There was a post on Twitter, with Irish origins, right after his last game that said Kelly had whistled his final MLS match and was retiring to be a VMO full-time. Kelly retweeted it. The post then came down within a day. Now, the post had other information in it, so maybe Kelly retweeted it for other reasons and didn't realize the allusion to a false retirement so asked for it to be removed? That's one possibility. Another is that he has indeed retired--with very little fanfare, I might add. But he has struggled to maintain fitness for a few seasons now, so if he's going to be a FIFA VMO with a shot at World Cup 2022, it's not crazy and it actually makes a lot of sense to dedicate himself to the VAR role. Will be a little while before we know the real answer, I imagine.
From what I recall from the TSN broadcast, it was just one of the analysts at halftime just stating his opinion that there wasn't as much extension of Osorio's leg compared to the kick-out from the Orlando game this weekend. I could be wrong, though.
That would also make sense from a commentary standpoint. I don't know why PRO would contact TSN and not FS1.
MLS playoff officiating never ceases to amaze me. Ilson of Philadelphia wacks a New England player on the shin 90 yards from goal, dissents the decision with a physical gesture, causes a minor mass confrontation and escapes without a yellow card.
BTW I did the research: 2019: 0 KFTM games 2018: 2 KFTM games, no GK had a YC 2017 1 KFTM game, neither GK had a YC 2016: 2 KFTM games (including the final), no GK had a YC 2015: 2 KFTM games, no GK had a YC 2014: 0 KFTM games 2013: 1 KFTM game (the final), neither GK had a YC 2012: 0 KFTM games 2011: 0 KFTM games 2010: 1 KFTM game, neither GK had a YC 2009: 2 KFTM games, no GK had a YC I stopped at this point because game box scores are becoming more of pain to find. But this is the first time in at least 10 years that 3 games in the same playoff season went to KFTM, and the first time in at least 10 years that a goalkeeper carried a YC into KFTM. Now obviously the ever-changing MLS playoff formats means some years are more likely to produce KFTM games than others, but still what we saw in Orlando is pretty unusual for MLS.
Appreciate all the research. One key thing to remember about WWC and the special dispensation, though, is that it was partly due to the fact that 2019 was the first year with both VAR and the mandatory yellow card. So it is much more likely today for a goalkeeper to carry a yellow card into KFTM than it was prior to this MLS season. Is it still going to be rare? Absolutely. But if a penalty encroachment is called during regular time, it's automatic. And then a goalkeeper likely has 4-5 more chances to pick up the 2CT.
Sure, but when questioning why MLS didn't choose to follow the 2019 dispensation or the option to adopt the 2020/21 rules when they restarted from the COVID break, you can look at the history and see MLS probably expected 1, maybe 2 games to even go to KFTM this year. Knowing that after this year it wasn't going to be a problem its not exactly poor decision making on MLS's part to figure the odds of it happening this year were pretty slim. Then in the first weekend a record high for the decade of 3 games went to KFTM and all hell broke loose in Orlando.
If you want to look at it analytically like that, then FIFA could have looked at the 2015 WWC, realized only 1 out of 16 matches went to KFTM, and rolled the dice in 2019, too! I agree with you that we're talking about two rare events--KFTM and a goalkeeper on a yellow card--overlapping. The likelihood of the second event being present has increased with the advent of VAR, but it's still rare. So the possibility of the 2CT for a goalkeeper in KFTM is, yes, extra rare. But it's possible. And it's unseemly. So FIFA created the escape hatch precisely because the spectacle of a goalkeeper getting sent off like this was something they felt they needed to avoid, even if it was still unlikely. MLS could have done the same thing without anyone complaining. I could be wrong, but I genuinely don't think anyone remembered or realized this memo applied and could be activated. I admit that I didn't until it was brought up here!
Never ceases to amaze me how much people get mad about it while forgetting every Playoff since the beginning. This is how they want the playoffs reffed. That's it, and I wish it wasn't that way, but that's how it is. Eliminate PRO.
PRO is not the problem. It has been that way since the beginning. The league makes its feelings known to whichever group is assigning and training the referees. MLS has historically favored refs who will go along to get along over refs who will enforce the laws. Going back before PRO existed, in most years the leaders in games officiated were not FIFA refs. Part of this is because they were being used on the myriad friendlies that were scheduled as part of MLS doubleheaders. Another part, however, is that the league felt FIFA refs would do what FIFA wanted in order to protect their FIFA status. Non-FIFA refs, on the other hand, could be counted on to know and follow through on what their bosses at the league wanted. Referees who have dropped their status or aged out of FIFA possibilities have always been mainstays of MLS, from the Noel Kenney to Chico Grajeda to Allen Chapman.
This is a great post. If anything PRO has actually raised the bar for quality officiating in the playoffs and the referees enforce the laws in a much more stringent matter in the playoffs than before PRO. But as you've said, the more "event managers" or "player friendly" referees will always win out, even under PRO, for the playoff matches. Pre-PRO it was at times a free for all on these games and some of them just turned into farces with how badly the referees were turning a blind eye towards misconduct.There is still tremendous room for improvement, but it's way better than before. Say what you want about PRO, but I have a hard time believing that any PRO referee would only give a yellow card for a headbutt in an MLS Cup Final like Alex Prus did in 2007. (6:20 in the video) I wonder what Brian Hall was thinking when he was watching that as the 4th official (I believe his last ever match).
But you also have to remember that apart from the MLS Cup Final, most playoff games were over two legs (I think until recently). Combined with the away goals rule, it's really difficult to go to KFTM over a two legged tie. You get one like every 5 years in the Champions League.
But to be completely fair, the issue of "event managers" getting more and better assignments is not limited to the United States. I'd say you see that happen a lot in other countries as well. Just from recent experience watching England, I'd say Clattenburg and even Oliver are looked upon more favorably than someone like Taylor who normally is a more "by the book" referee. Taylor is more highliy thought of at the UEFA level if you look at his assignments and where referees seem to at least be closer to the "we will call games by the book" compared to domestic leagues. The root cause is really the same all over the world - governing bodies and professional leagues want their officials to end matches 11v11 if at all possible and, all else equal, try to manage their way out of tough situations instead of using cards. We've discussed this a lot, but I still think this is a big issue that will likely only change when we see more than a few marquee players suffer serious injuries because of bad challenges (of course, we saw VVD go down with an ACL tear from a bad Pickford challenge, and I don't think even that moved the needle concerning the bar for significant misconduct).
To further the point it doesn't even just apply to the sport of soccer. You see this phenomenon in almost every sport all over the world during playoffs or knockout rounds. Befuddled as to how anyone could think PRO is the cause of this.
Going back to ORL-NYC for a moment, the IRP has rejected Orlando's appeal against Gallese's sending off for second caution. It is the third 2CT appeal I've been able to find record of, none of which have been successful. Based on a quote in the article in the Orlando Sentinel, the club completely botched the appeal, but it's hard to say for sure without more exact details. The article says Orlando appealed because Gallese's position on/off the line was not clear and obvious. Makes it sound like they somehow still thought that this had been reviewed, even though Chapman never went to the monitor. Otherwise, that language does nothing but argue in favor of letting the call stand. There is no "clear and obvious" standard for the AR to make a call, especially one that is technically objective in Law. It doesn't need to be clearly and obviously correct for the VAR to uphold a call. It must be clearly and obviously wrong for the VAR to recommend a review. That said, if this didn't trigger a frivolous appeal ruling, I can't imagine what will. I'm honestly surprised the league allowed it to get that far. The Law is what it is here, and unless Orlando could produce conclusive evidence that the encroachment was wrong, there's absolutely nothing to argue about. The very definition of a frivolous waste of time and resources. Full article: https://www.orlandosentinel.com/spo...0201125-tijwvgz64zhvrchvhxt3qw4k4m-story.html
It was a mess at the World Cup, which is why they enacted the dispensation in the middle of the tournament. It seems to me MLS and PRO were so focused on using 2019 Laws that they forgot about the dispensation that extended to all VAR leagues using 2019 Laws. I am sure they would have used it to avoid this mess, as unlikely as the situation may have seemed.
My point was obviously that even before PRO it was very bad. PRO is an improvement, it should still be disbanded. The MLS shouldn't have such control over the officials, it's corruption pure and simple. EDIT: This is why PRO needs to be gotten rid of. https://www.refereeassociation.net/...-mls-fans-players-teams-supporters-and-staff/
It's an improvement, yet it should be disbanded so you can go back to the way things used to be when... things were worse. Huh? Howard Webb is, by and large, trusted by both the league and PSRA. He's built a senior team that is respected. And inroads are finally being made in improving standards for USL and NWSL officialsl. If you think any of that could be said if professional referee leadership devolved back to Chicago, I just don't want to tell you. It would be like stepping back to the Stone Age at this point. You cited a letter, by the way, from several years ago when Peter Walton was in charge. And before we go down this path, sure, there are still issues where referees as a whole won't be happy or think they are being served (and the IRP is opaque joke). But there's dialogue and communication on every issue of consequence between PRO and PSRA. Again, if you think referees would be better served by USSF and CSA, I cannot do anything other than simply tell you that you're wrong. Referees are one group of stakeholders in this league. And they are served, trained, managed and treated better than they ever have been in MLS history. Throwing around a word like "corruption" should be a warning sign to people not to take you seriously on this.
The real question is what would replace it. In the first year of MLS, assignments came directly from the US Soccer office in Chicago. Ever since then, MLS has had huge input into the assignments. That influence would not go away simply because PRO does. The current structure is a symptom of the problem, not the cause. The problem is that MLS wants to exist like all other American pro leagues and have direct control over their officials. This is prohibited by FIFA statutes. The balancing act is how far US Soccer will allow them to go in this direction. Right now, PRO is heavily funded by MLS, so they are calling the shots, whether anyone wants to admit it or not.
Also agree with what @MassachusettsRef just posted regarding the current relationship. The IRP process is dominated by MLS.
That is not what I said. Instead of Strawmanning my argument, why not Steelman it, and theorize how it could be better.