The Whitecaps put together one heck of a performance over the weekend. They were the better team over the course of the game and even dominated for long stretches. It was a wonderful display over the league leading Seattle Sounders in a rivalrous Cascadia Cup fixture.
It’s a shame that referee Ismail Elfath’s performance overshadowed all of this.
The unfortunate truth is the type of officiating he displayed provides the feed and the fodder for fans to question the integrity of MLS officials. And it’s disappointing that this even warrants discussion.
The Caps came out flying, swarming the Sounders goal and peppering ‘keeper Stefan Frei, forcing him to make some quality stops. They attacked relentlessly for much of the night, looking the better team through large stretches over the 90+ minutes of play.
The Caps took a well-deserved 2 – 1 lead into the 82nd minute before Jay DeMerit was whistled inside the box for simply being a better jumper than the Sounders’ Cam Weaver. The fact is Jay DeMerit would be out of a job if he didn’t go up for the header, and rightfully so. He won the 50/50 ball clean and made minimal contact with the Sounders forward without impeding Weaver’s opportunity to make a play.
It was the second such call against the Whitecaps’ captain after a similar play resulted in a San Jose Earthquakes penalty kick three weeks ago. It could be argued that DeMerit did earn the call versus San Jose; not so much this time around.
Gonzalo Pineda inevitably drew the Sounders even with minutes to play after chipping a cheeky PK past David Ousted.
Let me take a minute to level with you. I find MLS officiating to be three steps below what I would term “questionable.” It’s not terrible, it’s not horrendous, it is actually embarrassing.
These are thoughts that I rarely express because quite simply, there is no point. Much like the situation on the field, the referee’s decision is final and no amount of complaining and pleading is going to overturn his call. The official’s decision immediately becomes fact – not speculation or conjecture.
I can share with you honestly that before each game I consciously tell myself to leave officiating out of my article. My thoughts on the game don’t need to include opinions on a referee’s subjective decisions. “It serves no purpose,” I tell myself. “They’re only human,” I reason. But the truth is, sometimes it’s just not good enough.
The fact is MLS officiating has been a sore point forever and remains the biggest black-eye on the league representing North America’s highest level of soccer. Week after week, questions arise surrounding the PRO (Professional Referees Organization) and their oversight of MLS officials – and week after week nothing is done about it.
A cursory review of the PRO website reveals the following mission statement:
“To become the example for World Class soccer officials by 2022.”
I don’t know about you, but if I came to my boss with a proposal to become the best at my job in EIGHT years, I’d promptly be fired. For the record, I have written to the PRO requesting a breakdown of their evaluation and review program regarding MLS referees. I will follow up in the coming days, or weeks, depending upon the timeliness of a reply.
It serves little purpose to carry on about this, but the fact is Ismail Elfath cost the Vancouver Whitecaps two points on Saturday evening. That may mean little now, but come October, it could mean everything.
Want highlights? We got ’em.