Why Would You Think I’m Worried?

By: Rocky Cole | September 20th, 2009

Now why would you think I am worried about RSL making the playoffs?

But sometimes, you have to face reality. Real looked awful out of the blocks in Houston. It was as if RSL was still working at fifty percent effort at the start of the game while the Houston Dynamo was playing at high tempo. The Dynamo scored the fastest goal of their franchise’s history when Brian Ching punched in a ball off a set play in the second minute of the game. As if that wasn’t bad enough, less that three minutes later, Geoff Cameron put a second ball in the back of the net. Really? Two to nil just five minutes into the match? Did RSL think the game wasn’t going to be challenging enough so they’d better spot Houston two points out of the gate?

Both scores were off set plays. I was watching the game and scratching my head. What the heck was going on with the defense? The back line left Nick Rimando hanging. Twice. But take heart, RSL didn’t fold up like Galaxy did in Dallas last week. Minute twenty-seven and Captain Kyle Beckerman comes through with a drive through the middle of the Houston back line and guides a precise shot under the arms of Pat Onstad. In big games someone has to step up, and Beckerman once again showed why he wears the Captain’s armband. But just when things are looking up, Jamison Olave receives a straight red for an over-aggressive tackle in minute thirty-one and the team is a man down.

RSL showed some heart though, and Yura Movsisyan managed a goal to level that game, and I was starting to think that getting out with a draw would be just fine, when Brad Davis, who had been involved in the previous Dynamo scores, got his own goal at the eighty-first minute.

Did Olave’s tackle deserve a straight red and an ejection? No, I don’ think so, but that was the same kind of tackle that got Beckham ejected in LA a few weeks back. Some MLS referees would have given a yellow and a stern warning, but Olave wasn’t lucky enough to have one of those referees and the team suffered for most of the game. By the last fifteen minutes, it was clear that RSL was out of gas.

One other oblique point I feel the need to make. I am really tired of referees affecting the outcome of games. I happened to be at the San Jose Earthquakes – Colorado Rapids game on Friday night in San Jose. San Jose dominated the match. I mean, they played well and had Colorado’s number all night. I was fine with this, because no points for Colorado is a good thing for RSL, right? And right up until 2:56 minutes into a 3:00 minute period of added time, I was thinking the referees had done a good job. You know, kept the match under control and made limited calls. But then, during a melee in the box during a corner kick the referee calls a penalty.

Really? My problem with this was that it was plain and simple a bad call at the worst possible moment. All night long there had been pushing and shoving in the box. This is soccer, after all, and the referee had not made similar calls. It was not the time to suddenly “grow a pair”. The game was stolen from The Quakes by the referee. There is no other way to say it. When I got home I watched and re-watched the highlight of that final play over and over. Contact? Yes. But it looked like two aggressive players to me, and the referee had not called similar fouls all night. Why then? It made no sense to me and the other 12,000 fans Friday night, and it makes no sense today. So here is my charge to referees everywhere… STOP INFLUENCING THE OUTCOME OF GAMES!!! LET THE PLAY ON THE FIELD DECIDE WHO WINS AND LOSES GAMES!!!