2019 MLS Playoffs Conference Semifinals Referee Discussion

Have NYCFC - Toronto on but not following closely. Too distracted by the god awful camera angle anyway....

Reminds me of MLS Cup last year. Why can’t they get the simple things right ?

 

To be fair, getting a camera angle in a baseball stadium is really tough. The main press box is going to be closer to the corner of the field.

Now if you want to talk about why, after five seasons, a team is still having to choose between two baseball stadiums to hold a playoff game instead of having it's own stadium, that's a valid point and argument.

 

A playoff SFP red!

Granted, it was exactly the situation you'd expect it to happen, but hey.

 

https://streamja.com/O337

Everton goes to confront the player he almost cost the playoffs to no less than 3 times while that player is on the ground. Ok once, ref can't get there in time. The other two times Kelly should've been between them, Everton shouldn't get the opportunity to try and draw a revenge red so many times.

 

If there was ever a case for why MLS really needs to move toward the automatic multi-game suspension for a SFP red, that assault and battery disguised as a "tackle" needs to be it. Svensson is extremely lucky he walked away from that without a broken leg. I know Holden is probably sensitive to a play like that given what happened to him as a player, but I felt he was right on with his assessment. I'm also happy to see that Kelly wasted no time with the red card.

For Luiz to even try and stay near Svensson was just a stupid play. Even if he was trying to offer an apology, I don't blame any of the Sounders for wanting a piece of him there. I'm also very surprised that none of the supporters did anything more than just verbally go after Luiz as he walked to the tunnel (although that Sounders security guy may be having a conversation with the front office this morning . . .).

 

Kevin Stott is always about 15 yards too far from the play.

 

So many people on Twitter think the offside call wasn’t reviewed, just because Stott didn’t go over and take a look.

And some people are clearly looking at Vela, who’s certainly in an offside position but is not the recipient of the pass.

 

I'm not sure this is correct nor has it been an issue at all in this game.

 

He's still crazy fast at his age, he's on something I know it!

 

Any thoughts on an apparent (to me anyway) lack of VAR in the playoffs? Ive seen comments on here and theres been 4 penalty decisions in Union games that looked like a second look would have been warranted?

(Hand ball in first half of Union v Red Bull, clear pull on Picault in 2nd half of Union v Red Bull by Robles, clear push in the back of Elliott at a corner in game against Atlanta then 2 Pogba tackles that looked clumsy at best, but no replay at all by ESPN so maybe not those).

Sadly unlikely to be replays anywhere online but would the VAR have been told not to send any suggestions down?

 

Rule #1 - Don’t go looking for Twitter to provide nuanced analysis of refereeing. As they say on The Dan LeBatard Show, only review “for entertainment porpoises only”.

 

I’d love to say that I really hope that I move as well a decade or so later when I’m at the age of Mike Dean and Kevin Stott, but I can’t because they move way better in their 50s then I do in my 40s!

 

So, #LAFCvLAG - 2nd goal, I have it as being offside by 1.5 inches.

So, really close. Talking about the difference between one pixel and the next here. If I had better source images I might be able to be more definitive.

Still, seems offside to me. pic.twitter.com/TpUyFa3Ckn

— SoccerPhotogrammetry AKA "A Nice Gentleman" (@OffsideModeling) October 25, 2019

 

I'm pretty OK with not having technology in MLS that can call OS by an inch and a half . . .

 

And can we be sure the actual moment in which his teammate struck the ball was at that instant? Or could he have been two inches farther back, which mean he wasn't off?

 

It’s almost like there is a margin of error with the technology that should be factored into whether there is clear enough evidence to overturn the call.

This play is the poster child for a VAR decision that is inconclusive, so the call on the field (whatever that call is) stands. If the leagues would just admit that there is a margin of error and stop trying to convince people that there isn’t 100% precision, the uproar against VAR may be lessened.

 

This logic still doesn't make any sense to me. Regardless of where you draw the line there's always going to be a margin of error.

"In order to compensate for the margin of error, anything within 6 inches will not be reviewed/overturned". Then the argument moves to "well that was really inside 6 inches so it shouldn't have been reviewed/overturned".