2017 Game 2: HOU v. CLB 3/11/17

I thought I'd write some more stuff due to response from last week and as I attempt to resurrect Podcast For Columbus! The tradeoff is that this won't be polished work, but more of stream of consciousness.

Player rankings:
Artur – 4
Afful – 5
Finlay – 6
Higuain – 3
Kamara – 4
Mensah – 5
Meram – 6
Næss – 5
Raitala – 5
Steffen – 5
Trapp – 5
Maloney – 6
Abu – 5
Jahn – 4

Gregg – 5 He continues to insist on certain game play without making changes. He waited way too long to take Artur off.

Referee – 7 Overall, Penso did fine. He did miss a few points that are points of emphasis this year.  As you all know, I love analyzing the Law and referee decisions, so I am in no way shape or form even hinting that the referee made the Crew lose the game.

However, I believe we had a PK shout in 24' as Næss got bear-hugged to the ground. "This was holding and pushing in the penalty area."

In addition, Penso completely ignored two delayed restarts.

First, in 33', Ellis stands over the free kick so Næss can't take it quickly. Even as Penso tells him to go away, he doesn't move. Næss kicks it back. I wish he had kicked it into Ellis to draw the encroachment yellow. Pipa is going to get booked for a lot of these this year, so it's only fair.

Second, in 38', I start the gif as the whistle is blown. Ricardo Clark throws the ball away intentionally right in view of Penso.

One call Penso got absolutely correct was the "act of visual dissent" from Ethan Finlay in 59'. Other than Afful slamming the turf in frustration last week after conceding, this team needs passion from somebody.

Finally, the red card. I think that the red card to Mensah in 87' was proper under the Law, even though it was harsh. I don't see it being overturned. Mensah was not in control of his body and had a high boot with studs exposed. I believe that it was a tackle that endangered the safety of an opponent worthy of a sending-off. I think Penso could have used some game management and issued a yellow instead, because it was clearly a slip.

I also enjoyed Finlay giving it to Pipa after a pretty horrible pass. Pipa was having another off night. After being so excited about the way he played in off-season, his slowness showed again. As I said last year (and got accused of hating all season), I really want to see Meram take the #10 role. Put Martinez or Artur or Maloney on the wing. We could be a counter-attacking team.

I realize this is his first MLS start, but Artur was like a little kid "helping" you make a cake. He had a lot of energy and drive, but wasn't really doing anything to help the recipe. I hope it's just early jitters and that he gets acclimated, but when Gregg finally subbed him off in 58', I said "It's about time."

I was impressed with Maloney coming on as a kid fresh out of college. He also needs development, but I think he had a good mind for our type of play and a great work ethic. This is not to say that he's better than Afful or that Afful was poor, but he's a kid to watch out for. I enjoyed watching him play for Penn State, too.

Steffen. Yes, Steffen made a blunder. At least it was the his second start for the team.... not the Championship game after 2 full seasons. I believe now is the time to learn. And he will work out. He looked upset. The defense did him no favors on that second goal. And even Nauer couldn't have stopped that third goal. Great goals deserve respect, and that was a great strike.

Speaking of the second goal, why does Gregg refuse to put a man on the post?? I'm not a tactician by any means, but the stubbornness of no man on the goalpost, and zonal marking on set pieces is infuriating at times. We're just as terrible defending set pieces.

On the other hand, I am very excited to see Finlay take the corners. Our offensive corners were MUCH better than they have been. Mensah almost got a goal, and Næss almost got a goal. I'm confident that we will see at least one Finlay --> Mensah goal this season! Maybe next game, where Finlay would become the 5th Crew player to get 30 goals and 30 assists.

Also, we need an offensive piece in the next transfer window. I'm not worried about Finlay and Meram. I am worried about Pipa being way past his prime and being way too slow. I'm also worried about Ola, who should be putting away a lot more goals. If we can get a tall striker like Kei, and an excellent #10, we would be a team to reckon with. 

Twitter and Facebook are filled with #SackBerhalter comments. I think that is premature. Last July, I said that I'd give him 10 games.

@krislandis In my mind Gregg has this season + 10. He threatened to jettison players 8 games too late. Want to see more passion from him

— Toddrick33 (@Toddrick33) August 1, 2016

Regardless, I don't think Precourt is firing Gregg this season unless we get no wins.

Oh, and it looks like Gregg may be starting to get some of that passion, too. I can't recall ever seeing him 'discuss' with the refs after a game.

June 2016 MLS Referee Power Rankings

My ones of readers have requested that I make another Power Rankings post. So, I finally have enough dirt on the refs to justify another edition, so here it goes. As always, this is viewed through black and gold colored lenses. The April 2016 edition can be found here.

Also, look forward to Jaime Herrera making a debut on the chart next time.

Rank	Referee		Trend	Comments
1		Alan Kelly	-	Kelly stays at the top. He does not appear at MAPFRE, which is evidence that he is a good ref. He has been assigned to 3 Portland matches, and 2 each of DC, Seattle, KC, and Dallas.
2		Ismail Elfath	-	We used to see Elfath all the time at MAPFRE, but he hasn't been assigned to one Crew game this year, showing how good of a ref he has become.
3		Nima Saghafi	+3	I went to the Toronto v. Crew game at the (cheaply built and austere) BMO Field. Saghafi was MOTM in the 0-0 draw, refusing to fall for Giovinco's dives. With a performance like that, we as Crew fans expect to never see him again.
4		Mark Geiger	+1	Hate him or love him, I still believe he's the best by-the-book referee. He received a Copa America assignment, which helps his rankings.
5		Armando Villarreal	-1	Villarreal continues to be one of the best and fittest young referees. He also received a few Copa America assignments, but only as Fourth Official.
6		Kevin Stott	-3	Stott is the exception to the rule that older refs need to make way for the younger refs. He remains relatively sold and knowledgeable
7		Chris Penso	+4	I continue to dislike Penso's cockiness, but I must confess, I haven't seen terrible calls out of him lately.
8		David Gantar	-	Blame Canada! Blame Canada!
9		Marcos De Oliviera	-	He has reffed zero games this year, so I can neither praise him, nor complain. However, he received his first assignment for the 6/25/16 match, DC v. New England. I'll have to watch that match closely. I was worried that I would have to drop him off of the table soon, much like Gamble who seems to have been relegated to the NASL, as I saw him ref a Minnesota United v. Jacksonville game (on TV) on May 14, 2016.
10		Ted Unkel	-4	Ted must've practiced his PK pointing to the spot more than the rules. This Instant Replay episode showed a debacle where he called a PK, and then took it back in the Orlando v. RBNY game. PRO stated: "The offense which happens first should be penalized, and if they happen simultaneously, the more serious offense should be given." Tsk. Also, he showed a yellow for mock clapping and another yellow to Kaka. Heavy handed treatment of dissents is the first sign to arrogance and recklessness, in my opinion.
11		Mathieu Bourdeau	+13	Bourdeau has had 2 assignments this year, and received his third for the 6/25/16 Montreal v. Sporting Kansas City game.
12		Ricardo Salazar	-	Salazar is one of the older average refs that need to pave the way.
13		Edvin Jurisevic	-	Average.
14		Drew Fischer	-	In his 6 assignments of 2016 as of 6/24/16, he is averaging 4.17 yellow cards per match.
15		Juan Guzman	-	Every time I see him, he seems so out of shape, but I currently have no major complaints.
16		Baldomero Toledo	-6	Oh Toledo. It's time to retire, my friend. And could you do so before the Crew match tomorrow? One of his matches appeared on You are the Ref. I enjoyed these comments: This referee has a "habit of putting his whistle to his mouth and not blowing it. At this level ... [it is] too many for me. Once in a game is actually too many in my opinion, as it looks like the referee is indecisive or has changed his mind." They get it!
17		Allen Chapman	-	After Chapman gave De Jong the yellow instead of red on 4/10/16, he was benched until 5/8/16. Well, shouldn't he lose spots because of that, you ask? No. It's not fair that he followed the league's NO CARDS FOR USMNT/DP RULE, and got punished for it. Consistency is what we crave!!!
18		Jorge Gonzalez	-2	Gonzalez was ref when a backpass went over the line. One pundit has photographic evidence that the ball never crossed the line. Also, PRO completely absolved Gonzalez. NO! Stop picking your nose in the center circle and get your lazy self running!!
19		Hilario Grajeda	+1	Grajeda, unfortunately, will probably not make it back to the top and is one of those people who need to make room for the next generation of refs.
20		Sorin Stoica	-1	Stoica gets penalized for continuing to adhere to the league mandate to make no calls whatsoever in the Crew's favor.
21		Silviu Petrescu	-	I'm becoming a broken record: Is he retired yet?
22		Robert Sibiga	-4	Sibiga is the counter-example to the young refs as Stott is to the older. I want to give him the benefit of the doubt. But what on earth did you see here that deserved red?!. When the Philly announcers are saying it's harsh and the Philly player who allegedly is the victim has this face, it makes no sense!! Plus, the card was rescinded.
23		Fotis Bazakos	-1	Oh man, Mr. Bazakos. He continues to be absolutely clueless. First he awards a PK for someone stopping a ball with his junk. And what was this red card to Colin for? No word yet whether it will be repealed, and even though Crew is playing RBNY tomorrow, honestly, it really should be rescinded.
24		Jair Marrufo	-1	Luckily, I think that we won't see Marrufo at MAPFRE for a couple of years. Even though he got the Bolivia v. Chile Copa America assignment, I'll just let this Tweet speak for itself. Shameful.

(All Photos credited to www.proreferees.com)