By RYAN TOLMICH
While it is widely acknowledged that the playoffs are about seeing the best of the best collide, members of the LA Galaxy claim that the referee of last night’s clash with the Seattle Sounders took a step too far.
Following the Galaxy’s 1-0 victory over the Sounders, defender Omar Gonzalez claimed that referee Kevin Stott admitted to not issuing Sounders defender Zach Scott in an effort to avoid putting a damper on next week’s second leg.
“It’s tough when Stott says he’s not going to give another yellow because he wants the best players playing next game,” Gonzalez said. “I think it’s not his job to focus on the next game. It’s his job to focus on the game tonight, the game at hand, so for him to say that to one of our players is pretty ridiculous.
Gonzalez’s comments echo those made by teammate Landon Donovan, who said the players were privy to the fact that there would be no dismissals.
“The officials have made it clear that no one’s getting sent off,” added Donovan. “We have to make sure we’re aware of that next weekend, and we’ll play with that in mind, and I’m sure they will too.”
PRO, the organization that assigns and administers referees in the USA and Canada, has not responded to Gonzalez’s comments, but they did assign Jair Marrufo to work the second leg between these two teams next Sunday. Stott was not assigned to work the second leg of the Eastern Conference finals either.
Gonzalez claimed that Stott’s comments came as a result of a series of persistent fouls from Scott, who was whistled for three fouls in the final 10 minutes after picking up an early yellow card.
“I believe it was after the two hand shove on (Gordon),” Gonzalez said. “I believe that was his fourth fourth foul on (Gordon) within a five minute span of him entering the field.”
Sigi Schmid also stated that the team was fairly fortunate with Stott’s decisions, as the Sounders head coach admitted that he thought Scott could have been sent off.
“I think we benefit a little there,” Schmid said. “I think in most games, the referee would have pulled that second yellow so I’m not going to pretend I didn’t see that or argue about that. But there were also other calls that I don’t understand.
“I don’t understand how it’s not a foul when [Brad] Evans gets kicked early in the first half. He’s not the kind of guy to lay on the ground and dive, so if he is down he got hit. I think one time Omar [Gonzalez] was screening the ball and he just waited for a little touch and then he fell over like who knows what and all of a sudden it’s a foul. I thought, ‘are you kidding me?’. So a couple plays there, but we were fortunate that Zach [Scott] stayed on the field.”
The Galaxy and Sounders are set for the Western Conference’s second leg Nov. 30 at CenturyLink Field.
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What do you think of Gonzalez’s comments? What did you think of Stott’s officiating? Do you think MLS has a serious issue on its hands?
Share your thoughts below.
Watching playoffs is annoying when year after year the MVP is the ref. the refs consistently affect the outcome of the game during playoffs. After years of angst I just hope someone from mls comes out and says yep we have been manipulating games!
I did not see either game (life is too short) but I have followed MLS since inception. I find it completely credible that MLS refs and Kevin Stott in particular, think that they can and should “manage” games, especially to allow fouls and unsportsmanlike behavior that no ref in Europe would ever accept. It’s not even surprising that Stott would believe that everyone else, including the players, is aware of and accepts this charade.
I have seen some Premier League refs who have been pretty bad (I’ve never liked Phil Dowd), and at least MLS refs aren’t as bad as they used to be. It’s a tough job and the intensity in the playoffs always goes way up. I didn’t care for the performance of either ref in the playoffs, there needs to be a balance between those two extremes.
Stott and other MLS refs know how to officiate. They choose to overlook fouls and bad behavior because they believe (or have been told) that calling too many fouls or giving out cards will detract from the game’s entertainment value.
Just read this thread. Too few cards? Ruined the game. Too many cards? Ruined the game.
Both refs were an embarrassment to the game. Both should be suspended from any more games this season and teach them how to ref before you let them back next season. When you end up watch the refereeing, it ruins watching the game.
Is this like ‘blind draw’? Next time Galaxy have a player who will not get the second yellow? Its a parity driven league, blah blah blah…
It is true, as lmao says, one ref ruins the games by showing too many cards, one by showing too few. I love Zach Scott, love his intensity, but yesterday was shocking. “Toeing the line” and “defending all headers with double-fisted blows to the back of the opponent’s head” are not the same, not even close. Scott should have been sent off, period. And I’m a Sounders fan. But I’m also a soccer fan. That’s what I don’t get. Why does the MLS want these games played this way? Both games yesterday were ugly brawls. The Sounders and the Galaxy especially, they could be giving us beautiful soccer, or at least, as beautiful as the MLS can muster. Instead we got Zach Scott running around punching guys in the back of the head, and Jermaine Jones scissoring guys from behind. It was ugly yesterday, and it doesn’t have to be.
I wear Red (Bull) glasses, and I sorta agree. i did not see LA-Seattle, but the yellow-card fest thrown by the referee at Red Bull Arena was almost funny to watch. Jones’s scissoring takedown was flagrant, but it got punished in the same way as a bump in the back. My favorite aspect of the game: according to a friend of mine, Segakya was called for two fouls, and he was booked in the second half for persistent infringement.
Warning, I wear rave-green glasses.
Ok, we benefited from Stott’s decision but is it really that big of a deal? In my opinion some of those fouls were pretty soft… Gordon and Keane know how to play up fouls pretty well. It’s not like any of the fouls were as bad as the Jones two-footed, scissor type tackle on McCarthy? Did that get any card? Was it even a foul?
Also, either Gonzales or Meyer were involved in a foul on Clint Dempsey where it was basically a professional foul, holding him back. No yellow there either and if it was Gonzales then he potentially misses next weeks game.
If Stott actually made that admission, he has to be disciplined. That is an abdication of responsibility and a confession that he refused to enforce the rules.
Maybe he could have taken the approach of the referee in the other game and make sure that everyone on the field got a yellow card.
I seriously doubt he said any such thing. What Landon clearly implies, and Omar sort of implies, is that he “said” this through his actions.
Of course LA doesn’t whine about every single call for or against them.
What they really need to fix is the dumb away goal rule, No advantage for better record.
Best format I have read is pool play.
you could do 4 or 5 teams.
Best record hosts all of their games
2nd all but one
3rd all but two
4th none or 1
5th none
SS is clearly tougher to win and most hardcore soccer fans should want SS over MLS cup. MLS cup is an end of season tournament nothing more.
I also love the pure genius of scheduling these games in same time slot as NFL.
Here’s the relevant text from the article above:
“Following the Galaxy’s 1-0 victory over the Sounders, defender Omar Gonzalez claimed that referee Kevin Stott admitted to not issuing Sounders defender Zach Scott in an effort to avoid putting a damper on next week’s second leg.
“’It’s tough when Stott says he’s not going to give another yellow because he wants the best players playing next game,’ Gonzalez said. ‘I think it’s not his job to focus on the next game. It’s his job to focus on the game tonight, the game at hand, so for him to say that to one of our players is pretty ridiculous.’
“Gonzalez’s comments echo those made by teammate Landon Donovan, who said the players were privy to the fact that there would be no dismissals.”
Sounds pretty clear to me.
Yeah, these are not mere implications.
One ref ruins a game because he can’t stop giving cards, one ruins a game because he won’t give them. Gotta love MLS and PRO consistency.
These are conference finals by the way. Probably a good idea to get it sorted before the final.
The contradiction can be heard from players, coaches, announcers, and other assorted pundits. Soccer is really lose-lose for the refs. In every league.
A good ref is consistent and firm.
A good ref sets a tone early- communicates with players early and often both during the run of play as well as pulling them aside after an infraction. Playoff game: do you immediately pull the card at the first marginal opportunity? No… but you DO make it abundantly clear to a player he is on thin ice- “One more and you’re out.” That done, it is the player who forewarned, is responsible and has adversely effected the game, not the ref. No way should a player get away with repeated infractions with no recourse- not to mention openly letting players know you don’t have the stones to enforce the rules. It’s a very tough job, but if you’re not up to it, hang up the whistle.
Both of those games yesterday looked impossible to ref. There were one or two questionable cards, but there weren’t that many that were not deserved. Do you give Zach Scott the red? Probably, but then today everyone is screaming about how the ref determined the game. I think Stott did a decent job in not letting things get out of control – the east conf was a rougher game. Next week in Seattle is probably going to be worse.
“Do you give Zach Scott the red? Probably, but then today everyone is screaming about how the ref determined the game.” Only partisans would complain if he were sent off. Don’t forget, he was called for four fouls after receiving the yellow. Four fouls. A second yellow would have been more than justifiable.
Where in the rules does it say that a player cannot commit fouls after receiving a yellow card?
the rule against persistent infringment
LA wins and they still whine.. lolz
Do you think Scott should have stayed on?
Loaded question, but I won’t shy away.
I think that Scott did what almost anyone does…pushes it right to the line. That is true for guys on a second yellow many, many times. It is true for guys holding the box, many, many times.
The tough calls for refs to make will get tested. I am going to say no second yellow, even if there was no second game involved…and people would have questioned it/called for it still.
Sigi disagrees with you, and so do most objective observers.
Ever play?
If Stott really told players he wasn’t sending anyone off, that’s a clear violation of the rules of the game and damn near close to cheating. I’m not an alarmist, so I’ll let things play out before I judge Stott, but those are some damning accusations, to be sure.
Betting the MLS refs are not too happy with this disclosure! Gonzo not being the sharpest knife in the drawer might wish he’d have left his opinion to privacy. I see the MLS refs circling the wagons here.
Watch the yellows fly in Seattle this weekend. The refs are going to probably give Gonzo and others more than what they want. The match will probably end up 10 vs 9.
If Marrufo goes out and targets Gonzalez, then MLS will just have several more eggs on its face.