier. Technically, you're not supposed to wave people on from the end line but we've all seen it done many, many times. The CR was doing it to be spiteful. He looked directly at Calvert and, IMO, made a decision to make him wait & stew. He was unprofessional the entire match, consistently trying to prove he was the "power" of the match (as someone in my section eloquently put it). Obviously, his calls helped my team so I won't complain too much, but I really felt bad for Calvert. He was a victim of someone who was out to prove a point. ETA: With MLS Live I watch a stupid amount of games. The refereeing in this league is terrible. I would hate to be a Coach in this league. It would take all of my strength in some of the matches to not pull my team off the field in the 60' - it's that bad. It seems the more initiative MLS puts into trying to sort out the reffing situation, the worse it has become.
The referee was in a tight spot there. If that was the Rapids' defensive end, maybe he waves the guy on, but there really wasn't an out for him there.You can't let an attacking player enter behind the play like that and a player should know that. This particular referee doesn't have a style that works for me and I do think this incident is one that will be a talking point in the assessment, but I wouldn't put it on the referee entirely.
Problem is that MLS does not oversee PRO, the USSF does. The USSF is responsible for providing good officials for matches at all professional levels/leagues in the US. They are trying, but being a match official is a thankless job. It's also likely one of the toughest jobs as well. Now granted the CR on saturday did himself no favors by letting a lot go, and being inconsistent with his calls. I imagine some of this can be attributed to officials not wanting to disrupt the flow of the game/letting the game develop a flow in the first place. If Colorado had their way, the game would have had zero flow and an infinite number of restarts. TBF the referees in England haven't had a stellar year either.
MLS does fund PRO and its offices are co located within MLS HQ. Its completely separate from the USSF. While USSF, and a few CSA, referees are used, there's nothing to say that's a hard requirement. All pro games are now assigned by PRO.
I thought there was a requirement by FIFA that leagues couldn't provide officials, and that the officials had to be provided by the countries federation?
Nexus says: we've been so bad for so long that a four game win streak can turn a season that started out with 8 winless games into one of the best runs of form, and our fourth best season through 12 weeks.