Check out the Metro's board for some serious whining.. Anybody who regularly posts on the USA team boards knows the poster Ghost of Bill4R as being about as anti-DC and anti-Arena as one can get.. He is calling for the immediate firing of Kevin Stott for being a moron.. He says both red cards were not deserved and is basically making an arse out of himself.. Even a few of the Metro posters are telling him he is flat out wrong on both counts, but he still goes on... For a good chuckle and gloat, check out a few of these threads.. https://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showthread.php?threadid=13606 https://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showthread.php?threadid=13629 https://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showthread.php?threadid=13613 Enjoy.....
That gave me a good laugh. Even if we don't get into the playoffs next week, there's damn good chance the Metro won't either, in what would be a spectacular collapse. Mostly thanks to us! Two losses and reds on Mathis and Howard! Everything is going EXACTLY according to my plans!!! MWAH HAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!
JP and Shep both agreed that the reds were spot on, if unfortunate for their team. In fact that was a suprisingly well reffed game and after all the comments about Stott before the game we should note that he came through great.
Ya gotta love it when the Scum fans are pissed! Mathis knows he deserved a red. I gave him an earful as he went into the tunnel and he had no reaction. He knew he blew it and made a play that could potentially cost his team a playoff spot.
Chris- just read those thread you linked here. It's amazing how some folks have such a fixation on a playher, like Ghost does with Olsen. Psychotic. beats sormun and Convey or Cruyf14 and David Hayes and that says something...
This was the one big blow up that Arena was always referring to regarding Mathis. He tends to lose his head sometimes. Luckily the costly error wasn't in Japorea this summer, it was back here in RFK!!!
Prideaux a card??? Foul in favor of Diallo instead of a yellow???? Those are some strong glasses. Since I watched Diallo's eye's before he dove he was pathetically lokking for a call. I did not see the Mathais play, too far away from the North end. I will have to wait an see the tape my parents made of the match. From the looks of it Howard took down Lassiter/Curtis (could not tell who) on the breakaway. Looked as if he had no choice. Stott was just as poor as he usually is but the Mutros only have themselves to blame for this one.
I was right even with the Howard takedown, 3 rows into the stands...no doubt it was a red card offense...the ball was by Howard and Lassiter had put on the jets, Howard reached out and grabbed at him...totally legit. The interesting thing is that the foul was outside the box and Howard went for the ball with his hands...if he'd gotten the ball it would have been a red card offense as well. Clint stepping on Chino's neck - what a bonehead move.
Red Cards The Mathis card might be somewhat arguable, because it looked as much like Mathis was trying to avoid stepping on Alegria--who rolled in under Mathis while playing the ball--as it did like an intentional step. I'd probably have thrown the red card too, but I was shocked that the ref did it to Mathis, who hadn't really been as fiery as he was the previous game at the Metros. There is no unbiased person who would not have given Howard a red card. Last man back, clearly playing the player not the ball, it's automatic. -Tron
The Mathis-stamping incident was right in front of me and I felt that the card was deserved. Stott had no hesitation which means that he saw exactly what I did (and everyone else in the bouncy sections). What confused me on that play was this: I thought the original whistle went against Chino for the bad tackle, then Mathis stomped on him and got sent off, yet we took the FK. I guess it's a subtlety of the laws of the game, but I figured that the FK would still go to the Metros on that play.
Check out the link to the videos. Mathis clearly stomps (harder than Beckham's love tap on Simeone, for a reference) after a challenge in which Alegria gets ALL BALL. Chino rolls a bit, but it's after Stott immediately reaches for the red, so he can hardly be accused of playacting. Howard was flat-out stupid. He could've waited a half-second later to come off, in which case the ball would've been inside the box and he could've slid to make the save. Instead he goes outside the box and is forced to use his feet. Dave
I haven't seen the videos of the incidents yet, but when some of the Metrofans who generally are the most biased supporters in the league say the rulings were fair, I have no reason to believe otherwise.
I was at the game AND taped the game. I took another look at the red cards and from what I could see they were BOTH well deserved. In the replay you can see Mathis clearly stomping not just putting his foot down on Chino. The retaliation absolutely warrented a Red. I will agree with the comments that Chino made of meal of the situation. Red card or not Chino should be admonished for his behavior. I can't stand that type of playacting. Howard's play also required a Red. However, I would say it was Lassiter's lack of touch that created the situation. I didn't see any intent on Howard's play but he really nailed Lassiter and took both of his legs out from under him. The one situation I did not get clarification after watching the tape was on the Goalkeeper subsitution at the end. I was under the impression that the 4th Metro substitution for the goalkeeper could only come about from an injury and not a Red Card. Can anyone clarify the call?
I think he seemed to be getting a little too cocky with the ball at his feet outside of the 18... Aside from him being my favoritest MLS player, I have no sympathy for the red card because there were 2 diff reasons, I thought, that it addressed when the card was issued. No dice from me, Timmy. He messed up And Clintie-Poo is just a big idiot for not knowing there was a body beneath his feet.
There was certainly a long discussion about it at the time between the referee and the fourth official. The new keeper came on. Then, they looked about to start the game. But, nobody had gone off. Then, Akwari exited the field. Then, there was a lengthy conference between Stott and the fourth official. Akwari re-entered the field and somebody else exited. Then, they took the free kick. I thought that the fourth keeper was only for injury also, not for expulsion.
I checked mslnet.com's first-grade primer on rules. Here is what they have to say: I guess you can always substitute your keeper and it not count as one of your four substitutes.
After see the videos: -Mathis call could have been just a yellow but a red card was not too harsh. He knew where Chino was and stepped on him. Besides isn't the basically what Convey got tossed for in the LA game to open the season? -The Howard call is right on. He took down an attacker on a clear breakaway and did not get the ball. Howard should have known better. If he let's Lassiter go the worst it is 3-1. The game was over at that point. New England should have been his higher priority. That being said Lassiter probably would have missed anyways.
his hands?????? are u retarded? u need prescriptions buddy..it was his FEET!! yea..the ball was totally passed him making howard go for lassiter all in less than 1 second right? wow...excuse me if this post is considered "trolling" but that post was ALL wrong...
Well the insulting part is trolling I guess, but you are right that Howard went sliding feet first like some kind of escaped lunatic outside of his penalty area. His intent is not the issue, the fact that he was the last defender and denied Lassiter a clear scoring chance by completely missing the ball and sending Rocket Roy airborne. It was on my side of the field and it was clear as a bell. Stott made the correct decision, and I would guess that 99% of the referees in the world would have made the same judgement. I was really hoping that Roy was going to land on his feet and roll in the third goal for emphasis and a boost to his confidence.
Howard took Lassie down with a sliding tackle feet first. Howard was left hanging out to dry and did about all he could do, but IMHO he took Lassiter the Lamp Post down, which is a shame as others have mentioned, and I concur, he'd probably have missed anyways. At the time you could see the red coming, as Curtis and Lassie were off to the races and the Metro defenders were never gonna get there till after the play was done.