Post Game Thoughts

In no particular order....

1. Today's game provided plenty of ammunition for the "officials hate TFC" camp, and in the minutes after Amado Guevara's red card I was tempted to sympathize, if not agree.

Watching the game live the red card seemed to come from nowhere. Nobody in the press box could see the alleged punch -- TV replays we saw didn't even make it clear -- so nobody could figure out what Guevara had done to deserve an ejection.

The way TFC unravelled after that is another issue, but Marco Velez's ejection seemed to offer yet more evidence that officials just don't want TFC to win.

But then the game ended, the locker rooms opened and Guevara talked to the media, admitting that he had indeed smacked Pablo Richetti in the face, but only after Richetti had followed him down the field throwing little punches and elbows.

Then it made sense.

A classic case of the refs missing the instigator but catching the retaliator.

In this case I don't know that it proves the officials had it in for TFC. If you follow sports you that officials have a habit of not catching the guy who starts a fight. It's not unique to this game or even this team.

Did the call change the tenor of the game?

Of course it did.

Before the punch TFC controlled the play and created scoring chances they couldn't convert. Afterward they lacked direction and seemed more focused on fighting with officials than with finishing the game.

But does the call indicate anti TFC bias?

I'm not sold.

Remember, there's a difference between calling officials bad and calling them biased.

A lot of neutral observers, folks who have been involved with soccer their whole lives, have told me that MLS officiating is inconsistent at best, and as a soccer non-purist who watches a lot of MLS I'm still trying to figure out which plays are fouls and which aren't. You'll often see the same play called two different ways in the same game. It's confusing to new fans, frustrating to players and it's something MLS needs to address.

So I will allow that officiating is inconsistent, but I also realize that in the long run shaky officiating affects all teams equally.

Biased officiating is something different entirely, and not a charge you should make unless you can prove it.

And I'm still waiting for proof that refs don't want TFC to win. For every strange call against Toronto (think the phantom offside that nullified a goal against San Jose), one seems to go their way (think the iffy foul call that led to TFC's penalty kick in that same game).

So as far as I can tell, wacky calls go both ways.

It might be bad, but that doesn't mean it's biased.

2. You might have noticed that TFC dressed only 16 guys this afternoon.

Abdus "Ibee" Ibrahim missed the game while tending to family business in Minnesota.

And according to head coach John Carver, the rest of the guys who might normally fill out the bench blew their chance by looking sloppy in a mid week reserve game.

He said he didn't want to give those guys "false hope" by letting them dress today.

If Sunday's game had devolved into a bench clearing brawl  (and there were times when I thought it might), I wonder if he would have regretted not dressing more guys.

3. Kenny Cooper doesn't just score. He scores at the right time.

I learned yesterday that of the 13 goals he has scored so far this year, 10 of them have either tied the game or given FC Dallas the lead.

The team's overall record when Cooper scores:

17-6-1

No wonder Cardiff still wants him.

4. Carver said that the second new striker is almost signed, but not quite.

In the meantime, with Olivier Tebily back in France he says the team is also in the market for a centre back. And beyond that he'll need to cobble together a lineup without Guevara and Marco Velez, who are both suspended for next week's game in Colorado.

It's at the point where nearly anyone wearing Toronto FC red will do.

"Now, we’ve got two away at the Olympics, we’ve got Danny who – we don’t when he’s coming back, we’ve got Todd (Dunivant) who’s been taken off due to a long-term injury," Carver said after the game. "I think we might have to get (TFC Academy coach) Nick Dasovic to put his boots on.”

Ouch.

-- Morgan Campbell

Comments

[Chris]

Nice try Morgan...you guys in the media should've written about the horrible officiating way back when Carver was begging you to. And you didn't. And missed your chance to ask Don Garber about it instead of blubbering all over the guy while he was here. Bang up job guys!

[Brett]

Well said. I don't think that the refs are out to get TFC, it's simply a matter of the refs not being good enough to call the games consistently. It's been a problem league wide this year (see Kreis' comments and suspension from earlier in the year).

I have a question regarding loan moves and hoped you might be able to shed some light on the subject. Is it possible for TFC (or any MLS team) to take players on loan? It seems to happen everywhere else in the footballing world but I haven't seen much of it in MLS, is this because of the single entity contract structure?

[Paul]

Watching TFC regressing game after game, the question is if JC have a clue how to field a competitive team at this level? Everybody waiting for something to happen to turn things around, a new 35 year old forward, or a 16 year old one, or may be a bit of luck. This team needs a LOT of luck, or a coach who can focus his energy away from chasing conspiracy theories.
At the same time can not help but enjoy improved quality of game by many OTHER MLS teams.
Also could never understand why TFC wanted to get rid of Hemming, he seem like the best young talent they got.

[Steve]

RE: Asking Garber about the officiating.

You know, this is a good question. Of all of the media hype that surrounded the All-Star game, I heard nothing about officials and everything about the "American as Apple Pie" McBride. Why is someone who has access not asking more questions about officiating?

Morgan, I agree with you 100%. But I don't believe that "bad" and "biased" should be considered two separate evils as the impact they have is the same. I don't think intent makes supporters like myself feel any better when we see a Red Card handed out to our player and no penalty handed out to the opposition, even though the infractions were the same.

"Bad" officiating has cost TFC and other teams wins in the same way that "biased" officiating would. It's also caused coaches and players to react in a manner that the fans aren't accustomed to, a manner which is highly un-sportsmanlike and truly not top tier. In my opinion, officiating should either be the best or it shouldn't be on the field. I think it's clear that the officials play way too much of a part in the MLS games. The officiating has to be addressed.

[ChrisLav]

Toronto never wanted to get rid of Hemming, he left on his own. TFC dropped him down to the development roster early in the year after signing Tebily. Given that being on the developmental roster, where he would be paid less, Hemming decided to try for a club at Sweden at that point. He couldn't sign on there and returned to the club.

[Hal]

I'm not sure many believe that the MLS Officials have it in for TFC. But I do think that many believe that the officiating is just plain bad in MLS.

Until MLS recognizes it has a problem and takes action to correct it, all teams are doomed to suffer equally. It's just that sometimes some teams will suffer more equally than others. Last week was our turn.

[doug]

TFC are reporting that canadian striker David Simpson is training with the team - might not hurt to sign him? is he in the mix for the Canada - Jamaica game?