08/17/21 LA Galaxy vs Colorado Rapids Dignity Health Sports Park (10:30PM ET) REF: Silviu Petrescu AR1: Kyle Atkins AR2: Eric Weisbrod 4TH: Kevin Broadley VAR: Tim Ford AVAR: Frank Anderson San Jose Earthquakes vs Minnesota United PayPal Park (10:30PM ET) REF: Victor Rivas AR1: Ian Anderson AR2: Jason White 4TH: Alex Chilowicz VAR: Allen Chapman AVAR: Chris Elliott
Meanwhile in the other game we've had a PK given via VAR for the Rapids after the AR gave a corner on what was clearly a goal kick. Then later on, after two more appeals for PKs went unheeded the Rapids coach got a yellow card. All in the first 22 minutes.
Well, if the CR&AR thought the defender got the ball, that would be consistent with the no PK call and the CK call. It was clear on VAR once slowed down, but certainly not clear in real time.
08/18/21 Atlanta United vs Toronto FC Mercedes-Benz Stadium (7PM ET) REF: Alan Kelly AR1: Nick Uranga AR2: Kathryn Nesbitt 4TH: Elvis Osmanovic VAR: Edvin Jurisevic AVAR: Joshua Patlak New England Revolution vs D.C. United Gillette Stadium (7PM ET) REF: Ted Unkel AR1: CJ Morgante AR2: Adam Wienckowski 4TH: Mark Allatin VAR: Sorin Stoica AVAR: Tom Supple FC Cincinnati vs CF Montréal TQL Stadium (7:30PM ET) REF: Ramy Touchan AR1: Brian Dunn AR2: Brian Poeschel 4TH: JJ Bilinski VAR: Chico Grajeda AVAR: Cory Richardson Inter Miami CF vs Chicago Fire DRV PNK Stadium (7:30PM ET) REF: Baldomero Toledo AR1: Micheal Barwegen AR2: Kevin Klinger 4TH: Marcos DeOliveira VAR: Rubiel Vazquez AVAR: Jozef Batko Philadelphia Union vs New York City FC Subaru Park (7:30PM ET) REF: Drew Fischer AR1: Logan Brown AR2: Cameron Blanchard 4TH: Joshua Encarnacion VAR: Geoff Gamble AVAR: Craig Lowry New York Red Bulls vs Columbus Crew Red Bull Arena (8PM ET) REF: Chris Penso AR1: Jeremy Hanson AR2: Gianni Facchini 4TH: JC Griggs VAR: Jose Carlos Rivero AVAR: Robert Schaap FC Dallas vs Seattle Sounders Toyota Stadium (8:30PM ET) REF: Robert Sibiga AR1: Corey Rockwell AR2: Gjovalin Bori 4TH: Matthew Corrigan VAR: Kevin Terry Jr AVAR: Fabio Tovar Nashville vs Orlando City Nissan Stadium (8:30PM ET) REF: Fotis Bazakos AR1: Corey Parker AR2: Jeffrey Swartzel 4TH: Alyssa Nichols VAR: Guido Gonzales Jr AVAR: Jeff Muschik Sporting Kansas City vs Portland Timbers Children’s Mercy Park (8:30PM ET) REF: Ismail Elfath AR1: Peter Balciunas AR2: Jeremy Kieso 4TH: Brandon Stevis VAR: Dave Gantar AVAR: Kyle Atkins Austin FC vs Vancouver Whitecaps Q2 Stadium (9PM ET) REF: Rosendo Mendoza AR1: Adam Garner AR2: Ian McKay 4TH: Tori Penso VAR: Armando Villarreal AVAR: Jonathan Johnson Real Salt Lake vs Houston Dynamo Rio Tinto Stadium (10PM ET) REF: Jair Marrufo AR1: Frank Anderson AR2: Jose Da Silva 4TH: Nima Saghafi VAR: Joe Dickerson AVAR: Mike Kampmeinert
The lack of lines strikes again. I'm assuming the VAR had no angle better than this to change the on-field decision of offside.
Yeah, it's not a good enough angle with that much distance between the players, but my best guess looking at it on TV replay was even at worst so this seems to support that. The image is probably a frame too far ahead, but the frame by frame precision isn't something you can do on that video so we go with the best we can get. Looks on.
Yeah it's a frame too far on the kick point, but with stationary defender and running attacker, if anything he was more onside at the kickpoint.
I wouldn't classify this as a case of the lack of lines "striking again." I'd put this in the category of calls where a mass audience would, in theory, NOT want the lines overturning the decision because it's too close. We're talking defender's heel and attacker's toe being within centimeters of each other, right? And the exact kickpoint very difficult to discern. The problem on this case isn't the lack of lines. If there is a problem then it's the AR not giving the benefit of the doubt to the attacker. A neutral audience probably wants "goal" here, so it's easy to criticize the decision and ultimate outcome. But what if goal had been awarded and then the lines showed it was offside by 3 milimeters? We'd then be criticizing... the presence of the lines. This is different from the three cases this year where the VAR team simply did not see or account for incontrovertible evidence that a reviewable offside decision was wrong (or, actually, one case where the evidence proved the decision was right but they missed it).
My problem with that becomes that this isn't considered close in UEFA and now the PL. If the players are reversed, there's enough evidence to say clearly offside even in the PL with their "thicker lines policy".
Here's with the kickpoint (and the full camera angle had the penalty area line too making the offside lines more accurate). It looks like I'm in the minority on this one, but when using the lines this isn't considered a close decision. Like I said above, if the two players are changed then it's still considered clear offside in England. I'm all about the bashing of the 1mm offside decisions of last season(s) but I guess I feel a little stronger when good goals are taken away and the lines would have solved it.