On the Brink
October 13th, 2008 . 7:56 pm . By: John Carlton
FC Dallas got help from the referee in the dying moments for the second straight game to salvage a home draw against Toronto FC. After referee Mark Geiger’s dubious call in the penalty area during stoppage time, Kenny Cooper converted the kick to give FC Dallas a crucial point and a chance to still make the playoffs.
Cooper got the scoring underway in the 34th minute when an Adrian Serioux long throw-in created havoc in front of goal. Cooper pounced on the loose ball at the near post and swept it into the net from a narrow angle. It was Cooper’s 17th goal of the season. During the first half, Dallas looked the better team for long stretches, combining with one-touch passes and getting up the field quickly. In the second half, all of that pretty play seemed to disappear. Toronto applied more pressure in the second half and pushed higher up the field. Reds’ winger Rohan Ricketts had a nice shot off a quick re-start that went just wide of the far post. And with Toronto missing five starters due to international call-ups, Reds’ reserves Tyler Rosenlund and Nana Attakora-Gyan, among others, stepped in admirably to fill those spots. In the 72nd minute, Toronto’s stepped-up play paid off when defender Marco Velez volleyed a shot into the right side of the net. The play started with a Marvell Wynne throw-in from the right sideline which found the head of Reds’ target man Danny Dichio. Dichio headed the ball back across the area and found the foot of Velez for the score. With the game tied, it was obvious that both coaches were desperately searching for the win. TFC coach John Carver in particular seemed hell-bent on a winning goal. He nearly got his wish, when in the 88th minute Chad Barrett’s through ball found a streaking Marvel Wynne who lofted his shot over the onrushing Dario Sala and into the goal from about 30 yards out. The go-ahead goal found the Dallas back line napping and that momentary lapse of concentration should have doomed the Hoops’ season. Fortunately for FC Dallas, this would be the second consecutive week that the referee would bail them out of a certain defeat. In stoppage time, Andre Rocha took a free kick from about 25 yards out left of the penalty area. His in-swinging kick found the middle of a crowded box, where Adrian Serioux was the closest Hoop available. Replays seemed to show that Serioux got pulled down by a TFC defender, but Serioux also appeared to handle the ball on his way down. In any event, it was a call that would probably not have been made at any other junction in the game. Cooper’s first penalty kick conversion was called back by Geiger, ostensibly for Cooper stopping his motion in the run-up. The second attempt also found the back of the net, and Cooper celebrated his 18th goal of the season with intensity. Now it’s two games to go for the Hoops, and both are on the road. The situation is clear: they need to win both games and may still need help in the process. And not the kind of help they’ve been getting from the referees here of late. Toronto FC (8-12-8) vs. FC Dallas (8-9-11)October 11, 2008 — Pizza Hut Park Scoring Summary: Toronto FC – Greg Sutton, Marvell Wynne, Nana Attakora-Gyan, Marco Velez, Jim Brennan, Hunter Freeman, Johann Smith (Abdus Ibrahim 83), Tyler Rosenlund, Rohan Ricketts (Jarrod Smith 61), Chad Barrett (Julius James 90), Danny Dichio, Substitutes Not Used: Brian Edwards, Gabe Gala, Derek Gaudet, Joey Melo FC Dallas – Dario Sala, Adrian Serioux, Duilio Davino, Drew Moor, Blake Wagner, Andre Rocha (Dominic Oduro 95+), Bruno Guarda (Eric Avila 75), Pablo Ricchetti, Marcelo Saragosa (Dax McCarty 68), Kenny Cooper, Jeff Cunningham, Substitutes Not Used: Ray Burse, Michael Dello-Russo, Aaron Pitchkolan, Victor Sikora
Misconduct Summary: referee: Mark Geiger 11 Comments Comments RSS TrackBack Identifier URI Leave a comment | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Dubious?
Give me a break. Serioux got mugged.
Get a DVR and actually watch the game before writing.
“…ostensibly for Cooper stopping his motion in the run-up…”
After you get a DVR get a copy of the Laws of the Game. Or at least make friends with someone that knows the rules.
The PK had to be retaken because Rocha ran into the box before Cooper took the shot.
Sheesh.
I think the first PK was called back due to Rocha’s encroachment. I’m saddened by the fact that my first thought when watching Avi hopelessly chase Wynne on the TFC 2nd goal was, “there’s Hyndman’s next excuse for benching Avi”…
KK you are correct about the blatant encroachment on the pk. Idiotic move by Rocha as he was pretty much alongside Cooper when he hit the first shot.
Lots of ‘homers’ upset with this article but it’s clearly correct. No ref in the world calls that PK because there are similar fouls in the box on every set piece both ways. This isn’t the U-10 games most of the fans are used to watching, these are men. Only in MLS does the ref want to be the story instead of allowing the game to write it’s own story.
The truth is that FCD was bailed out in both home games when playing the two worst teams in the league and yet still couldn’t win.
From watching the game, it seemed that the referee did NOT make the call on Serioux’s mugging, nor on the ball hitting his arm. Instead, based on his hand gesture immediately after the foul, it looked like he called Attakora-Gyan for the handball when he picked up the ball.
Before I get my “rules of the game” out, break out a dictionary for yourself and look up the word “ostensibly” – that was what the FSC commentators mused that the re-kick was about. As for the penalty call, it’s all speculation.
Speaking of FSC commentators, I much prefer Christopher Sullivan over John Harkes and the always excruciating Marcelo Balboa.
JC Make your own mind up, don’t rely on FSC “commentators”.Anyone who knows anything about the game knew immediately why there was a retake.
Peter: Just because it happens a lot while not being called does’nt make it right. That is as clear a pk as you’ll see. It is up to the refs to inforce the laws as written and as far as the pk goes, this one did. Twice.
On a brighter note, I was happy to see so many people at the game. 14-15k really doesn’t seem to be too bad of a draw, when we can get it.
having watched this several times, I am reallly beginning to think that the call was made because of the handball by Serioux was causedthe way the Toronto player was pulling him down.
If Serioux doesn’t hit the ball with his hand as he is being drug down, the play goes uncalled.