Quick addition. I think you ment AR here. and some of the ARs like Lowry, Barkey, Clement, Strickland cannot work as a CR because FIFA wants its assistants working only as such and USSF is following that policy. Since they dont work top league matches they dont need to pass assessments as CRs to retain their badge. They do need to do all the rest, including the full Cooper Test. Eddy and Reed for example, are past their prime in being a CR so they will remain on the AR list for MLS. As usual, after a bad game by a ref, the bats come out of their caves and the world of MLS reffering is worst than before. Of course, no one says anything about all the previous games that went on without a hitch. Im curious, who should be blamed for the first PK in the DC v. Columbus match. Stoichkov for cheating by taking a dive? or the referee because he was fooled by the cheating of the player?
Learning the laws of the game would be good for one. Did you notice last weekend all the "knowledgeable" fans who were screaming incompetence in the KC v LA game? When, again, the referee made the correct decision. When you find the league, anywhere in the world, that doesnt have controversial referee decisions let me know.
That's a copout I see all of the time in this forum. I understand why you guys are defensive, but c'mon!!! MLS CRs don't measure up. Now, it's my belief that if the USSF and MLS addressed the issues in that letter from last year, and, in particular, cracked down more on dissent and simulation, the CRs would be as good as the players. I am NOT of the opinion that the refs "just suck." I think the confusing directives they get undermine their judgment and confidence. But I'm not sticking my head in the sand and setting up the silly straw man of, well, refs in England aren't perfect either. I'm not asking for perfect CRs. I just want them to be at the same standard as the players.
Im not trying to use it as a cop out, but when posters put all MLS referees into the same pile it also is a cop out and only gets noticed after a controversial game. The referee in question this time happens to be in his first year, DC has a cast of characters that make them difficult to referee, Columbus was against the ropes. Makes for a difficult game. this game had controversy written all over it before the match. You can argue why this referee was assigned this match and certain situations in the match, but to say all the CRs dont measure up is not acurate. It is like the guy at the end of every one of their matches that says, "that was the worst refereeing he has ever seen". Petke's comments that it makes him want to quit is so "Etcheverry contract time" talk it is pathetic. He doesnt want to own up to any of his behaviour. Now if those same comments were coming regularly from the likes of the true professionals in the league (Chung, Maisseneuve, Zavagnin, etc. ) it would have more impact.
I didn't mean it that way. I meant as a group. I thought that was obvious when I made the analogy to comparing MLS players to EPL players. There certainly are many MLS players who could march right into the EPL. Most can't.
plus makes The understatement of the century. A match that everyone recognizes going in is going to be difficult and controversial, and you assign a CR with relatively no experience of the league? Great choice!
I figured I'd get this thread kickin' again because I have to say a few things, from a Referees POV. First, every FIFA in the US has tremendous knowledge of the LOTG, more than you, more than me. Talk to Kevin Stott and you'll see. Second, Yes MLS refs take WAAAYYYYY too much crap from the players, but when won't help you out because they like they're players to be stars you don't have much choice. MLS doesn't want 9 v 8 games (which is what would happen if they called this stuff). MLS writes the checks, until they get them to stop, things aren't gonna change. Third, Pro players can get away with what might be a yellow-card foul in other games because they're pros. They don't call holding in the NFL, they don't call traveling in the NBA, they don't call balks in MLB, they don't call obstruction-hooking in the NHL, and they don't call tripping in Pro Soccer. And finally, hey, at least Prendergrast isn't reffing in the league (if he was he'd be dead by now...). Now I'm done venting and I'm going to sleep...