FRISCO, Texas ā Like every coach in MLS, FC Dallas boss Schellas Hyndman never has a shortage of opinions when it comes to officiating.
When asked Thursday if reigning MLS MVP David Ferreira could endure another season like he had in 2010 when he led the league in fouls suffered and played all but one minute the entire year, the FCD boss offered an interesting retort about his clubās offensive dynamo.
āIāll tell you what itās going to come down to: the officiating,ā Hyndman said. ā[Ferreira] may still trying to be recover from some of those hits he took last year. But I think itās going to come down to the officiating. Iād like to see them protect the player on the ball. Whoever has the ball, letās protect them because everybody wants the ball, and theyāre going to kick.ā
Ferreira was fouled 84 times in 2010, more than runner-up Javier Morales of Real Salt Lake (76) or Seattleās Fredy Montero (60).
So what got the Dallas managerās head spinning about this whole notion? He saw his star player featured in a video example during a recent gathering with league officials.
āThey showed a clip in the refereeās clinic when they called it gang fouling,ā Hyndman said. āIt was David. He got fouled six times, but it wasnāt by the same players. So, the referees have to recognize it's gang tackling, and it might be your first but itās a yellow card because you as a group are doing this.ā
But donāt take his statements to mean that he wants special treatment only for āEl Torito.ā The FCD manager wants to see equal protection for every player on the ball.
āLetās protect the player on the ball whether itās Landon Donovan, David Beckham, Thierry Henry ā whoever the player is,ā Hyndman said. āItās not just the marquee players, any player. It could be [Marvin] ChĆ”vez. It could be Jair [BenĆtez]. Whoeverās on the ball, letās protect them so they have a career.ā