Play of the week: MTL vs DC

This week’s Play of the Week comes from the Montreal Impact vs. DC United match at the Stade Saputo.

The play that Training & Development Manager Paul Rejer refers to highlights the volatile nature of the technical area.

Rejer praised Referee Ismail Elfath, AR1 Peter Manikowski and 4th Official Silviu Petrescu in dealing effectively with the confrontation that arose during the game.

He explained: “The ‘fuse’ ignited when DC’s James Riley challenged opponent Justin Mapp on the touchline directly in between the two technical areas. The two players then fell off the field of play and Mapp collided with a camera.

“The Referee, 4th Official, AR1, and Montreal coach, Marco Schallibaun, all moved in quickly as they were concerned for the welfare of the player. Referee, Elfath, acted decisively by issuing a quick yellow card to Riley while 4th Official Petrescu, and AR1 Manikowski, attempted to prevent misconduct from developing.

“However, as both coaches, Ben Olsen and Marco Schallibaun, tried to protect their respective players, with opposing views of the nature of the challenge, they displayed aggressive behavior and were subsequently dismissed.

“The challenge, due to the location and the fact Mapp fell into a camera, generally seemed far worse than it actually was. If this had occurred in the center of the field there would have been no adverse reaction to it.

“The refereeing crew on the day acted efficiently and decisively in taking necessary and appropriate action and restored control.”