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SBI Question of the Day: What do you think of the increase in MLS red cards?

Photo by Vincent Carchietta/USA TODAY Sports
Photo by Vincent Carchietta/USA TODAY Sports

Through the opening month of the MLS season, the league has experienced what many believe to be a red card epidemic. Dismissals have been coming left and right, as refereeing has become the latest hot button topic in MLS.

In 42 games spread across four weeks, MLS players have been dismissed a total of 16 times. Last season, referees issued 90 red cards throughout the entire regular season. The league is on pace to shatter its dismissal rate from 2015, signaling a concern from many throughout the soccer landscape.

Heading into the 2016 season, the powers at be placed a great emphasis on cleaning up the game. Referees are expected to help pacify the rough-and-tumble reputation that MLS has developed while making the league a bit more attractive on the eyes for viewers all over the world.

Four weeks of the new initiative has produced some growing pains. While many of the red cards issued by officials would be dismissals in any league in the world, several have been egregious. LA Galaxy head coach Bruce Arena recently went to bat for Vancouver Whitecaps midfielder Matias Laba, announcing his disdain for the recent officiating protocols despite benefiting from the situation this past weekend.

Arena is not the only one. New England Revolution head coach Jay Heaps said that “quite frankly we need the referees to keep their red cards in their pocket” following the dismissal of Gershon Koffie against NYCFC last week.

With that said, what’s your take on the recent upswing in red cards? Are the referees pushing themselves into the picture too often, or is it on players to adjust to the new style of play? Does the league need cleaning up, or should those in power embrace the physicality that has defined American soccer?

Have your say in today’s SBI Question of the Day by voting in the poll below before stating your reasoning in the comment section.

[polldaddy poll=9374048]

Comments

  1. “Heading into the 2016 season, the powers at be placed a great emphasis on cleaning up the game. Referees are expected to help pacify the rough-and-tumble reputation that MLS has developed while making the league a bit more attractive on the eyes for viewers all over the world.”

    Referees are supposed to enforce the laws of the game. When “the powers that be” start to think of referees as part of the marketing department, it can result in the kind of over-correction that many people are perceiving. It strikes me as yet another example of MLS’s over-emphasis on “brand” and marketing, and even smacks of manipulation.

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  2. I’m all for cracking down on rough play. However, when Refs make ridiculous calls like Mark Geiger did on Joevan Jones where the player was not touched and tripped over his own feet it ruins the game. We need instant replay for game changing events like red cards and penalty kicks. Since these events interrupt the game for a significant time, delays would not really be an issue. A better effort is needed to get the calls right.

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  3. I agree with most of the Red cards. There is way too much hacking in this league and maybe this will clean it up. In addition, yellows for ANY shirt grabbing or any kind of hold should be the rule. If a player gets by a defender,he should not expect to be taken down or have his jersey or arm grabbed. It ruins the game. The players will stop once they don’t get away with it

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  4. It is so subjective and in the moment, yet so needed. More yellows and reds for constant infringement and the chippy tackles or hacks from behind drive me nuts. Too often teams deploy hackafests in the midfield to slow down possession. Soccer everywhere is built around the counter, which is exciting with the build up. However, with the grabbing and double foot tackles just as possession turnovers not so good for every aspect of viewer ship and teams performance.
    By the Shea should have seen red yesterday!

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  5. According to the historical data provided on the MLS website, there is no increase in red cards, and certainly not an epidemic of them. There have been 6 other seasons with the same number or more red cards to the same point in the season (42).

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  6. It has been a lot.. basically everyother game i have watched this season. That said, I don’t recall any cards that have been unwarranted, almost all of them, that i have seen, have been studs up slide tackles. No need for that! props to MLS/PRO for trying to make MLS a better league..especially with all of those old guys they are playing millions for.

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  7. I am happy with more red cards. The main thing holding us back internationally is not our physicality, but our reading of the game and technical ability. Increased enforcement for egregiously physical play is a really great way to spur player development toward tactical and technical improvement instead of towards out-muscling the other team. And besides, once the players/coaches realize that the red cards are coming more easily, hopefully they will react and be more careful.

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  8. I think it’s great it’s about time they seriously move away from being a hack a man league. It hurts us in Intl play were thuggery is not usually tolerated like the
    WC. Also this style of play is rough on the eyes

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  9. I haven’t watched enough MLS this season to compare from previous seasons but I saw some stat that said through 36 matches MLS has dished out more red cards than the previous three seasons combined. Wow. I also read Alexi Lalas’ twitter stating the objective of creating a more open and attacking league was made clear from the league towards clubs, managers and players.

    If it was made clear the officiating would change to implement this approach, it’s a positive. Especially if the objective is to eradicate the old brutes and american football tackles. One of the reasons I make special effort to watch the Eredivisie is due to the open/attacking play.

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  10. A good referee isn’t noticed. A good referee doesn’t have players and fans talking about him after the game. By that standard, MLS doesn’t have enough good referees. My initial impression is that the refs are over doing it. I think they need to give out yellows early and provide the players a lot of warnings and feedback and let them know what isn’t acceptable. They do that and red card offenses should decrease. Then the refs need to back off some.

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    • your commentary is based on an incorrect assumption. a good referee inserts themselves into the game when needed regardless if that gets them noticed or not

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  11. I am all for enhancing enforcement and dishing out extra reds and yellows to discourage dangerous play that can injure people. But why on earth do we have faith in MLS officials to successfully implement this? This is like giving a toddler a loaded gun. Many of the reds we’ve seen this season have been given for plays that are probably fouls but would never injure someone, so I don’t think the new policy is serving its purpose, and meanwhile it’s having a huge effect on results.

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    • Although I agree that previously poor officiating in MLS makes the prospect of stricter enforcement daunting, I do not equate it to a toddler having a loaded gun. MLS referees are inconsistent, sometimes wildly so, but there is much worse officiating in other countries. Just look at our fellow CONCACAF referees that we have to endure during WCQ. Those are the best refs some of those countries can offer.

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      • I’ve seen worse too, but I don’t think that that in and of itself counters the argument that MLS referees are not good enough to handle a mandate to give cards more freely. It’s been bad so far this season, there’s no doubt about that. I’d love to think it can get better, but what in the history of MLS officiating makes people think it will?

      • Often times the “inconsistency” you see is because the referees are following different directives. remember the “let the game flow” and “take more chances” period. those were some of the most rough and tumble games. that policy went away the next year…

  12. The problem with not giving cards or any other penalty in any other sport is that the players and coaches adapt and then the team that cheats the most wins.
    I think that soccer is drifting into the “if you ain’t cheatin, you ain’t tryin” area

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