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MLS Ticker: Gonzalez unhappy with no-goal call; Earthquakes coach Watson reportedly offered contract; and more

OmarGonzalezLAGalaxy1-SeattleSounders (USATodaySports)

By MARC SERBER

The goal-line technology debate has long been a hot topic of conversation and it came alive at a very crucial moment of the season for Omar Gonzalez and the LA Galaxy in the 42nd minute of its 1-1 draw with the Seattle Sounders.

Trailing 1-0, the center back appeared to score off a corner kick but neither referee Mark Geiger or assistant referee Greg Barkey signaled for the goal.

“The video shows it all,” Gonzalez told LA Galaxy insider Adam Serrano after the match. “I looked at the linesman and he’s in terrible position and inside the end line when I think that he should be on the end line to make sure that the goal went in. It was clearly a yard-and-a-half in.”

Gonzalez would go on to say that the way the Galaxy responded by moving past the incident and eventually finding the equalizer showed the character and spirit of the reigning two time MLS champions, but Robbie Rogers take on the incident perfectly illustrated just how crucial the call was considering the situation:

“It was a goal. I watched the replay and it was a bit ridiculous. It was such an important game too and it was in the 42nd minute, which is a very important part of the game. I don’t mean to be too harsh, but it was a really bad call.”

Here are some more stories from around MLS:

WATSON WILL STAY ON AT SAN JOSE

San Jose and Mark Watson have reportedly reached a deal that will take away the “interim” tag. Center Line Soccer’s Robert Jonas first broke the news Sunday night on his Twitter account.

The club has confirmed that San Jose and Watson have agreed to terms but that the contract has not been finalized. Watson took over after the club and Frank Yallop parted ways with the Earthquakes sitting in eighth place with a record of 3-6-6.

Under Watson, the Earthquakes tightened up their defense and went 11-5-3, finishing tied on points with Colorado, only to miss out on the playoffs because of the goals scored tie-breaker.

BLISS PLAYS WAITING GAME OVER HEAD COACHING ROLE

In addition to Watson, Columbus Crew head coach Brian Bliss was another coach working through the “interim” role.

And like the Earthquakes, the Crew did fail to make the MLS postseason, but Bliss is hoping that his record in charge of the club since taking over for Robert Warzycha in September is enough to earn him the job full time.

“I know what I did,” Bliss told the Columbus Dispatch. “I know how I view the game. I know how I feel the game should be played and what needs to happen in training every day in order to get to that result. I still believe in those methods and views of the game.

“I’ll leave that to the others who are making the decision whether that’s good enough to make a cultural change and an impact in that area. That’s not for me to determine.”

Under Bliss, the Crew went 4-4 but lost their final three games after winning four in five games.

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What do you think of these reports? Do you agree with Gonzalez’s comments? Do you see the goalline technology debate beginning again? Do you believe Watson is the right choice for the Earthquakes?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

    • Mentioned this in an earlier thread. The Gonzalez non goal was clearly a botched call, but the goal Eddie Johnson scored in the first half which was whistled back for offside may be a bad missed call too: Looked to me like the ball came to him from a direct back-pass from a Galaxy defender, meaning he was not offside on the play. Ref team missed it. The broadcast team briefly mentioned the possibility of it having been a back-pass, but then then went to some unrelated comments from the sideline reporter, and never came back to the offside play. I thought Lalas would bring it up at halftime, but it didn’t happen.
      If you’ve got the game recorded, go back and check it out.

      Reply
      • According to the “new rule” the only way that’s not an offside is if the defender “intentionally” passed the ball back towards the keeper. There was nothing intentional about that pass.

      • There is no “New Rule” according to the USSF, just a further clarification of the Old Rule. Referees are told not to change the way they have been calling offside.

  1. The “Goal-Line Technology” discussion seems to obfuscate the simple fact that instant replay can easily be used to determine if it was a goal or not. No added costs or new hardware/technology or anything. Just give the officials a way to review the play at the next dead ball, with the footage that’s already been captured by existing cameras. Like the NFL, if there’s no conclusive evidence, play it as it’s called on the field.

    This alone would eliminate most missed calls.

    It’s a procedural issue, not a technological one.

    Reply
    • What if a goal is scored or a card given before the next dead ball? Would those stand or would they be nullified because the whistle should have been blown immediately? Seems like far less of a rabbit hole to just use goal line technology or refs.

      Reply
    • They should just let the commentators call it live and make the ref wear a headset. The commentator/fan relationship would become a whole lot more interesting.

      Actually, the commentators should make all the calls live over a loudspeaker in the stadium. I think it’d increase the entertainment value.

      Reply
  2. Gotta wonder if the PRO (referee organization) and MLS have the “intestinal fortitude” to issue an apology to LA for the blown call.

    Reply
  3. Watson has done a good job. The whole thing could have completely imploded after Frank left…contrary to the previous piece regarding the Quakes coaching situation, Yallop was not fired. Adding Goodson and Stewart and getting Beita back to 100% solidified the D, which helped Watson’s cause immensely. He has the presence to command the locker room. It will be interesting to see if he maintains the current attacking approach or if he prioritizes the ACM position. We need to have a legitimate scoring threat at ACM. I’m guessing he’ll maintain the defensive approach and gradually try to improve the attack. I don’t think we’ll see Gordo back…Chavez is as good as gone…surprisingly Alas didn’t make an impact…I’m not sold on Martinez. I’d trade them all for one Valeri.

    Reply
    • I agree with the need for an attacking ACM, but am also worried that maintaining the defensive form of the second half of this season may be a tall order. We’re likely to lose both Beitashour (saw out his contract) and Bernardez (team may not be able to pay what he’ll get elsewhere). And even if we keep them, how many of the back line will be gone on WC duty next summer? Possibly 3 of the four starters.

      On the plus side, Bingham looks like a real keeper (pun intended). Some of his saves against Dallas were class!

      Reply
      • Good point about the back line, hopefully we can sign Beita and Big Vic and have a contingency plan for the CBs during the early part of the WC. maybe Attakora?

        Bingham will definitely keep Busch playing at a high level next season, he’s got fantastic reach, definitely an upgrade on free kicks.

  4. The AR is EXACTLY where he’s supposed to be, even with the second to last defender, in this case, the keeper when Gonzales heads the ball. It’s virtually impossible for an AR to be certain enough to make that call when he’s not on the line. Don’t blame the AR, blame the lack of technology.

    Reply
  5. Fredy Montero is top scorer in Portugal with 9 goals in 7 matches. He had a hat trick on his debut. How much will Seattle sell him for?

    Reply
  6. poor earthquakes, this is not the nfl or nba where assistants take over. in soccer, a new coaching squad comes in, but again, it is the MLS and MLS NEEDS new coaches. 🙂
    By the way, earthquakes seems like the columbus crew of the west.

    Reply
  7. What’s with the Galaxy’s alternate Mexico jersey? Admittedly could be late to the game on this not having followed them much this year, but seeing that last night was a bit perplexing.

    Reply
    • I’ve heard it’s an homage to the original shirt colors and to the flag colors of the City of Los Angeles. Of course, the Galaxy doesn’t actually play in LA, but that’s beside the point.

      Reply
    • Perplexing is one word you could use. Nauseating is another. This disaster of a 3rd kit was created through a “Galaxy Supporter Uniform Design Competition on Facebook Media Synergy Meme Experience” and served to show exactly what happens when the blind lead the blind: splatter. Presumably this will be the last time anyone is asked to bleed through the eyeballs, er, um, gaze upon this unfortunate trainwreck of a uniform.

      Reply
  8. Good for Watson. The team seemed to play closer to its potential afterhe took over. Not that hedid anything spectacular; he just stopped the pointless tinkering and got the knuckleheads up top to refrain from acting like… themselves.

    Now, if we can offload Gordon and Cronin (Lenhart too, if the price is right), and land a solid CM, we may be in business again for 2015.

    Reply
    • Dude, what? you want to get rid of arguably our 2nd & 3rd best strikers and the midfielder who played every minute in the league this year, only to replace with a CM? sure we could still use a quality attacking midfielder (most teams could) but it would be an upgrade to Baca not our workhorse #6. Tracy and Fucito haven’t really panned out so of course we need a different styled forward who can create his own shot, but Gordon and Lenny are cheap and effective compared to many useless forwards in the league. we’re gonna have to wait another year for pricier options i’m afraid due to the stadium delay.

      Reply
      • Your points are valid, but I think you have to consider the following:

        -CM became our biggest weakness once Goodson arrived. Baca is slow and small, but he (and maybe Martinez, if we keep him) can spray the ball around if we have a good CDM. We played this way when we were at our best in 2012.

        Now, I would gladly offload/trade Baca (and everyone else you mentioned) over Cronin, but what are we going to get for those guys? Not enough to rely on, imho. We need to spend to accommodate Cronin, and I just don’t see that happening with Wolff/Stadium Issues/Wolff. We might win the South/Central American Lottery on some old or unknown player, but I think trading Cronin+Cash for a known CDM is the best, most realistic option that helps us out. It would leave us thin at that spot… but we already are.

        -IF the price/trade is right, Lenny is indeed expendable. He is a solid holdup guy who is permanently in the heads of our opposition… but that’s as much a liability as an asset. He’s a solid late bench option in my opinion, but again, his liabilities… And aren’t you tired of punt-n-pray?

        -Speaking of punt-n-pray, Gordon has given us the best years of his career. Good on him.

        But he’s 32. We should sell him while we can get something decent in return. Jahn can’t perform quite as well at this point, but he can get Gordon’s job done. He did just that while Gordon was out, before Yallop tried getting creative with Jahn’s assignments.

        Vancouver has a glut of speedy little forwards at this point, but no one like Gordon… a speedy little striker would complement Wondo or Jahn or Lenny quite well, IF we have the CM or CDM I’m hoping for.

      • Tracy was constantly injured- was it the same w/ Fucito? i like his pace and fight, always funny to see Harvard jawin’ up at some defender towering over him. we should have the #5 or 6 draft pick- that could help w/ the defensive depth, ’cause we probably need to cut Gargan and Harden loose and dont know if Attakora will ever return (Muller too?)

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