On the heels of Toronto FC's first loss of the 2015 campaign -- a 2-0 defeat on Saturday to Columbus Crew SC -- head coach Greg Vanney focused on identifying some lessons to learn from the match. But he was also concerned with a decisive call made by head referee David Gantar that Vanney felt transformed the game.
Gantar whistled defender Justin Morrow for a foul in the 45th minute for a tackle on Crew SC midfielder Ethan Finlay on a breakaway right outside the TFC box. And after arguments from both sides and conferring with his assistant, Gantar showed Morrow red, leaving the Reds to contest the first of three Trillium Cup installments this year with 10 men.
Vanney disagreed with the decision in his postgame comments.
“My thought is that it’s not a red card,” Vanney told media. “I talked to trusted people who have watched the replay, and from my vantage point and from what I saw in the match, it wasn’t a red card. Nothing I’ve heard otherwise has changed my mind.”
It quickly turned what was a back-and-forth affair, with both sides seeing plenty of chances in early action at Crew SC’s MAPFRE Stadium, into a one-sided contest. Justin Meram and Kei Kamara goals early in the second half all but decided the outcome.
Gantar defended his call after the match.
“Justin Morrow was sent off the field of play for denying an obvious goal scoring opportunity to an opponent moving towards the player’s goal by an offense punishable by a free kick,” Gantar said. “That was the reason why.”
When asked if it was the correct call, he responded: “The decision met the criteria for denying an obvious goal scoring opportunity.”
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TFC captain Michael Bradley said he did his best to lobby against the Gantar call.
“The thing I said to the ref was, ‘Don’t guess,’” Bradley told the media in his postgame comments. “It was difficult to see. On the replay you see me say, ‘Don’t guess.’”
Vanney said he’d likely start an appeal process for the red card.
“That’s a decision we’ll probably make over the next 24 hours, but if it’s anything like what I remember of the play, it will be in strong consideration, yes,” he said.
Vanney said the red-card decision changed his halftime discussion completely, shifting the focus from finding an opening goal to holding on defensively. To accommodate for the absence of Morrow on the left side of defense, Vanney introduced Canadian left fullback Ashtone Morgan into the game in place of midfielder Jonathan Osorio.
Vanney also made a second change at halftime, bringing Nick Hagglund in for Steven Caldwell. Vanney said Caldwell felt some tightness in his calf and Achilles, turning back into the dressing rooms despite attempting to continue on in the second half.
While the red card will ultimately be the main talking point for the Crew SC encounter, Vanney is focusing his attention on the upcoming off weekend in an effort to keep developing this new-look TFC side.
“The guys are disappointed,” Vanney said. “They’re not happy because they’re fighters. They have that character, and they hate losing.
“A game like today doesn’t define a team,” Vanney continued. “We’ll look and recognize things that we need to continue to build on with our group. We’re two games into the season, so there are areas where we definitely need to get better.”
