The Definitive Angle: MLS Week 23
The Definitive Angle is PRO’s analysis of the week’s Video Review use in MLS.
Week 23 overview
There were five Video Reviews during Week 23.
ATL vs TOR: Offside (no goal)
What happened: After review, Toronto #24 [Lorenzo Insigne] was in an offside position when the ball was crossed to him to score. Toronto #24 then interfered with play when he touched the ball.
The final decision was offside and an indirect free kick [to Atlanta United].
Length of Review: 4:04
PRO’s opinion: The referee was correct to disallow the goal scored by Insigne (TOR) because he was in an offside position when the ball was last played by his teammate. This was a good use of the Video Review system to disallow a goal for an offside situation.
VAN vs STL: Goal
What happened: After review, St Louis #13 [Anthony Markanich] did not foul Vancouver #16 [Sebastian Berhalter] inside the penalty area, prior to the goal by St Louis #6 [Njabulo Blom].
The final decision was a goal [to St Louis CITY].
Length of review: 3:12
PRO’s opinion: The referee was correct to allow the goal scored by Blom to stand. While there was contact between Markanich (STL) and Berhalter (VAN), which caused Berhalter to go to ground, there was no clear pushing action from Markanich. The resulting goal was not a result of this contact between these two players.
What happened: After review, Chicago #24 [Jonathan Dean] fouled Seattle #14 [Paul Rothrock] inside the penalty area.
The final decision was penalty [to Seattle Sounders] and yellow card to Chicago #24 for stopping a promising attack.
Length of Review: 1:33
PRO’s opinion: This was a clear holding offense. Dean (CHI) reached out, grabbed the jersey of Rothrock (SEA), and prevented him from making a play on the ball. While this hold occurred just outside the goal area, the ball was in the air, and there was no guarantee that Rothrock would control the ball and score a goal. Therefore, this was not a denial of an obvious goal-scoring opportunity, and a yellow card for stopping a promising attack was correct. This was a good, efficient use of the Video Review system to rectify a clear and obvious error.
What happened: After review, Chicago #5 [Rafael Czichos] did not commit a punishable handball offense when he blocked the shot by Seattle #14 [Paul Rothrock] inside the penalty area.
The final decision was no penalty and a drop ball [to Chicago Fire]. The yellow card to Chicago #5 for stopping a promising attack was rescinded.
Length of review: 2:30
PRO’s opinion: In making the block, Czichos (CHI) had his left arm tight to his body, and his right arm extended away, which made his body unnaturally bigger. The referee awarded a penalty because he believed the ball had struck the defender’s right arm. An on-field review was recommended, and the referee rescinded the penalty and the yellow card, and restarted play with a drop ball. This was a good use of the Video Review system to reach the correct outcome.
What happened: Portland #14 [Jonathan Rodríguez] committed a handball offense when he controlled a pass in the buildup to Portland #11 [Antony] scoring a goal.
The final decision was that the goal [for Portland Timbers] was disallowed. Play restarted with a direct free kick [to Minnesota United].
Length of review: 3:02
PRO’s opinion: This was a deliberate handball offense in the attacking phase of play by Rodríguez (POR), who used his arm to control the ball. This was a good use of the Video Review system to rectify a clear and obvious error.
Please note: These videos do not contain audio. They are a recording of the screen as viewed by the VAR in real-time.