MLS Week 23

[Gotham Gator]

San Jose kicked things off last night with a 2-1 win over Vancouver.

A lot of big games tonight, including NJRB hosting Montréal at 7 and LA hosting Colorado at 10:30.

 

[LionNYC]

A Houston win over Toronto tonight would be great.

 

[mgarbowski]

Red Bulls Montreal. A tie is best. Failing that it's better if Montreal wins.

PS: I really just posted because the Streisand thread has 20 posts this week and this had 2.

 

[Gene]

DCU-Portland delayed due to the heat.

 

[Gotham Gator]

Red Bulls Montreal. A tie is best. Failing that it's better if Montreal wins.

PS: I really just posted because the Streisand thread has 20 posts this week and this had 2.

There's a Steisand thread?

I thought this was a Streisand-free zone.

 

[Gotham Gator]

Day went pretty badly for us. Toronto not playing was the best result.

Red Bulls beat Montreal, which I personally think is better than if Montréal won, but a tie would certainly have been better than anything.

Philly absolutely waxed New England.

Toronto moves into first if they win today against Houston, and would still have a game in hand.

 

[mgarbowski]

I'm glad we played Seattle before Lodeiro showed up.

 

[RockShrimp]

Let's go Houston!

 

[RockShrimp]

well it started off decent, but not so much.

 

[Gene]

Houston plays the entire 2nd half down a man and hold on for the 1-1 draw. I'd say that's a better than expected result.

Totally destroyed my Fantasy Team, but that's the price we pay.

 

[LionNYC]

Another week in first place...

Does some stat person have a line chart showing the standings of eastern conference teams over the course of the season?

 

[JayH]

http://www.foxsports.com/soccer/sto...l-blunder-the-mls-howler-of-the-season-081516

 

[CCMore]

http://www.foxsports.com/soccer/sto...l-blunder-the-mls-howler-of-the-season-081516

Atleast it wasn't Saunders. Or maybe we do want it to be Saunders...

 

[Gotham Gator]

Is Stefan Frei's colossal blunder the howler of the MLS season?

No. It was a terrible call by the ref, who should have yellow carded Mov for interfering with the throw.

 

[Ulrich]

Is Stefan Frei's colossal blunder the howler of the MLS season?

No. It was a terrible call by the ref, who should have yellow carded Mov for interfering with the throw.

I thought the same thing - isn't the keeper afforded a ring of space around him that a defender can't enter? Much like when a team attempts a quick restart of a free kick and a defender sticks his foot out a yard away - that's a yellow.

 

[danger]

I think once the ball is released by the keeper, and he's no longer controlling it, an opposing player can kick it. When I saw it in real time, I thought it had left his hands but in that photo it looks like he's still holding it

 

[Gotham Gator]

There is a lot of back and forth in the comments to this week's Simon Borg video discussing the rules and various interpretations. There is something in the rules about a throw needing to hit the ground first, but that can't be totally true. I always figured the rule was - more or less - that you had to get the ball from playing the recipient of the pass or punt and not the goalkeeper - I've seen much less than what Mov did get a yellow. Certainly, you can't knock a ball out of the hand of the keeper, or interrupt a basketball-style dribble, or interrupt a drop from the hands for a punt. Whether you can block a throw mere inches from release I think is rather unclear.

 

[Taurus]

There is a lot of back and forth in the comments to this week's Simon Borg video discussing the rules and various interpretations. There is something in the rules about a throw needing to hit the ground first, but that can't be totally true. I always figured the rule was - more or less - that you had to get the ball from playing the recipient of the pass or punt and not the goalkeeper - I've seen much less than what Mov did get a yellow. Certainly, you can't knock a ball out of the hand of the keeper, or interrupt a basketball-style dribble, or interrupt a drop from the hands for a punt. Whether you can block a throw mere inches from release I think is rather unclear.

I know it's highly debateabale but I had no issue with the goal personally. I'm tired of goalies thinking they are absolutely untouchable to the point that they can release the ball with no reference to where the opposition is. Most field players will back off once they see the keeper has some awareness that they are nearby but to totally ignore the opposition is ridiculous.

 

[Ulrich]

I know it's highly debateabale but I had no issue with the goal personally. I'm tired of goalies thinking they are absolutely untouchable to the point that they can release the ball with no reference to where the opposition is. Most field players will back off once they see the keeper has some awareness that they are nearby but to totally ignore the opposition is ridiculous.

Ok, I'll buy that if he kicked the ball from the field of vision, BUT........ Technically, the player came from and offside position to get a foot on the ball AND his body is in an offside position. Thus he is unequivocally at fault and the ref's whistle should have stopped the game immediately for a free kick. I do not this this fact is even debatable and is so simplistic that the Linesmen and Ref should be iced from future assignments for not understanding a basic rule.

 

[mgarbowski]

Ok, I'll buy that if he kicked the ball from the field of vision, BUT........ Technically, the player came from and offside position to get a foot on the ball AND his body is in an offside position. Thus he is unequivocally at fault and the ref's whistle should have stopped the game immediately for a free kick. I do not this this fact is even debatable and is so simplistic that the Linesmen and Ref should be iced from future assignments for not understanding a basic rule.

A player in an offside position is only penalized under certain conditions which always minimally require the ball being played by a team member.
I do think it should have been a foul for different reasons.