For those of you new to the Ref Report, welcome. For those of you familiar with us, welcome back. The point of the report is to keep tabs on the refs in MLS and spread the word as to which are the quality refs, and which ones leave something to be desired. Comments are always appreciated, enjoy.
Baldomero Toledo: Houston Dynamo v DC United
Contentious Decisions: Woolard Yellow, Korb penalty, Pontius handball, Houston corner, Barnes penalty shout.
Discipline: Houston: 16 fouls. DC: Woolard Yellow, Korb Yellow, 16 fouls.
Overall Performance: Below Average. It was a rather dodgy performance for one of the best refs in all of CONCACAF. It started with the Woolard yellow. The right call in the end as the keeper was coming out and there was no sure fire shot at goal. The penalty on Korb when he pulled down Clark outside the box was soon to follow. No matter what position the ref was in, it had to be clear the foul occurred outside the box. Yes it was close, but it was a blown call for sure. Hamid saved the PK, saving Toledo some blushes, but DC has a right to be upset. If the foul had been committed in the box, it should have been a red in my opinion. So Toledo again made a curious decision. Then came a handball by Pontius which neither Toledo or his assistants saw. In the second half Houston was given a corner when the ball clearly went out on Houston's Garcia, again a blown call by Toledo and his assistant. Finally came a penalty shout for Houston when Riley tugged Barnes to the ground. In the end Toledo made the right call here. While there was contact, Barnes got the shot off. It would have been very harsh to give a penalty when it had little impact on Barnes attempt.
Kevin Stott: LA Galaxy v Chicago Fire
Contentious Decisions: None of real note.
Discipline: LA: 13 fouls. Chicago: 14 fouls.
Overall Performance: Average. While Stott didn't blow any major calls, he did break up the flow of play quite often with foul calls when play could have resumed and advantage could have been played. Based on match day one results, MLS seems to be averaging a few extra fouls per match this season, meaning a stricter interpretation of the laws may be in effect. Or, the early season form of the players could be still a little off, making a few more rash challenges. Either way, Stott likes to be the man in charge, and it appears this season will be no different, but the lack of cards says he realized the match was played in a good spirit and didn't find it necessary to throw out cards to calm a match down that wasn't hot.
Jair Marrufo: Portland Timbers v New York Redbulls
Contentious Decisions: Handball shout against Olave, penalty shout Baptiste.
Discipline: Portland: 8 fouls. NY: 17 fouls.
Overall Performance: Average at best. I've never been a fan of a ref blowing up for foul after foul after foul, in particular for the road team, without handing out at least one card to stem the tide or to discipline the club. 17 fouls without a card is pushing the limit for me. On the bright side, he got the call on Olave correct, it hit his rib cage and not his hand. The penalty shout when Baptiste was clearly pulled down inside the box was a massive blunder. There was no way Marrufo or his assistant didn't see the foul. It very well could have cost Portland the match.
As we head toward MLS rivalry week (the closest MLS can get to a derby week) it will be very interesting to see what refs get what matches. Opening weekend Mark Geiger took Philadelphia v Sporting Kansas City and reigning MLS Ref of the Year Silviu Petrescu took Seattle Sounders FC v Montreal Impact. The refs to watch will be Mark Geiger, Baldomero Toledo, Silviu Petrescu, Chris Penso, Jair Marrufo, and Kevin Stott. Based on what matches they are given we will know how MLS rates them. For my money, Geiger and Penso are the refs best equipped for the heated rivalries. We shall see if MLS agrees.
Until next time, that was the Ref Report.
No comments:
Post a Comment