No one has been better off the bench than @Jon_lewis710, and now he's been selected for the @MLS Team of the Week!— Colorado Rapids (@ColoradoRapids) July 24, 2020
While I still don't see how this rises to "clear and obvious" here's the real-time audio and the video the refs were looking at on the Rubio handling call against SKC. Its worth listening to for a better understanding of how they break down a video review. https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=110&v=9hI1k6Ec8xo&feature=emb_logo
While interesting, I think they are forgetting two things. One you mentioned - clear and obvious. The second? How the heck is someone supposed to jump at full speed and use their leg mid air without their arms moving. Seriously. That’s the basic biomechanics of a jumping motion. Rubio doesn’t have his hands very “outstretched” - especially when compared with the other calls in the video. It’s a harsh call. And one that would certainly seem that the MLS wants less and less defense to be played moving forward.
The second part is not really a factor in the ref's decision. The Law states that you're not supposed to play the ball with your hand or arm. Period. It's not an excuse that "well, I was jumping, so my arm came up."
IFAB Laws of the game regarding handball: I just can't see how Rubio made his body "unnaturally" bigger in such a "clear and obvious" manner. Maybe I just see that clip differently. If we're penalizing guys who are jumping and have their hands within that close proximity of their chest...then it's clear that the creators of the rules want defenders to play less defense. I know its a purely subjective take by the refs - but I just can't wrap my head around how one can look at that clip, see Rubio sprinting to close the gap to 5ft away from the attacker, jump, hands within - what 6 - 9 inches of his body? - and say that it was obviously either of a: • deliberate attempt to play the ball with his hand • deliberate attempt to make his body unnaturally bigger And that the ball was not hit "direct" from another player who was "close" or that Rubio's body was not "unnaturally bigger." It's just not "obvious" to me. It's a moot point since it is so far gone in the past. I just can't see it the way the refs do. Maybe I'm a homer, but I just can't see it. Every single person who jumps while running - naturally has some swing to their arms. Try it for yourself. Make a 10-15 ft sprint, jump, and kick your leg out as high as Rubio did, without your arms naturally having some swing. So my point is - if we're penalizing the swing of the arms for jumping, then the powers that be clearly want less defense to be played. If that VAR intervention, and subsequent interpretation, is on that thin of a margin, then it's pretty clear how they want defenders to not play defense. The rule itself is vague enough, especially when using words like "unnatural" or "close". The interpretation against Rubio was harsh enough to send a message.
Watching San Jose beat RSL. (Second water break.) RSL isn’t any good, yet they dominated the Rapids. Really, they have no one to blame but themselves. Awful tournament effort. Sigh.
I honestly don't think they took it seriously at all, and consequently didn't do any kind of real preparation other than some token training. They thought it was gonna be like some meaningless preseason tournament where all the teams showed up just to get a workout, experiment, and shake off a little rust. To their surprise, the other teams actually showed up to play and looked prepared to complete. After they got totally played off the field in the first game, they realized "Oh crap, we need to actually try." Unfortunately it was too little, too late and the hole had already been dug by that point. They're the kid that blew-off their homework assignment while the rest of the class actually did the work.
Or remember the USOC? Or remember basically any MLS season they've been in a "rebuild" and to "trust the process" because they'll "have all the pieces in place for next year"? Or remember when Padraig and Wayne Brant made all those grand promises in 2017/2018 that things were going to fundamentally change at the club and its now 2020 going on 2021 and basically nothing has actually changed? Pepperidge Farm remembers.
Well actually every year we say this is the year we will really try -- and then Lucy pulls the football away right when we're ready to kick it.
Enjoyed watching Philadelphia beat KC tonight. Vermes strung together a few F-bombs during the first water break. Did my heart good. Every now and again you need those uplifting moments.
I really don't like Vermes. But what I really really don't like is that too many youth coaches act just like him.
Philadelphia, Portland, Minnesota and Orlando in the semifinals. Talk about a tournament that was wide open for any team in the league...