It was one of the more egregious dives seen this MLS season, and now Alvaro Saborio looks like he could pay a steep price for his action, which drew a penalty and a red card that turned a scoreless match against San Jose into a 4-0 blowout win.
According to sources within MLS, Saborio stands a very good chance of being suspended for one match for his tide-turning dive against the Earthquakes last Saturday. If Saborio is suspended, an announcement would come on Thursday.
Saborio caused a stir when he fell to the ground in the penalty area despite not having been touched by a San Jose player. A red card to Bobby Burling and penalty that Saborio converted was the resulting effect, which helped RSL blow away the Earthquakes.
While the punishment might seem harsh, it isn't a complete surprise because MLS stated clearly after fining Charlie Davies for diving that punishments, up to and including suspension, would be considered in future cases of diving that influenced the outcome of a match. Ironically, it was Davies' dive against Real Salt Lake that led MLS to consider stiffer punishment for the act of diving.
What do you think of this development? Like the idea of MLS suspending a player for diving? Think it's too much punishment?
Share your thoughts below.
In my mind, this is evidence that instant replay alone would NOT work to solve these issues. Sabo’s left arm clearly strikes Burling squarely across the back and goes flying backward. Go watch the replays again, over and over, from multiple angles. While the diving argument is popular, it is also arguable that a striker, running at full gait making a cut back, catches his arm on a defender, who could be deliberately decelerating to obstruct, and is spun off balance to the point of falling. There is still substantial judgment to be exercised even IF you watch the replay close enough.
This is where you’re wrong. Davies got zero passes. He happened to be the first one punished after his first actual dive vs. RSL and he got fined and put on notice. Saborio who should have known as well as anyone about Davies’ dive happened to be the second egregious dive. MLS started cracking down with Davies and will hopefully crack down more on him if he does it again.
Refereeing IS substandard, but dives should still be punished. I don’t think I get your point…
sounds fair to me. Players have been warned.
All of soccer better learn that if this league is going to be accepted as a legitimate sport in America the diving has to stop. We like hockey because they don’t dive, and if they do they get the crap kicked out of them. We like football, players play hurt and get shots to play. Americans will never accept this sport because men are acting like babies. It doesn’t help when moron commentators (i.e. John Harkes) continually makes comments like “if you dive and get away with it its a good play” as if cheating were ever justified.
Stop whining. He deserves to be suspended for 1 game. After the Charlie Divies incident MLS said there would be severe punishment for diving.
ever seen a basketball game??? They clearly imbellish fouls and pretend they get hit when they don’t. Its not “diving” but its the same.
Divers intentionally deceive, referees just stink (its a difficult job).
I guess you’re not a fan of the NBA, talk about overpaid divers.
Trim it down to only reviewing penalty decisions, red cards, and goals. And drop the NFL style loss of subs. That is one of the most ridiculous and sure fire ways to make sure your replay idea is never implemented.
I disagree. It’s disgusting, it cheapens the game, and it’s a poor example for up-and-comers on how to be a professional.
Probably because apparently they didn’t set the standard with Davies. They just now set it with Saborio. I don’t think people are upset that he’s suspended. It’s the fact that the punishment is apparently different for different players. Who knows, maybe when MLS announces the suspension they’ll say it was more severe because Burling got a red card, but still.
If we had replay we wouldn’t even be having this conversation.
A team could challenge a call or non-call resulting in direct kick, red card offense or goal.
4th official gets 60 seconds to review.
If it’s overturned fine, if it’s not the team loses a sub.
It would all take place in a smaller amount of time than it currently takes to sub out a player and every professional league already has enough camera coverage to make it happen.
Nice move by the MLS but the dives won’t stop until Video Line Technology is implemented at every game on plays that result in a goal or a goal like foul. I know FIFA will never adopt such a thing since they are a bunch of crooks but MLS should take the lead. The technology is readily available for use today.
Absolutely agree with MLS and yes, they’re figuring it out as they go and there’s nothing wrong with that so long as the end result is that MLS stays relatively flop free!
If you don’t want to risk getting punished for diving, whatever the punishment might be, THEN DON’T F*CKING DIVE! lol it really is as simple as that.
On the Davies dive, no cards were given to Wingert, and everybody was still up in arms about the dive and the points DCU won from that dive.
I understand that this is his first offense, but something MUST be done to address this problem. You have to start somewhere, and now is a good time to do it, and players were warned after Davies dove that they would be punished. We can all whine if now somebody dives and it does not lead to a suspension.
I don’t see how this is an argument for allowing diving to continue to be part of the game in the future.
They set the standard after Davies. I don’t know why this is so hard to understand.
MLS Players: *acting stupid*
MLS: Seriously guys, knock that crap off. We’re done. No more warnings.
MLS Players: *acting stupid*
MLS: OK, you’re suspended.
MLS Fans: WHAT?! NO WAY!! HUH?! WHY?!!
i wonder how many folks on here have played before, if you are on a run, and get your heel clipped, you go down. It is impossible to say for certain that he was not “touched at all” and frankly, given the way forwards are abused in the MLS, I have no problem with what happened. I have a bigger issue with the way the referee was attacked. I think it should be instant red card if you touch the ref at all.
full throttle
It has nothing to do with Sabo being punished. The fact that they say “would get even worse” is retarded. They should have given a harsh punishment and then said anyone else diving will receive the same. I agree Sabo should be fined and suspended for diving but I think CDives9 should have been suspended also.
I agree with suspending deliberate dives like that, but for God’s sake PLEASE BE CONSISTENT, MLS!!! Charlie Davies didn’t get suspended… for ANY of his dives this season.
This is upsetting. I’m an RSL fan, in the spirit of full disclosure, and don’t condone the embellishment that was exhibited by Alvaro but this is not worse than Davies’ dive and it was also his first offense. I wholeheartedly agree with a fine but to suspend a player for the actions of the referees is ridiculous. The act itself is a yellow card offense, the fact that the referee was thirty yards behind the play and gave an unwarranted red card is not Saborio’s fault. That seems to be the only real argument that everybody has against Sabo right now. Let me ask you this: If Burling only got a yellow or no card at all would we be looking at the same punishment? MLS has essentially let this terrible officiating crew ruin not only one result, but also gave them the power to suspend TWO players because of their actions.
Diving turns games into farces, whatever the sport. Sports/leagues should do whatever it takes to eliminate it.
And no, in no other sport is it nearly as common place as it is in soccer.
So, Davies gets two free passes (Galaxy and RSL dives) and then SUDDENLY the MLS wants to crack down? And that makes me a RSL homer fan whiner how? You don’t see how hypocritical that is? If it was one of your players (I have a feeling you’re either a Red Bulls or Seattle fan.. not sure why, maybe the arrogance) you would be complaining much louder than I.
Easy to say that, but the reality is that each case is unique, so consistent standards are impossible to apply.
Diving is part of the game! The same in all pro sports. If you can get the advantage for your team by playacting you do it. Name a sport where this never happens. If they want this to stop they would not qualify it as “game changing” it would just be any dive. Then they would need to use vid replays to ensure this stops. I was at both of the games, the Davies dive and the last one with Sabo, they both played the game and got the result, that’s why this is such a fun game to watch, it’s just exciting!
MLS does not have the ability to resend red cards
They didn’t lift Nat Borchars red card despite video replay showing he didn’t commit the foul.
If it cuts down on diving, who cares? I am far more concerned with diving than “inconsistent” referees. One is inevitable in soccer, the other is not.
RSL homer fan whiner.
They clearly stated after the Davies fine that punishment for future dives would get even worse.
How is the problem the referees when experience at all levels from all leagues around the world clearly shows that referees cannot always get it right. The divers will eventually succeed if the only risk they are taking is an outside chance of a yellow card.
If anyone besides the players is to blame it’s the diver-apologists among the fans and soccer media.
MLS should have set the standard with Davies. The blew that when they slapped him on the wrist with a fine. The league can’t get it right with this one, and they got it wrong when Mondaini broke Morales ankle in half. Set a standard and stick to it, no matter who the player is.
Yes, if we had better cops, all those criminals wouldn’t matter.
Not to be too specious with the analogies, but the problem is the cheat, not the enforcement. Enforcement will never be perfect. The question is how you best deter it from being required in the first place without affecting the flow of the game.
Huge RSL fan, and Sabo definitely deserves to be fined and suspended. I put the diving by players needing to be dealt with ahead of the bad refereeing. Come on Salt Lake!
Punishment is fine, but it must be fair. You can’t punish one player X amount and then say the next different guy gets XX ect. It should for player ABC punishment is X for the 1st. XX for the 2nd offence ect
I’m all for the suspension. I have no problem with a little exageration when there is contact (like J. Jones in the Gold Cup), but when there is absolutely no contact and the player goes down like he was shot is disrespectful to the game. Saborio deserves to be suspended.
Ives, any word on Burling’s Red Card and automatic suspension being lifted? I would think that if MLS suspends Saborio, the have to rescind the card.
how long would it really take to review that on a monitor? the refs spend about 5 minutes telling the players to back off and another 5 watching the player writhe on the ground. it should take less than that.
HYP-O-CRITES! How many points has Charlie Davies earned for DC this year due to his “egregious” dives? Any how many suspensions has he received? Oh yeah, none. Thanks El Don and the MLS for continuing to make a case for your joke of an organization with your inconsistent rulings and rules.
+1
I hope this becomes the standard. Players will keep diving until they actually get punished for it.
And I acknowledge that the MLS refs are far from the best, but refs miss dives all over the world. They best way to curtail this shameless practice is to start suspended players after they do it.
I am fine if they suspend him a match, but then the ref and entire officiating crew should also be suspended for at least a match.
I think this foul was less egregious than was Davies but MLS being inconsistent is the only consistent thing they do.
The bottom line is that don garber is more willing to punish the players thar to admit that is referees are substandard.
More inconsistent discipline from MLS. No wonder people think that the league office makes up the rules as they go along.
The problem is not the players. The problem is the referees.
Don’t mess with my fantasy team mls!
Wow. I think he deserves punishment, but how can the league justify a higher level than what Davies got for a first offense? Does the next player to dive and earn a penalty get a 3 game suspension?
1000%
Charlie Divies and Alvaro Floporio.
Good for MLS… suspensions are the only way to get rid of diving. RSL fan whining commence… NOW