Soccer referees are always controversial, and one fan’s howler is another’s courageous display of fortitude. While never lacking for attention, it seems as though this season, the spotlight on officiating has grown. With so much riding on a handful of decisions, a single reach for the back pocket can easily decide the outcome of a game. And this season, that familiar motion has been seen more frequently than in past Major League Soccer seasons.
In league history through 2010, red cards were given out to players at the rate of 0.27 per game. That ranges from a low of 0.18 in 1996 to a high of 0.36 in 2009. Last season it dipped down to 0.23, but so far in 2011, it’s gone back up. While it may not last, the rate is currently above the high of 2009. This season, there have been 22 reds in 55 games for a total of 0.40 per game.
It’s a given that an ejection instantly changes the game. But exactly how much of an advantage is it to play with a man up? In 2011, about 10 percent of the total minutes played have come in a situation where one team was a man up. In a total of 488 minutes, those teams have scored 11 goals while conceding four. So for this season, it’s been worth a difference of 1.29 goals per 90 minutes.
Historically, that advantage has always been there. Last year, the per-90 goal difference of 2.27 was the highest ever, despite the fact that goal scoring as a whole has come down from the level of the high-flying early years. It appears that teams have become more proficient at making opponents pay for their mistakes, especially at not allowing a shorthanded team to get back into the match. In short, the impact of a red card is greater than ever.
Playing with a one man advantage, per 90 minutes
<strong>Year</strong> |
<strong>Minutes</strong> |
<strong>GF</strong> |
<strong>GA</strong> |
<strong>GD</strong> |
1996 |
802 |
3.14 |
1.12 |
2.02 |
1997 |
604 |
3.58 |
1.49 |
2.09 |
1998 |
1,739 |
3.73 |
1.50 |
2.23 |
1999 |
1,323 |
2.59 |
1.56 |
1.02 |
2000 |
898 |
2.91 |
1.70 |
1.20 |
2001 |
941 |
2.96 |
1.34 |
1.63 |
2002 |
823 |
1.97 |
0.77 |
1.20 |
2003 |
596 |
1.21 |
0.91 |
0.30 |
2004 |
527 |
1.88 |
1.20 |
0.68 |
2005 |
737 |
1.71 |
1.22 |
0.49 |
2006 |
830 |
2.93 |
1.08 |
1.84 |
2007 |
1,197 |
1.88 |
1.35 |
0.53 |
2008 |
980 |
1.84 |
0.83 |
1.01 |
2009 |
1,750 |
2.11 |
0.62 |
1.49 |
2010 |
1,151 |
2.81 |
0.55 |
2.27 |
2011 |
488 |
2.03 |
0.74 |
1.29 |
<strong>Totals</strong> |
<strong>15,386</strong> |
<strong>2.53</strong> |
<strong>1.13</strong> |
<strong>1.40</strong> |
RSL not the only team to draw the away leg first in the CCL
Real Salt Lake is a position no MLS team has been in before in the revamped CONCACAF Champions League: one game away from a title and a trip to the FIFA World Club Cup. But that doesn’t mean that their exact situation is unique, coming home for the second leg of a series after an away draw.
It’s happened four times to MLS teams previously in the tournament’s history, with three of the four ultimately winning.
In the 2003 round of 16, the LA Galaxy ended the away leg 2-2 against Motagua of Honduras. Despite missing a suspended Carlos Ruiz, they took care of business in the home leg, winning 1-0 on a second half Alexi Lalas header.
Both MLS teams in the 2008 Champions Cup advanced in a similar situation. DC United could only draw 1-1 with Arnett Gardens in Jamaica, where future Houston Dynamo midfielder Lovel Palmer equalized late. Meanwhile, Houston ground out a scoreless result in Guatemala versus Municipal. Both teams had an easier time on American soil, with DC winning 5-0 and Houston winning 3-1.
The only team of the four not to advance is the New York Red Bulls, who were in the midst of a 13-game winless streak during their nightmare 2009 season. They lost in the preliminary round to W. Connection of Trinidad & Tobago (fun fact: the W stands for Williams) by a score of 2-1 after a 2-2 away leg.
Rookie of the Year now out of reach for some?
Finally, if a rookie hasn’t debuted by now, history is against him winning the Rookie of the Year award. Former Chicago Fire defender Carlos Bocanegra didn’t see his first MLS action until his team’s fifth game of the 2000 regular season, which made his debut the latest of those who have won the award.
Eleven of the 15 winners played in the first game of the season, and so did 31 of 45 total nominees. That’s good news for Rich Balchan, Will Bruin (right), and Zarek Valentin, among others. Only five nominees debuted later than the fifth game, and none of those instances were in the past decade.
The latest debut by a rookie to end up with an award nomination didn’t occur until the season was over half complete. Andy Williams was at the 1998 World Cup with Jamaica, and didn’t play for the Columbus Crew that year until their 20th game. So the possibility remains for rookies yet to play in 2011, though slight it may be.
