08/27/21 Columbus Crew vs FC Cincinnati Lower.com Field (6:30PM ET) REF: Robert Sibiga AR1: Jason White AR2: Ian McKay 4TH: Silviu Petrescu VAR: Tim Ford AVAR: Craig Lowry CF Montréal vs Toronto FC Stade Saputo (7:30PM ET) REF: Drew Fischer AR1: Chantal Boudreau AR2: Oscar Mitchell-Carvalho 4TH: Marcos DeOliveira VAR: Geoff Gamble AVAR: Robert Schaap Orlando City vs Inter Miami CF Exploria Stadium (8:30PM ET) REF: Ismail Elfath AR1: Jose Da Silva AR2: Brian Poeschel 4TH: Alex Chilowicz VAR: Guido Gonzales Jr AVAR: Jozef Batko
Drew Fischer went to the monitor and produced a red card for SFP by Toronto's Noble Okello. It is the earliest red card shown after review so far in MLS and just the 9th red in regular season MLS history to come within the first 5 minutes of a match.
I’m fine with a red here, but I’m not entirely sure this play was clearly and obviously a send off. It’s definitely high with the studs, but the force didn’t scream “excessive force” to me watching it at live speed. The leg wasn’t locked, and the speed coming in wasn’t nearly as high as some of the send offs we saw at the Euros, for example. Don’t get me wrong-I would prefer to see this as a send off. I’m just not sure it’s clearly and obviously one. But Fischer didn’t take much time at all at the monitor, so I’m probably off base here. https://www.mlssoccer.com/competitions/mls-regular-season/2021/matches/mtlvstor-08-27-2021/
08/28/21 Atlanta United vs Nashville Mercedes-Benz Stadium (3:30PM ET) REF: Rosendo Mendoza AR1: Kyle Atkins AR2: Jeremy Hanson 4TH: Luis Guardia VAR: Michael Radchuk AVAR: Jeff Muschik New York Red Bulls vs Chicago Fire Red Bull Arena (6PM ET) REF: Victor Rivas AR1: Adam Garner AR2: Brian Dunn 4TH: Guido Gonzales Jr VAR: Carol Anne Chenard AVAR: Gjovalin Bori Los Angeles FC vs LA Galaxy Banc of California Stadium (7PM ET) REF: Allen Chapman AR1: Adam Wienckowski AR2: Cameron Blanchard 4TH: Nima Saghafi VAR: Joe Dickerson AVAR: Fabio Tovar New York City FC vs New England Revolution Yankee Stadium (7:30PM ET) REF: Kevin Stott AR1: Kathryn Nesbitt AR2: Gianni Facchini 4TH: Silviu Petrescu VAR: Jose Carlos Rivero AVAR: Tom Supple
D.C. United vs Philadelphia Union Audi Field (8PM ET) REF: Rubiel Vazquez AR1: Peter Balciunas AR2: Eric Weisbrod 4TH: JC Griggs VAR: Edvin Jurisevic AVAR: Ian McKay Houston Dynamo vs Minnesota United BBVA Stadium (9PM ET) REF: Ted Unkel AR1: Jeremy Kieso AR2: Corey Rockwell 4TH: Baldomero Toledo VAR: Armando Villarreal AVAR: Diego Blas Sporting Kansas City vs Colorado Rapids Children’s Mercy Park (9PM ET) REF: Fotis Bazakos AR1: Corey Parker AR2: Ryan Graves 4TH: Jeremy Scheer VAR: Sorin Stoica AVAR: Jonathan Johnson
08/29/21 Austin FC vs FC Dallas Q2 Stadium (8PM ET) REF: Jair Marrufo AR1: Frank Anderson AR2: Cory Richardson 4TH: Baldomero Toledo VAR: Chico Grajeda AVAR: Mike Kampmeinert Vancouver Whitecaps vs Real Salt Lake BC Place (10PM ET) REF: Ramy Touchan AR1: Mike Rottersman AR2: Chris Wattam 4TH: Marcos DeOliveira VAR: Dave Gantar AVAR: Rene Parra Seattle Sounders vs Portland Timbers Lumen Field (10:30PM ET) REF: Alan Kelly AR1: Logan Brown AR2: Micheal Barwegen 4TH: Nima Saghafi VAR: Tim Ford AVAR: Joshua Patlak
Can we talk about Alan Kelly's performance? The first half was a bit of a mess. Seattle has a hard challenge in the 3' that, IMO, it's a YC offense but nobody gives that in the 3'. Then between 30-42' Kelly keeps his card in his pocket after a series of harder and harder challenges, culminating in 3 challenges by SS, but then the next challenge by PTFC gets yellow carded. It was really poor refereeing, in my opinion, as it was not preventative at all, let the game overboil, and then unfairly punished PTFC (in that there wasn't consistency for fouls done against them just minutes earlier). He did better the 2H but I expect more from him.
Week 23, but it’s all kicked off in Nashville. Morales of NYCFC and McCarty of Nashville sent off as part of a mass confrontation. Honestly, I’m not sure why McCarty was shown red. He squared up, but Morales seemed to be the instigator and had McCarty by the neck. Tim Ford was struggling to keep control with some hard challenges not dealt with very well.
The no-tolerance policy strikes again. Reminds of Messi's card with a Chilean player where he had his hands up the whole time yet both got red carded.