MLS should have just voted as a league to use the new LOTG for KFTM procedures. Nothing stopping them from doing that other than themselves. Would have prevented the mandatory yellow card. I mean, I think we all assume 'unable to continue' applies only to injuries and is the spirit of that rule, but from a strict reading it's pretty easy to say a sent off player is also clearly unable to continue. Should they rewrite to say, 'unable to continue due to injury?' Correct. Anyone remember which year that was changed? Technically if NYCFC were not made to reduce after the red card, does that give them cause for a protest? Not sure that it would stand up unless they had cycled through all of their kickers though.
The clear tactical move here is for teams to sub in their backup keeper in the waning seconds of extra time. This allows them 3 chances to come off the line before running out of keepers. (Of course, one of them would be missing the next game.)
Could they use the new laws? My understanding (not backup up anywhere) is that the leagues are told which version they must use based on the start of the season. I didn't think it was an option.
The current laws say that yellows do not carry over to kicks from the penalty mark. Was this the case last year (which MLS is using)? If so, keeper should not have been dismissed, right?
I've always despised the fact that this is a yellow card. Coming off the line by an inch on a freaking penalty kick is borderline trifling to begin with. To call for a re-taken penalty kick for a just-barely-there offense is punishment enough. To get VAR involved in it is just splitting the hair even further. But to card the keeper for trying to make a play is serious overkill. It's part of the reason I hated the foul/PK/DOGSO red card enforcement before, and was happy when they finally changed it. When it was the goalkeeper trying to stop the attacker with a legitimate play on the ball, that punishment seemed like a disincentive to even try to compete for the ball. Same principle. Giving a keeper a card for trying to make a save? Brutal.
If the goalkeeper is sent off, the goalkeeper can't be substituted. This is covered already. (if another player put on the goalkeeper shirt and then said they were too injured to continue though....)
Just to clarify, per FIFA, MLS has to use the LOTG in effect on the first day of the regular season without modification unless directed by FIFA to make such a modification. MLS can modify anything else they want outside of the LOTG as they did with the COVID tournament, etc. As such, 2019/2020 LOTG apply to all matches. This is partially a product of MLS having a spring, rather than a fall, start of the season.
Are you sure? I was under the impression leagues couldn't change rules mid-competition without dispensation from FIFA (like they did with VAR).
Y'all do know we're talking about a league that made up their own 1v1 with the GK run up shootout right? Did U.S. Soccer lose it's sanctioning with CONCACAF or FIFA over that? If you really think FIFA would care if they switched for just this one provision during KFTM I think you're overestimating how much FIFA cares. Besides, FIFA changed their own interpretation of this during their own tournament at the WWC 2019. If you think they are going to tell MLS they can't do the same thing you're nuts. MLS could've easily done this if they wanted to. It's written as: It doesn't say anything about not being able to sub due to a send off. A send off means they are unable to continue. Spirit of the game and the law we all agree it's only for injuries. I'm just hypothesizing as to how two PRO referees and two FIFA ARs could have screwed this up. They either all went to sleep, or all misinterpreted the law or some combination.
I think you can borrow from the old logic which explained why a red carded player could not be substituted: when a goalkeeper is red-carded, they cease being a player. So it's not a case of a goalkeeper being unable to continue--the goalkeeper does not exist.
I agree with the logic. I'm just stretching as to how an entire crew of PRO referees could screw this up.
I mean, if we're going to just throw the rules out, then what should have happened today is Don Garber should have called up the ref room and told them to change it on the spot. But since the discussion here is about the rules, no, MLS couldn't just vote to change the rule mid-season under FIFA's rules.
For everyone bagging on Chapman for botching the sub rule...First: he deserves it. Along with the ARs/4th. I mean come on. They screwed up that sub royally, and made it into a clown show. That's just not acceptable at the professional level. But But But...either the VAR or AVAR saved the MLS big time by catching it. Could you imagine what would happen if Orlando won with an ineligible player saving the last shot? That would be unprecedented probably on a global scale. I agree with someone earlier in the thread--the fact that the VAR/AVAR got them out of there without something that could order the game replayed is the strongest argument I've seen in favor of VAR this whole season.
Completely agree on first two paragraphs. But for the third... it’s just a question of the actual personnel and not the type of personnel, right? Like if Gonzales Jr. saved the day here, then he would have saved it as 4th or as referee. And if De Oliviera was about to blow it as a 4th, he would be a bad insurance policy as VAR. The on-field crew was just lucky someone who knew what they were doing was apparently in the VOR and serve as an extra official to seek counsel from. Also, somewhat importantly, that sort of counsel (if it occurred) does fall outside the four stated categories of involvement for VAR. So it is hard to say it’s an argument in favor of VAR when it’s not technically a function of VAR.
I hear you and agree. But maybe being in a room where you can talk to the guy next to you and even take out the law book might help. Or google "Kicks from the mark sub rules" or something. I'm not sure it was out of the VAR protocol in the COVID era. I thought the AVAR was allowed to access the rosters now to confirm the eligibility of subs. I grant this wasn't a strict application of that, but it is at least in the ball park. Or...and this is totally conspiracy theory and I have no inside knowledge but...hear me out: what if Webb/Geiger, or even a friend of the VAR/AVAR called/texted and said "STOP STOP STOP the kick--sub not eligible!!!" I mean it was probably 6 or 7 minutes after the sub was made that the VAR stepped into stop it. Maybe it was a phone call from New York or Atlanta or wherever. I know that is totally not allowed to happen and they would deny that under penalty of USL assignments, but if I'm Webb and I'm watching that in the office, I'm on the phone to that room pronto, and maybe six minutes is what it took to get through.
Oh, I think EVERYTHING is on the table here. And to be clear, I never said the VAR offering counsel was “outside protocols.” The language can get fuzzy here so I’m using an informal term and saying it’s fine for him to “offer counsel” or simply “assist.” All I was saying in the last paragraph is that such assistance isn’t part of one of the four stated reasons for having VARs.
Killing the tension and drama? I found the sequence to be very tense and extremely dramatic! Anyways, I’m glad Chapman and his crew figured it out eventually and saved the situation from becoming a total calamity. As others have said, this was a mess, and Chapman is largely responsible for it. Shoutout to whichever crew member(s) noticed things were wrong and corrected the error in time.
Apologies if this has already been covered, but this is from Law 10: Kicks from the penalty mark are taken after the match has ended and unless otherwise stated, the relevant Laws of the Game apply. A player who has been sent off during the match is not permitted to take part; warnings and cautions issued during the match are not carried forward into kicks from the penalty mark. (Emphasis mine) Granted, this is from the 2020-2021 version, so tell me if this is new, but doesn't this mean the keeper should have only been cautioned, but not sent off?
Some thoughts on the match in general. Chapman had poor body language throughout the game and just seemed kind of out of it. Caution to Ruan in 77th could and perhaps should have been red. Defender does not even look for the ball and launches into his opponent, making forceful contact to the head and neck of Tinnerholm. Video of that play here. Ruan sent off in 84th for violent conduct for a kick out at Mackay-Steven. Chapman allowed this to go on for far too long, and it appeared that AR1 was the one who convinced him that it should be a straight red. As soon as Chapman takes out the red, he is surrounded by Orlando players who are pressuring him not to give the card. This continues while Ruan refuses to get to his feet so that Chapman can show the card. The caution to Orlando GK in first half of extra time really showed that Chapman was not on top of his game today. Zero reason to give this caution. Orlando is not winning, and you have to know in the back of your mind that you might wind up with kicks from the mark, so don't give the GK a soft and avoidable caution that would tie your hands later. As to the kicks themselves, here are my thoughts. 1. Decision to order the retake was correct, but I really did not care for the way it went down. They called it on the field, but without a visible signal from the AR. Rather than immediately giving the 2nd yellow, Chapman seems to wait for VAR to confirm that the call was correct before showing the card. 2. There is ZERO excuse for the substitution fiasco, and the fact that someone ultimately saved them from a protestable mistake is irrelevant. It should have never gotten to that point. At a minimum, both ref and 4th were prepared to let this happen. The time to sort this out took far too long and was not fair to the NYC shooter who was iced by the process. Being on a cell phone to avoid a mistake is better than making the mistake, but not by much. This is a professional referee who is obligated to know the laws inside and out. 3. Losing track of what the actual score was and seeming to end the game after Schlegel made a save is also a poor reflection on Chapman. 4. Finally, the original GK for Orlando never actually went into the dressing room and was visible on the field throughout this fiasco. This game was a poor reflection on all involved.
It has been covered. That's a law change for this year, and MLS is still playing under last year's rules since rule changes happen in June/July, after MLS starts the season.
Ok I'm confused, I thought they got permission from FIFA to try it for a bit and then told to stop. I didn't think they just went "Eh we'll do whatever we want!" Am I confused on that?
That is brand new to the 2020/21 LOTG. So MLS, still using the 2019/20 Laws, does not have that provision. Cautions still carry over to KPM until the league switches to the newer laws next season. Edit: Oops, looks like JasonMa beat me to it. Apologies for the duplicate answer.
Couldn't agree more. What a great post. The first caution to Ruan would probably go to review for targeting in a college football game and he would get ejected. I do slightly disagree with your assessment about the first caution to the goal keeper. I didn't see it and I don't know if it was warranted or not, but Orlando is down a man and the best they can hope for is to get the match to a penalty shootout, so cautions for time-wasting (especially when you are down a man) with the score tied can be justified. I do owe an apology to VAR this time. I thought the VAR initiated the retake. Turns out the AR incredibly decided to try and a make a hero call and didn't have the guts to make a visual signal by raising his flag to own the decision. Sooner or later PRO will have to tell the ARs that this is a call that only VARs can make. This can't continue like this on penalties. The substitution fiasco and losing track of the score is simply unacceptable at the professional level. It was cringe worthy. I don't know how much communication there is during a match when Chapman is the referee, but for many MLS referees the crew is confirming every decision over the mics no matter how obvious it is.