05/29/19 Atlanta United vs Minnesota United Mercedes-Benz Stadium (7PM ET) REF: Alex Chilowicz AR1: Frank Anderson AR2: Gjovalin Bori 4TH: Ted Unkel VAR: Jorge Gonzalez AVAR: Jozef Batko Montreal Impact vs Real Salt Lake Saputo Stadium (7:30PM ET) REF: Fotis Bazakos AR1: CJ Morgante AR2: Claudiu Badea 4TH: Pierre-Luc Lauziere VAR: Jose Carlos Rivero AVAR: Gianni Facchini Philadelphia Union vs Colorado Rapids Talen Energy Stadium (7:30PM ET) REF: Tim Ford AR1: Brian Dunn AR2: Logan Brown 4TH: Rubiel Vazquez VAR: Sorin Stoica AVAR: Tom Felice D.C. United vs Chicago Fire Audi Field (8PM ET) REF: Armando Villarreal AR1: Apolinar Mariscal AR2: Ian McKay 4TH: Matt Franz VAR: Geoff Gamble AVAR: Jeff Muschik Sporting Kansas City vs LA Galaxy Children’s Mercy Park (8:30PM ET) REF: Robert Sibiga AR1: Ian Anderson AR2: Eduardo Mariscal 4TH: Luis Guardia VAR: Edvin Jurisevic AVAR: Peter Balciunas 05/31/19 Vancouver Whitecaps vs Toronto FC BC Place (10PM ET) REF: Jair Marrufo AR1: Jeff Hosking AR2: Micheal Barwegen 4TH: Elijio Arreguin VAR: Jon Freemon AVAR: Mauricio Navarro 06/01/19 Montreal Impact vs Orlando City Saputo Stadium (5PM ET) REF: Christopher Penso AR1: Brian Poeschel AR2: Philippe Briere 4TH: Marcos DeOliveira VAR: Geoff Gamble AVAR: Peter Balciunas Atlanta United vs Chicago Fire Mercedes-Benz Stadium (6PM ET) REF: Nima Saghafi AR1: Adam Wienckowski AR2: CJ Morgante 4TH: Fotis Bazakos VAR: Ricardo Salazar AVAR: Jeff Muschik New York Red Bulls vs Real Salt Lake Red Bull Arena (7PM ET) REF: Armando Villarreal AR1: Logan Brown AR2: Tom Felice 4TH: Elton Garcia VAR: Edvin Jurisevic AVAR: Craig Lowry Columbus Crew vs New York City FC MAPFRE Stadium (7:30PM ET) REF: Joe Dickerson AR1: Jeremy Hanson AR2: Jose Da Silva 4TH: Rubiel Vazquez VAR: Jose Carlos Rivero AVAR: Walter Heatherly FC Dallas vs Seattle Sounders Toyota Stadium (8PM ET) REF: Baldomero Toledo AR1: Apolinar Mariscal AR2: Adam Garner 4TH: Alejandro Mariscal VAR: Chico Grajeda AVAR: Jonathan Johnson D.C. United vs San Jose Earthquakes Audi Field (8PM ET) REF: Tim Ford AR1: Jeffrey Greeson AR2: TJ Zablocki 4TH: Ramy Touchan VAR: Jorge Gonzalez AVAR: Robert Schaap Colorado Rapids vs FC Cincinnati Dick’s Sporting Goods Park (8:30PM ET) REF: Ted Unkel AR1: Ian Anderson AR2: Andrew Bigelow 4TH: Farhad Dadkho VAR: Younes Marrakchi AVAR: Jozef Batko Houston Dynamo vs Sporting Kansas City BBVA Compass Stadium (8:30PM ET) REF: Kevin Stott AR1: Claudiu Badea AR2: Diego Blas 4TH: Dave Gantar VAR: Malik Badawi AVAR: Eric Weisbrod Portland Timbers vs Los Angeles FC Providence Park (10:30PM ET) REF: Robert Sibiga AR1: Frank Anderson AR2: Nick Uranga 4TH: Victor Rivas VAR: Jon Freemon AVAR: Joshua Patlak 06/02/19 Minnesota United vs Philadelphia Union Allianz Field (4PM ET) REF: Allen Chapman AR1: Oscar Mitchell-Carvalho AR2: Gianni Facchini 4TH: Kevin Broadley VAR: Geoff Gamble AVAR: Ian McKay LA Galaxy vs New England Revolution Dignity Health Sports Park (10:30PM ET) REF: Alex Chilowicz AR1: Brian Dunn AR2: Jeremy Kieso 4TH: Ismir Pekmic VAR: Dave Gantar AVAR: Cameron Blanchard
Notes: 1st whistle of the season for Kevin Stott, MLS debuts for Elijio Arreguin and Walter Heatherly, first AR assignment for Tom Felice.
You have to think this could be Stott's last season on the field. He has been struggling to pass the fitness test which is just understandable due to his age. Still absolutely quite remarkable that he will continue his streak of being on the field for every MLS season ever.
So part of me asks “how do you not send off Hamid for what he did on the game-tying goal tonight?” But another part of me responds “how do you send off a goalkeeper for a foul as he concedes a goal?” Then I realize the part of me responding lives in the past, in an era where we weren’t hyper-sensitive to head injuries. Also in an era without video review. In the here and now, I just don’t know how a professional officiating crew doesn’t draw a line there. It’s a deliberate blow to the head well after the ball is gone. There’s no excuse. “Well it’s 3-3 now and the goal is punishment enough” doesn’t cut it anymore. And I say that as someone who would have likely fallen back on that argument through much of my career. https://mls.app.link/5rnYoXSi6W
Interesting discussion around the crazy flurry of activity in Guzan's triple "save" in last night's AUFC v. Minnesota game. https://streamable.com/ee89k Between a handball/ball to hand that could have ended the play after the initial save and the ball possibly crossing the line before Guzan's final control - seemed like a whole lot for VAR to take a look at. There was a bit of delay after it all sorted out, but appeared that VAR and Saghafi were ok with the no goal result and did so very quickly. Would be interesting to know what all they looked at / thought about. Also begs the question, "Why is MLS leading the way with VAR, but not doing goal line technology?"
The only thing for VAR to look at in that situation is goal/no-goal. If they determine no-goal, that's it. Nothing else matters. If they had determined the ball had crossed the line, then you start working backward. First they'd have to check the handball situation to see if it was a clear foul in the attacking APP. If they determine that isn't a clear foul, then they'd have to go back to the close offside decision right before that. Obviously they determined the ball did not cross the line (because, otherwise, Chilowicz would have either awarded the goal or been called to an OFR to assess either of the two situations above). Knowing some of the available camera angles and taking into account Chilowicz's position, I can imagine they were pretty confident in that assessment. But yes, it does make you wonder about MLS and GLT.
I didn't think of that, thanks. There are a lot of cameras in MBS, it's likely VAR had a goal line view that wasn't shown on broadcast and the slight delay was a "never crossed the line".
VR is sexy; GLT is boring. VR gets used (in varying degrees) in every game; GLT matters very rarely. (Is there another MLS instance this year where it would have mattered?) And VR can (sort of) do what GLT does. I think all together it makes it pretty easy to decide to spend the money on VR and not GLT. (And I say that as someone who likes GLT and hates VR.)
I thought VAR was supposed to reduce dissent. Pretty farcical scenes. Guzan screaming at Chilowicz for handling, I'm assuming, while he already made the save and then the Minnesota attacker chasing after him saying that the ball crossed the line. Asking for a dissent card while the ball is in play is a tough ask there especially in the age of VAR where you look pretty silly if your decision is overturned. VAR has essentially ended referees giving cards for dissent on big decisions as they plead to the players that it's being checked, but VAR hasn't actually reduced the amount of dissent by players.
Villarreal is never giving that. I can see maybe Toledo giving and maybe Elfath and that's about it in MLS. The fact Hamid doesn't even earn at least a yellow is pretty ridiculous. It's at minimum reckless.
VAR has had good moments and it's working a lot better in MLS that it is in many other competitions, but it seems like we're settling into a zone where a lot of the "I told you so" things from skeptics are happening. The U20s are not helping and FIFA just has to be thankful there's not a lot of attention on that tournament generally (and almost none in Brazil, Germany and England). The WWC could make it worse, unless Makkelie-Irrati-Vigliano save the day again.
Old habits die hard and I agree with you, essentially. But Gamble is probably one of the best VARs in MLS; I'd be very surprised if he didn't at least look very closely at it. The bottom line, when you take the individual officials out of it, is that you can't seriously say governing bodies care about head injuries if they are allowing their referees to not sanction this behavior. If you don't want to criticize the individual referees in this moment, fine. But this has to be a teaching opportunity. That play cannot happen again. The DisCo suspending Hamid would be a good step, otherwise the entire league has sanctioned Hamid's act and you can't put that back in the bag.
I really think how the EPL does VAR next year might be the line of demarcation for VAR. There is a reason the EPL was the last major league to implement it and there is a reason they aren't doing OFRs in the EPL. The English love game flow and don't like delays and I can't imagine the public will be accepting of some these reviews of four or five minutes like we are seeing in MLS sometimes and in the U20s. If VAR turns sour in the EPL, which there is a good chance of happening, and they maybe decide that the headaches aren't worth the positive results every now and then and they decide to scrap VAR (highly unlikely again) then maybe other competitions decide to follow suit. I genuinely don't believe that VAR has added that much to the game. There have been some positive moments, but overall I think the game can go on without it.
I think you're right in principle, but I think they are going to be a lot less accepting of VARs making decisions on their own that lack a feel for the game. Unless VARs are just unilaterally extraordinarily conservative, I can't see how the "no OFRs" protocol will work well. And if VARs are that conservative in England, you'll get commentators saying "what's the point?" a lot more than they have been elsewhere. The FA might have been crazy like a fox by waiting. I actually think they've backed themselves into a corner where VAR is ubiquitous enough that certain expectations already exist and the FA isn't prepared to deliver on them.
Did you guys see Alex's position on this play? He was on the goal line. Honestly, I'd trust his decision more than triangulated VAR goal line at this point. That was a great piece of refereeing...I'm glad VAR didn't mess it up.
I hadn't really noticed the way he stuck with that play, getting closer and closer to the action without getting in the way. The slight delay in restarting on the throw in may well have been just a matter of the distance to the ball out and nothing to do with VAR at all.
Apparently PRO has chosen to reach out and apologize to DCU because Calvo was offside and the game-tying goal should have been reviewed and disallowed. Glad to see the focus on player safety after Hamid tried to take Calvo's head off. Oh wait.
So IDFK coming out and Hamid sent off? Hockey has gotten very serious about the illegal check to the head. It's the defenders job to make sure the head isn't the main point of contact. In soccer it's the defenders job to not put their studs into the opponents leg. Why is it so crazy to tell the keeper it's their job to not punch an opponent in the head? On the other hand, this is a pretty rough miss by the VAR. Although to be fair, before I put the line in it looked a lot closer.
I don't think your line is quite in the right spot, but regardless because of the position close to the top of the six, it's clear and obvious that Calvo's foot is closer than the defender's feet or shoulders. Wherever the line should be.
VAR also ok with not having another look at this? Can see ref view isn't great for it, would be 99.999% sure would change to Red. There was also this tackle in the game. Just a yellow. 🤷♂️ https://t.co/2KDOjG3Q5K pic.twitter.com/wkZ3909Tsz— Paul Tenorio (@PaulTenorio) May 30, 2019