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.
#SJEarthquakes GM John Doyle announced that the club will sign Mark Watson to a long-term deal to be the permanent head coach.
— Robert Jonas (@robertjonas) October 28, 2013
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.