Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports
Sporting Kansas City really needed this one…
On a four game losing streak that was the longest in years, the boys in blue got some good medicine in LA, matching up against the dumpster fire that is Chivas USA.
Yep, the Chivas slumpbuster worked just as advertised, and KC destroyed the JV-looking home squad 4-0 in front of a minuscule crowd that would have looked sparse at Community America Ballpark.
I mean, we’ll take it, but I almost felt bad for Chivas.
Still Sporting were happy to pour it on the worst team in MLS (maybe in MLS history?), and hopefully the emphatic win gets Peter Vermes‘ boys back on the right track with only 5 league games left before the playoffs.
Opening the scoring for KC was none other than Dom Dwyer, whose strike broke the club record for goals in a season that was previously held by Preki. And there’s no doubt that Dom will add at least a couple more this season, maybe get into the mid-twenties if he gets hot.
“I’m delighted to do it and huge credit to all the guys and thank all of them for passing me
the ball, I guess, and giving me opportunities,” remarked Dwyer after breaking the record. “I’m on a good team. If you play center forward for this team, you’re going to score goals.”
Aside from that, there really wasn’t much to take away from this game. Chivas looked inept, could barely maintain possession of the ball, and had trouble even getting out of their own defensive third.
But I did find Chivas manager Wilmer Cabrera‘s remarks about the officiating afterward particularly apt.
“I have learned throughout my whole career that when you get pulled from behind it’s a yellow card,” said Cabrera. “That’s an easy one. When you decide not to call those easy calls, those easy yellow cards, the players are going to get confident and they are going to start kicking and then grabbing and they did it.”
It’s a good point – an easy point, in fact – that continually escapes the attention of MLS referees. Not calling these kinds of fouls detracts from the quality and level of play, I have no doubt about that. If you need proof, just tune in to the Barclay’s Premier League on a Saturday morning to see the most exciting, action packed soccer on the planet.
In the BPL, the rules of the game are honored.
If a player intentionally fouls another player, Cabrera’s right – it should be an automatic yellow, no matter how little or big it is. No matter if the fouled player goes down or not.
It’s actually quite easy.
“It is sad because we are not that physical,” continued Cabrera. “But they’re a good team and they took advantage of the momentum and they came after us and they put pressure and they noticed the referee was allowing those physical challenges and we didn’t react well with that.”
Hey, soccer is a physical game. That’s a given. So don’t try and give me the “man up” line or whatever.
However the naked truth is obvious to anyone who has watched both the MLS and pretty much any other top-level league from around the world – the physicality that is allowed in MLS hurts the more skillful players. Even the ones that can dish out a big tackle themselves.
The refereeing does matter, it does make a difference in how the game is played, and in the case of MLS, it unfortunately does continually contribute to presenting an inferior product.
If the player does not go down you play advantage Matt. I have seen more than one ref bust up play when there was advantage to the offended side and totally break up continuity because a player was fouled, didn’t go down and continue play.
Of course, dude. But you still come back when there is a stoppage and issue the yellow.
I have seen MLS refs bust up advantage more times than I would like to see. Sure, issue the yellow if advantage is lost on a breakaway.
I think you’re missing the point, dude. Advantage or not, if the foul is intentional, it should be a yellow. That holds true even if the fouled player maintains the advantage, and even if the fouled player goes on to score. The question is the intent of the fouler, not the effect of the foul, in this example. Intentional = card.
In some other situations, the intent of the fouler is removed, e.g. if the fouler is the last defender and the foul results in removing a goal scoring opportunity. This situation should result in a red card, regardless of the intent of the fouler.
Boring game. Sporting didn’t look any better in my opinion. They just beat up a ridiculously bad Chivas squad. Ever since Chivas was forced to sell the team and basically stop hiring only Hispanic players and coaches their team has gone to shit (not that it was great before that).
As far as the refereeing goes, it is MLS’s biggest problem. The refs just are not up to par. They are not consistent, they let games get out of control, and they allow way, way to much contact. A less skilled player can nullify a skilled player by simply hacking him every time he gets close to the ball. The players who have come over from Europe constantly complain about the reffing (*cough* Bradley) and they are mostly right. The officiating is simply far, far below the talent level of the league. What do fans want? More goals. What is the easiest way to provide that (which would not cost much more money)? Better refs that don’t allow so much contact. The skilled players will again be at an advantage and will score more goals. Simple.