Photo by John Rieger/USA TODAY Sports
By SKYLAR ROLSTAD
Dom Dwyer and Ricardo Clark both scored goals off corner kicks for a 1-1 deadlock between Sporting KC and the Houston Dynamo Saturday night in Kansas City, but a controversial decision in the 94th minute left Sporting feeling like one point was not enough.
The controversy stemmed from Dynamo midfielder Luis Garrido’s outstretched arm inside the 18-yard box with the ball flying past him. It appeared as though Garrido’s arm knocked the ball down, but center referee Jorge Gonzalez ruled that Garrido did not touch the ball with his arm.
“I was sixty yards away, and I saw clean it was a handball,” Sporting coach Peter Vermes said after the game. “I have no understanding of how you miss that call.”
Dynamo coach Owen Coyle made little mention of the incident in his post-match comments but said the call could have gone either way.
Referee Jorge Gonzalez, however, did not keep a consistent record of why he decided not to make the call.
After the game, Sporting KC captain and defender Matt Besler said Gonzalez told him that the ball hit Luis Garrido’s hip. In Gonzalez’s written response to a pool reporter’s questions, Gonzalez replied: “It was judged not to be deliberate.”
“The arm was judged to be in a natural playing position,” Gonzalez answered to a question asking how the handball could be judged not to be deliberate when Garrido’s arm was extended.
Soon after the call was made, Gonzalez motioned to his hip as if to signal that he saw the ball bounce off Garrido’s hip.
Vermes said that the referee’s inconsistency in making calls greatly affected the match’s fluidity.
“There’s no rhythm to it. It’s just foul, foul, foul, and they’re not fouls,” Vermes said. “At that point, the players don’t have any rhythm in the game. It changes the ultimate tempo of the game.”
Check out the incident below:
Unbelievable non-call in stoppage time of #SKCvHOU. Referee right there. Clear PK. Ugh, @PROreferees. #MLS pic.twitter.com/QwSKxRkJDV
— Ben Jata (@Ben_Jata) August 2, 2015
What do you think about the non-call? Think the final result was deserved for both sides?
Share your thoughts below.
Crying KC
most important thing is the ref isnt held responsible for the job he does and can openly lie about things to the media, ya PRO!
Every decision in football should be based off of three variables: position, involvement, and intent.
This wasn’t intentional and wasn’t in a position to deny a goal scoring opportunity.
Was it a “handball”? Sure. Too bad in this sport, it’s called “Handling”. This ball was not handled.
he said it hit off the players hip though, he changed his story after the game because he doesnt have integrity and cant be honest with himself
His arms were extended wide in an unnatural position…that’s considered intent. Whether or not it denied a goal scoring opportunity is completely irrelevant.
Clear, clear handling and PK.
KC are a bunch of hacks…Dwer should have been thrown out in the first half for all the crap he did. Vermes coaches his team to play like that which is sad because otherwise they are a really good, skilled team. KC had, what 20 fouls called against them and it easily could have been double? Until refs start addressing that KC is going to keep playing that way.
Probably a crappy call at the end, but there wasn’t a KC guy in sight and it didn’t impact a scoring opportunity, which is why I’m guessing the ref decided not to call it. I’m just glad to see the Dynamo starting to play better.
Yeah, bad call but…. PK and a Victory in that instance would be sheer dumb luck.For sure iIt definitely makes it more palatable, does’t seem so unjust as it would if the ball were headed toward goal or was a deflected pass to an offensive player. Ball was headed away from a threat.
Deric would have been off if you think Dwyer should have been off.
Dynamo got jobbed worse at BBVA vs. SKC
Also, Vermes is easily the least likeable manager in MLS. I swear, the dude is either whining or standing there looking like he just took a bite out of a poop sandwich the entire game.
SKC is easily the whiniest team in the league. It’s embarrassing.
Another questionable red card for the dynamo too.
The changing story about the call is shameful. This ref needs to be sanctioned.
Probably a bad call, but Vermes doesn’t help himself by complaining long and loud about every call that goes against SKC. I swear I once heard him complain about the whistle for the opening kickoff.
^^^ winner, winner, chicken dinner!!!
Vermes is obnoxious. Not sure what his complaining after the fact has to do with what was… not probably, but clearly a poor call that was made within plain site a few feet away. It happens, sometimes the eyes decieve. The explanation regarding the hip however was him scrambling for an excuse, makes no sense, defies all laws of nature… the ball came across the front of the players body, immediately changed direction from an upward/outward trajectory, to down and around the back of his body. Funky hips!
Vermes is the kinda guy you always hear making excuses for poor results. Yes, this was a close one with an unfortunate non-call at the end (but he’s conveniently forgetting the phantom red that SKC got the benefit of in the last 4-4 draw with Houston).
You simply never hear the guy say “we played poorly.” The fact is, though SKC are a stronger team this year, they were outplayed by Houston for the bulk of the match. 1-1 is a pretty fair result, and moaning about a handball that you didn’t get called seems pretty petty.
Terrible missed call. Not like he wasn’t right there. Just a shame that poor officiating continues to be such a thing