MLS Week 26 - 2018 (Heineken Rivalry Week)

I know Martinez plays physical, but I wouldn't let a mouthguard be the evidence of it. Mouthguards are great deterrents for concussions.

Steph Curry is one of the few that wears one in the NBA, and I don't think he's accused of being too physical.
Sure it protects against concussions, but a soccer player wearing one is akin to Barry Bonds wearing his armor to crowd the plate. It affords Martinez the comfort to go into challenges that are dangerous. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen another soccer player wear one, not saying there aren’t, but it’s telling that a guy who plays dirty and physical is wearing one.
 
LionNYC LionNYC ’s better looking WASPy Southern cousin.

I think there’s some redundancy And ambiguity somewhere in my description. But not at all sure where.

ETA:(For those who need the complete picture drawn, I’m making fun of myself here, not Lion)
ETA2: well, a little bit making fun of lion.
 

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LionNYC LionNYC ’s better looking WASPy Southern cousin.

I think there’s some redundancy And ambiguity somewhere in my description. But not at all sure where.

ETA:(For those who need the complete picture drawn, I’m making fun of myself here, not Lion)
ETA2: well, a little bit making fun of lion.

A long sleeved jersey in Orlando in August? And with that hair? Nope.
 
Giovinco with 2 through 28'. I'd be quite worried about a 3-6 matchup vs. Toronto in the playoffs even at Yankee Stadium.

EDIT: As I'm writing this, Osorio scored. 3-0 through 29'
 
Giovinco with 2 through 28'. I'd be quite worried about a 3-6 matchup vs. Toronto in the playoffs even at Yankee Stadium.

EDIT: As I'm writing this, Osorio scored. 3-0 through 29'
The fight for the last spot among Toronto, Montreal, and DC will be fun to watch. I think New England is out, and Philadelphia is in.
 

I'm so sorry, Colorado. They also got Ted Unkel and he gave them the exact same showing we got.
...Except Colorado didn't play better down two.
Ted Unkel is an argument as to why hell actually does exist. There has to be a place for people like him.
 
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Ted Unkel is an argument as to why hell actually does exist. There has to be a place for people like him.
I saw on the mls website "9-man colorado..." and I thought, "No, it can't be... can it?" and it was. If PRO doesn't see this pattern and do something about it, this season's about to just get worse for every team he refs. And we're not even talking about playoffs!
 
I saw on the mls website "9-man colorado..." and I thought, "No, it can't be... can it?" and it was. If PRO doesn't see this pattern and do something about it, this season's about to just get worse for every team he refs. And we're not even talking about playoffs!
The second red was a deserving one for studs up.

The first looked like a mass dustup between the sides that wasn’t broken up by Unkle and subsequently led to a somewhat dubious red after tempers heated up. Unkle just lost control. And frankly, whatever occurred between the two players was a fraction compared to Lawrence’s uppercut on Tinny - so Unkle has very uneven enforcement of the rules. And that, being the first red, definitely had a massive impact on the rest of the match.

At the end of the day, whether deserved or not, 4 reds in two matches, with two reds to two teams, as opposed to evenly distributed (ie calling stuff both ways), is a massive flag that Unkle simply allows matches to get away from him. He’s a disgrace as an unbiased mediator of matches who’s supposed to keep in check the tempers of both clubs.
 
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The second red was a deserving one for studs up.

The first looked like a mass dustup between the sides that wasn’t broken up by Unkle and subsequently led to a somewhat dubious red after tempers heated up. Unkle just lost control. And frankly, whatever occurred between the two players was a fraction compared to Lawrence’s uppercut on Tinny - so Unkle has very uneven enforcement of the rules. And that, being the first red, definitely had a massive impact on the rest of the match.

At the end of the day, whether deserved or not, 4 reds in two matches, with two reds to two teams, as opposed to evenly distributed (ie calling stuff both ways), is a massive flag that Unkle simply allows matches to get away from him. He’s a disgrace as an unbiased mediator of matches who’s supposed to keep in check the tempers of both clubs.
The first was apparently based on a very soft, barely there head butt. I almost wonder if the league changed a directive. MArtinez and Ruidiaz went unpunished, and there was an incident in a NYC game a few weeks ago that got less attention than I expected, when Lewis and an opposing player (I forget the team) ran and pushed each other to and over the end line. When they got up, the other guy gave Lewis a head butt that was less violent than Martinez and Ruidiaz but harder than the play last night. It also went unpunished. I was starting to wonder if the league was enforcing "hands to the face" quite literally, by punishing all hand to face no matter how soft, but allowing head to head contact even if hard. And now I'm guessing the negative reaction to Martinez and Ruidiaz might have caused a course correction.
 
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The first was apparently based on a very soft, barely there head butt. I almost wonder if the league changed a directive. MArtinez and Ruidiaz went unpunished, and there was an incident in a NYC game a few weeks ago that got less attention than I expected, when Lewis and an opposing player (I forget the team) ran and pushed each other to and over the end line. When they got up, the other guy gave Lewis a head butt that was less violent than Martinez and Ruidiaz but harder than the play last night. It also went unpunished. I was starting to wonder if the league was enforcing "hands to the face" quite literally, by punishing all hand to face no matter how soft, but allowing head to head contact even if hard. And now I'm guessing the negative reaction to Martinez and Ruidiaz might have caused a course correction.
The entire season has been an example of referees not understanding what constitutes dangerous play. Letting the head butts go with no explanation and then enforcing on a whim is poor on so many levels.
 
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The first was apparently based on a very soft, barely there head butt. I almost wonder if the league changed a directive. MArtinez and Ruidiaz went unpunished, and there was an incident in a NYC game a few weeks ago that got less attention than I expected, when Lewis and an opposing player (I forget the team) ran and pushed each other to and over the end line. When they got up, the other guy gave Lewis a head butt that was less violent than Martinez and Ruidiaz but harder than the play last night. It also went unpunished. I was starting to wonder if the league was enforcing "hands to the face" quite literally, by punishing all hand to face no matter how soft, but allowing head to head contact even if hard. And now I'm guessing the negative reaction to Martinez and Ruidiaz might have caused a course correction.
Regarding hand/elbow to face, I’m very curious as to discussions within the league office and PRO about how to apply this based on player sizes.

The main reason I bring this up is due to watching Maxi play, and this would also apply to guys like Gio and Acosta. It’s a lot easier for opposing players to get hands and elbows into the head/face of Maxi and others accidentally as their heads are just at that level.

I would feel bad if a nycfc player got a red for an elbow to the head of a guy like Acosta that was just a natural play where it would have been incidental contact into a shoulder of another player of average height.

But on the flip side, what does that mean in terms of the league trying to protect players’ heads? If they decide not to call those ones the same, does it imply that they just don’t care to protect the shorter guys?

As an example play, I’m thinking about Callens’ red against Columbus, that wouldn’t have been a red or even a yellow had Meram been taller.
 
Did anyone watch PHI/NER last night? yeah, I know. Why would you? But anyway.

The only goal was scored on a play where the side official put up the offside flag but didn't blow the whistle. After VAR, the goal was allowed.What was weird to me has more to do with TV than officiating, though. ESPN+ showed the New England broadcast. Presumably the NE announcers were not at the game, and only had access to whatever the Philly production crew showed them. On that telecast, the only view of the play was a poor angle where you really could not see whether he was offsides. So the NER announcers understandably criticized the decision to overturn the original call. And they kept showing that one view over and over, and the announcers kept saying "if this is the only view...."
But the league has shown -- both on its website and twitter -- a view with a much better angle pretty straight on where it looks pretty clear he was onside. Which just made me wonder why the Philly production crew never showed it. Or did they show it on their cast and keep it from New England? Or does the away production team get multiple camera feeds and control the use of replay, etc., and the NE director chose not to show the one that made the call look correct?
 
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Regarding hand/elbow to face, I’m very curious as to discussions within the league office and PRO about how to apply this based on player sizes.

The main reason I bring this up is due to watching Maxi play, and this would also apply to guys like Gio and Acosta. It’s a lot easier for opposing players to get hands and elbows into the head/face of Maxi and others accidentally as their heads are just at that level.

I would feel bad if a nycfc player got a red for an elbow to the head of a guy like Acosta that was just a natural play where it would have been incidental contact into a shoulder of another player of average height.

But on the flip side, what does that mean in terms of the league trying to protect players’ heads? If they decide not to call those ones the same, does it imply that they just don’t care to protect the shorter guys?

As an example play, I’m thinking about Callens’ red against Columbus, that wouldn’t have been a red or even a yellow had Meram been taller.
The shorter player should be protected. Always. Until MLS adds a height requirement, like those heights bars at amusement parks, an elbow/arm to the head is punishable and the taller player has to be cognizant of their surroundings. Unfortunately, every ref this year has let rough play against Maxi go favoring the tall player.
 
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DC putting out the exact same lineup against RB that they did against NE.
DC hasn't won this fixture since may 2016. Will we see their first victory in 2 1/2 years? Let's all hope so.
 
Guess who is starting for Red Bulls?

FIGHTING out of the red corner. Weighting in at 160 pounds, standing at 5 feet, 10 inches. Fighting from Kingston, Jamaica. The man with the left uppercut, forgotten by PRO, ignored by DisCo, Kemar Lawrence.
 
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Guess who is starting for Red Bulls?

FIGHTING out of the red corner. Weighting in at 160 pounds, standing at 5 feet, 10 inches. Fighting from Kingston, Jamaica. The man with the left uppercut, forgotten by PRO, ignored by DisCo, Kemar Lawrence.
Disco is working slow lately. Jozy got an extra game for what he did against us that wasn’t announced until after their next game a week later.
 
Disco is working slow lately. Jozy got an extra game for what he did against us that wasn’t announced until after their next game a week later.

Well they have a home game Wednesday vs. Houston and then away vs. Montreal on Saturday.