Orlando City does not have the greatest reputation among referees in the MLS. They have already picked up a few cards and questionable ones at that. The reputation from last year’s sometimes debacle and lack of composure on the field was noticeable pretty quickly.
Still, the Lions have to be pretty upset that they were defeated on what the Professional Referee Organization has admitted was an incorrectly allowed goal at the end of Friday’s loss to the Philadelphia Union. Yes, the game-winning goal should not have counted according to a video review of the play.
PRO notes that the Philadelphia Union placed players deliberately offsides on the play as a tactic on the free kick. This is a legal tactic in this sense, but comes with several dangers which the referee informs them of before setting the ball ready to play.
The assumption is that this part of the play and they will move onside before the ball is kicked. However, if this is just a tactic used to obstruct the goalkeeper’s vision, then it is offside and the play whistled dead.
PRO concluded:
We have to consider why are the players deliberately standing in offside positions. It is obviously a tactic to obstruct the goalkeeper’s line of vision. If those players manage to get into an onside position by the time the ball is played they are okay. But, in this play, the four players were still clearly offside at the moment the ball was played.
So, as the intention of the tactic and the players who are carrying this out is to obstruct the goalkeeper’s line of vision, then why disappoint them? They are offside and should be penalized accordingly!
As the ball is kicked, the four offside players begin to move toward the wall. For what reason, even I am not sure. Tranquillo Barnetta fires a dastardly shot over the wall and to the upper 90 for the game-winning goal, freezing Joe Bendik in the process.
So did those offside players obstruct Bendik’s view of the play? PRO seems to believe so and says the goal should have been disallowed. That would have preserved a tie and a share of the points between two of the Eastern Conference’s top teams early on this season.
FIFA rules say players deliberately standing offside as a tactic should be declared offside and the play whistled dead. The proper thing to do would have been for the kicking player to wait for the players to get back onside before striking the ball again.
PRO notes Philadelphia tried this tactic earlier in the game, but got onside before the ball was kicked. Notice the difference:
They run the same play, but the player taking the free kick waits for those players to get back onside before taking his attempt at goal. That did not occur on the game-winning goal. Thus the PRO’s conclusion.
The goal is not coming back though. Orlando City is not going to be retroactively awarded a point for the draw from this. The referee’s call from the game will stand.
There is no going back. And it will be another moment Orlando City fans can point to that the refs missing a call in the team’s favor.
All the Lions can do is move forward to Sunday’s game against the New England Revolution.
