Many bytes have been utilized regarding the apparent MLS / PRO Referee mandate to increase red cards for poor challenges. There have been 16 red cards in the 2016 MLS season in just 42 games. That's 0.38 red cards per match. This has been deemed an "issue" as well as an "epidemic". Interestingly, on a video posted on the page of one article, the author actually advocates for two additional red cards, and on Twitter, advocates for another. (He explained to me that the video was a comment not really related to the column.)
In the broadcast of the Orlando v. Portland match, Alexi Lalas noted that owners wanted their star players protected so they put pressure on PRO Referees to punish players more harshly. He also indicated that the players and coaches knew this was coming. If true, it seems obvious that these same owners and coaches would tell their own players how to behave.
The other argument I consistently see against the red cards is there was no "malice" or "intent." The Laws don't mention intent with regard to fouls. (Note that handballs must be "deliberate" to be called, and nobody seems to care about that distinction!) If you leave your feet and fly through the air into a player with both feet, that should be a red card, whether you intended to hit the person or not. To use legalese, to be responsible for an intentional tort, you simply had to intend the action that caused harm... you don't necessarily have to have intended the harm. You are still responsible for your actions.
But is this really causing MLS to become a sissy league? I honestly don't think there is a red-card epidemic in MLS. Give it time. We're only in the fifth week, and it will take time to iron out the mandates. Recall that last year, MLS / PRO wanted to crackdown on simulation. The very first match of 2015 had three yellow cards for simulation. After that, a yellow for simulation was rare.
MLS is a physical league in my opinion, and I don't see the onslaught of red cards causing players to stop challenges just because they may be red-carded. Gaston Sauro of the Columbus Crew is often a millisecond away from a red card or conceding a penalty penalty. But his challenges end up clean, and as a great defender, that's the risk he takes. In 2011, when Brian Mullan broke Steve Zakuani's leg, he said he'd make the challenge again.
Soccer is a contact sport. There are a handful of players in leagues around the world who are dirty players and who seem to love living on the edge and seem to enjoy the sport of taking people out rather than playing the soccer ball. (I won't name them. You know who they are.) This isn't what we're talking about here. We're talking about honest challenges for the ball that go awry.
Fans and critics of MLS alike say that MLS referees are poor compared to the rest of the world. However, on Saturday and Sunday mornings, my personal Twitter feed is filled with hate for individual referees in the English Premier League. I think it's a "grass is greener" argument. When we're invested, we get angry when calls don't go our team's way. And don't forget the allegations of match-fixing scandals with referees in Italian and Spanish leagues. I haven't seen any accusations that MLS refs fix matches.
What I think we need is consistency. But how do you define consistency in soccer? Maybe you define challenges that are red cards: stomps, two-footed flying tackles, kick-outs. But even this would remove some of the subjectivity of the beautiful game. Different referees have different personalities and different games have different flows and atmospheres. During the FC Dallas v. Columbus match in Frisco, Castillo kicked out at Afful intentionally. There was no card or foul called. Referee Jurisevic called Castillo over and had a chat with him. Could he have been sent off under the new mandate? Yes. I typically don't like the "let's shake hands and make peace" style of refereeing, but it was ultimately the correct decision in this case. The game didn't get out of hand and didn't turn dirty.
I don't think there is a red card epidemic in MLS. I also don't think there is a poor refereeing epidemic in MLS. Objectively, MLS / PRO referees have made some important strides in technology and improving positioning and decisions. This article may have raised more questions than solutions, illustrating that there is no easy answer, and suggesting that maybe we should all take a deep breath, acknowledge the tough job PRO has and give them some room to work.
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