[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iDaUwi5g-8o&feature=player_embedded"]YouTube - MLS 2011 Los Angeles Galaxy 3-0 Portland Timbers Highlights 04/23/2011[/ame] Play starts at 0:45 - Chad Barrett nudges the ball forward with his shoulder, then makes a great half volley for the goal. Not the greatest of angles to determine, but would you call that a hand ball?
I think he hits it up to his shoulder and then nudges it forward with his shoulder before shooting. The first hit looks like it's probably handling after watching it a few times. Don't know how easy of a call that is to see or make though...
Watch it again, I maybe mistaken, but at 1:28, it looks like he pops the ball up with his forearm before bouncing it with the shoulder. If so, definitely handling. Let me know if you see it that way. I have to be honest, it's hard to tell.
On the replay I definitely see it that way - don't know if I would've been able to see that during the run of play, though...
I said handling when I saw it the first time on TV - live. Nice finish, however. In the grand scheme of things, it didn't mean a thing. cRapids were outclassed.
Kind of the equivalent of a player going to ground when he's fouled but the force isn't enough to make him fall, no? I'm sure some will find it distasteful, but it's pretty clear he was fouled. Until referees start giving these sort of penalties regularly, it's going to happen. Smart veteran move by Donovan. Now, the bigger question is whether or not such sort of fouls are going to get called consistently.
Was watching this game live, had no issue with either of the decisions. On replay, you might have to argue Barrett used his arm. (Portland's coach, John Spencer, apparently was yelling about it the whole game, eventually leading to Hernandez using the Tell on him). But at live speed, as quickly as the play developed, and with Hernandez looking through a pair of Portland defenders, that would be hard to catch. I think letting it go was fine because the contact is high enough on the arm/shoulder to not get picky. Holding is one of the three DFK offenses that is foul anytime. It does not need to be careless, reckless, or involving excessive force. Regardless of whether Donovan stops or plays through, it's a foul. If he stops, all he is saying is that he wants the foul and does not want advantage applied. Wallace was hoping to commit the foul before the ball was played in and the referee had not turned forward to watch the play; one would hope the AR would have caught it. Wallace was just lucky there was another defender in the area and the ball hadn't gotten quite close enough to Donovan, or that could have been red.