2024 MLS Cup Referee Discussion (GONZALES Jr) [R]

Or, I guess, if at first you do succeed, throw out 4 more worse yet ultimately useless guesses to hedge your bet just in case?

 

Commentary from a layman - it’s a pity that the tactical foul at 6’ didn’t earn a YC (but I guess the decision isn’t surprising for you guys?).

 

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The first yellow wound up being an easy call -- Eile simply slammed into Pec.

 

Obviously more than a few hints of SPA there, but with the number of defenders back and only one other attacker, it’s not totally mandatory.

However, compared to the two yellows we have gotten for SPA through 39 minutes, the 6’ non-card is the odd one out.

 

42' I am not sure how that isn't a caution

EDIT: I mean, I know why it isn't but it's not like this isn't anything but a strategy that RBNY has been very open about in the media.

 

I really disagree here—this one does not need to be a caution. There’s really not much force at all, and the contact is side of leg to side of leg. And with the attacker turning away from goal upfield and towards the touchline, you’d need a pretty low threshold to get that to a SPA caution (which obviously were not going to have in this game). I just don’t see a whole lot of reason to go yellow here. Actually, it looos like Gonzales gives someone a talking to for kicking the ball away into the advertising boards afterwards (I’m assuming that’s what happened based on the audio and Gonzales’s reaction, as it’s not visually shown at all). Probably managed that moment well.

 

We only got one replay but that looks an awful lot like a penalty to me. 90+3’

 

Lol.

 

Excellent call by Atkins by the way.

 

Time wasted from what people thought was game: 1 min, 15secs.

Time added on: 20 seconds

Interesting.

 

Well, no. An extra 1 min 35 seconds was added on, by that count. There were 20 seconds left at the time of the offside, and 20 seconds played after we restarted. You don’t double count time that the ball was out of play.

 

Went back to watch this one. Eh, borderline for me. The arm is at a low angle relative to his own body, and it’s not swinging. I’m not bothered no card there.

 

Well, when you boil it all down, there wasn’t a whole lot to discuss about the refereeing in this game until the penalty decision at the very end. Gonzales did a good job keeping things simple, managing emotions well, showing the yellow cards that were necessary, and not showing the ones that weren’t.

On the penalty decision, Gonzales is a bit far away yet does have an angle to see both players, but the holding mostly occurs on the opposite side of them. Atkins would have had a good angle to see most of the contact, albeit while also juggling potential offside decisions. Marrakchi, of course, had all the angles on replay and decided it wasn’t a clear and obvious penalty.

Maybe seeing some of those other angles would have changed my view, but I don’t know man. That looks a lot like a foul from the one replay we got.

NY Red Bulls wanted a penalty here 👀

Do you agree with the no call? pic.twitter.com/IJciqUvVsF

— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) December 7, 2024

 

Ah, shoot, yeah, thought I was missing something.

 

Yeah. It looks and feels like a penalty in the VAR era.

Pre-VAR era, never a penalty and no expectation of it being given.

I don't see how it is not a penalty in the modern era.

Maybe if it was 13 years ago and it was Thierry Henry on the end of that cross or Messi/Suarez instead of some no name Red Bull player it might be a bigger deal.

 

OK, fair. It's probably that I really just hate RBNY.

(more accurately I hate how they play, but still, point taken)

 

Yes it does. Burke comes into the space occupied by Garces (and aware of where his opponent it) and catches him with non-negligible force in the side of the head with his arm. It definitely tool vs weapon (therefore not a red, but solidly yellow). Guido may have been blocked by another NYRB player in his sight line at the point of contact but that’s an unfortunate miss, especially with nothing really happening the eight minutes leading up to that.