One Strike and You're Out: The 2015 MLS In-Season Thread

[Titans Bastard]

The NASL announced a 13th team: Puerto Rico FC.  A club called the Puerto Rico Islanders played in various iterations of the US second division from 2003-2012, but went on "hiatus" from the NASL and haven't returned.
 
This is a different ownership group, heading by none other than Carmelo Anthony.  I've read a rumor that they will probably start in the Fall 2016 season, not Spring, and will play in Bayamon.  However, nothing is confirmed.
 
The NASL went southeast by expanding to Jacksonville this year and a fourth Florida team (in Miami) next year.  They've found a way to go even further south and east!

 

[robssecondjob]

Despite no formal acknowledgement from the Revs, Jermaine Jones tweeted today it is "Time to get ready for his surgery".  Likely not on the pitch for the foreseeable future.
 
Based on the discomfort he was showing when he went down, I am guessing he re-injured the hernia repair.  That assessment is based solely on the fact I did the same thing.  When Jones went down my wife turned to me and said "that looks just like what you did, except for the paycheck". 

 

[steeplechase3k]

It was Sounders 2 vs LA Galaxy 2, but ...
 
Two footed shot to an opponents nuts:
http://screengrabber.deadspin.com/soccer-player-earns-straight-red-for-double-footed-nuts-1710886117
 
There was a Vine also but I can't find it now.

 

[Titans Bastard]

It was Sounders 2 vs LA Galaxy 2, but ...
 
Two footed shot to an opponents nuts:
http://screengrabber.deadspin.com/soccer-player-earns-straight-red-for-double-footed-nuts-1710886117
 
There was a Vine also but I can't find it now.

 
Sergio Mota: "But ref, I got all ball!"

 

[Titans Bastard]

https://twitter.com/SoccerInsider/status/609481803225767936
 
 
Bummer.  Hopefully the Revs get Jones v2014 back for the stretch run.  He hasn't looked the same in 2015, but I think he's been playing hurt.

 

[Titans Bastard]

Important win for the Revs this weekend over Chicago, 2-0, to get back on track.
 
Sweet goal from Fagundez:
 

 

[Arroyo Con Frijoles]

Definitely going to need some performances like that with Jones out, though I tend to agree that getting him the surgery now is smart because he really didn't look like himself all season.  That's a couple good games lately for Fagundez (and what a goal), it'd be great for him to pick it up again as we get into fixture congestion time.  

 

[Titans Bastard]

NYCFC signs a pair of Spanish defenders.  Andoni Iraola comes from Athletic Bilbao, a 32 year old right back with a few caps for Spain some years ago.  Angelino is a very young left back on loan from Manchester City, where he'd been with the U21 team.
 
NYCFC's defense is pretty woeful and needs all the help it can get.  Pretty much their only competent fullback has been Chris Wingert, who has played much of the season at CB because of injuries/suckage with other CBs.
 
 
In other expansion-ish news, Atlanta continues to look like it will be strong out of the gate attendance-wise:
 
https://twitter.com/andrewhirsh/status/609133441716781057

 

[Titans Bastard]

https://twitter.com/NERevolution/status/610914716634906625
 
 
Not exactly a loss.  Now go out and sign a god damn center back.  If one of Goncalves or Farrell goes down, the Revs are in really bad shape and if there are two injuries to ANY of the team's defenders the back line will be totally decimated.  They are playing with fire here...

 

[Billy R Ford]

Just bought my ticket for the Open Cup tomorrow. If any of you see a guy walking around in an old Pat Noonan #11 jersey (since I assume I'll be the only one) feel free to say hello.

 

[SoxFanInCali]

The Sounders finished their cup match against Portland with SEVEN men.
 
Needless to say, the Timbers won.

 

[steeplechase3k]

I think that is the first Timbers win at Starfire in a match that matters. Ever.  They've only been playing there since 2006 or so, but that's how bad the Timbers were there.  

 

[Titans Bastard]

All eight MLS teams advanced over minor league opposition last night.  Most teams fielded lineups that are stronger than what we usually see in the early rounds of the USOC, although that's at least in part because most teams had the weekend off due to an international break-fueled light league schedule.
 
It looks like the sideline section is entirely sold out for the Revs game, so it should be a fun game in Allston.

 

[Titans Bastard]

The Sounders finished their cup match against Portland with SEVEN men.
 
Needless to say, the Timbers won.

 
It looks like Dempsey got sent off for tearing up the referee's notebook.  I don't think I've ever seen that before....

 

[dirtynine]

Straight chalk last night. That's no fun. Here's hoping the Revs win tonight, and no other MLS teams do.  NYCFC v. Cosmos is shaping up to be a pretty awesome match, atmosphere wise.  

 

[swiftaw]

It looks like Dempsey got sent off for tearing up the referee's notebook.  I don't think I've ever seen that before....

He might be in major trouble for that since the U.S. Soccer Federation policy states that "damaging the referee's uniform or personal property" is considered referee assault, which draws a minimum three-month ban.

 

[steeplechase3k]

 
It looks like Dempsey got sent off for tearing up the referee's notebook.  I don't think I've ever seen that before....

yep:
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L2h_vPQ-bdM&feature=youtu.be&t=443
 
Jump to 7:23 to see the ripped up card

 

[Titans Bastard]

He might be in major trouble for that since the U.S. Soccer Federation policy states that "damaging the referee's uniform or personal property" is considered referee assault, which draws a minimum three-month ban.

 
A three-month ban that would include the Gold Cup....
 
....I'm expecting a smaller ban and a big fine.

 

[MentalDisabldLst]

 
It looks like Dempsey got sent off for tearing up the referee's notebook.  I don't think I've ever seen that before....

 
Highlight.
 
Crazy shit, but yellows for arguing can be unnecessary sometimes.

 

[DJnVa]

 
A three-month ban that would include the Gold Cup....
 

 
Noooooo--I'm buying tickets Friday.
 

 

[dirtynine]

You know what? Suspend Dempsey for the Gold Cup, if that's the way the rules are written. That's just beyond unacceptable behavior.  

 

[teddykgb]

Dempsey acted like a fool and probably should be suspended but did the ref really give a direct red for that nothing foul that set all that off? He should probably be investigated for match fixing if so.

 

[Titans Bastard]

Context/precedent(-ish):
 
In 2008, Cuauhtemoc Blanco headbutted a DC United official during a USOC game.  The USSF banned him from the USOC for two years.  MLS fined him $7.5k.

 

[DJnVa]

I don't know--this guy got 4 games for bumping ref: http://soccerblog.dallasnews.com/2014/06/fc-dallas-castillo-suspended-four-games.html/

 

[steeplechase3k]

Dempsey acted like a fool and probably should be suspended but did the ref really give a direct red for that nothing foul that set all that off? He should probably be investigated for match fixing if so.

 
It looked to me like Azira came down on the back of Fernandez's Achilles, even if accidental that's a foul and likely yellow.  

 

[SocrManiac]

The preceding play could have involved a blowtorch and a pair of pliers. It really doesn't matter how awful the referee is, that behavior is beyond tolerance.

Dempsey (the name on the USNT shirt I own) has long been a prima donna. This behavior needs be be arrested immediately.

 

[dirtynine]

USL > Revs (at least tonight). Charlotte crushes the New England's USOC dream, 0-1. Couldn't make the match but caught the last 20 minutes on the stream. The Revs controlled play, looked dangerous-ish going forward, not a lot of finishing to be found. Silver lining: looked like a great fan experience at Harvard.

 

[SoxFanInPdx]

Dempsey (the name on the USNT shirt I own) has long been a prima donna. This behavior needs be be arrested immediately.

 
 
He pulls idiotic stuff almost every weekend playing for the Sounders. This has been a long time coming. Sucks it hurts the USMNT, but they need to give him the max on this. Would be shocked if they did since they need him for the Gold Cup. He'll get the special treatment.

 

[Billy R Ford]

USL > Revs (at least tonight). Charlotte crushes the New England's USOC dream, 0-1. Couldn't make the match but caught the last 20 minutes on the stream. The Revs controlled play, looked dangerous-ish going forward, not a lot of finishing to be found. Silver lining: looked like a great fan experience at Harvard.

 
They looked MUCH better when Agudelo and especially Caldwell came on. It's too bad because I think they were hoping to rest Caldwell (since he's plays every minute otherwise) but it can't be helped.
 
I enjoy the cup matches they have at colleges (Brown last year, Harvard this year), hope they continue that in the future.

 

[Titans Bastard]

The Revs never do well when they start all backups in cup competitions.
 
The Fort sounded great.  Loud and amazingly crystal clear.  Charlotte had 10-15 supporters on the opposite end and a few banners.  They were enjoying themselves after the game.
 
Nice to see another academy kid debut (Herivaux), though he didn't have time to do anything.
 
 
Only other MLS team to go down is NYCFC, who blew a 2-0 lead and lost on PKs to the New York Cosmos.  That must have been a fun one.  Another crazy-seeming game was Charleston-Orlando.  Orlando equalized twice in the first 90 and then Charleston equalized twice in extra time.  After ET finished 4-4, Orlando won 8-7 on PKs.

 

[Titans Bastard]

5th round draw for the USOC was made today.  The 16 remaining clubs were divided into four regions to limit travel.
 
New York Red Bulls vs. New York Cosmos
Philadelphia Union vs. D.C. United
Chicago Fire vs. Charlotte Independence
Orlando City vs. Columbus Crew
Sporting Kansas City vs. FC Dallas
Houston Dynamo vs. Colorado Rapids
Real Salt Lake vs. Portland Timbers
San Jose Earthquakes vs. Los Angeles Galaxy

 

[Snakebauer007]

The Revs never do well when they start all backups in cup competitions.
 
The Fort sounded great.  Loud and amazingly crystal clear.  Charlotte had 10-15 supporters on the opposite end and a few banners.  They were enjoying themselves after the game.
 
Nice to see another academy kid debut (Herivaux), though he didn't have time to do anything.
 
 
Only other MLS team to go down is NYCFC, who blew a 2-0 lead and lost on PKs to the New York Cosmos.  That must have been a fun one.  Another crazy-seeming game was Charleston-Orlando.  Orlando equalized twice in the first 90 and then Charleston equalized twice in extra time.  After ET finished 4-4, Orlando won 8-7 on PKs.

The Orlando City game was fantastic,I am thankful cup games are available to stream for free(I was working and watching). OC dodged a bullet playing only 2 regular starters for this one.

 

[steeplechase3k]

5th round draw for the USOC was made today.  The 16 remaining clubs were divided into four regions to limit travel.
 
New York Red Bulls vs. New York Cosmos
Philadelphia Union vs. D.C. United
Chicago Fire vs. Charlotte Independence
Orlando City vs. Columbus Crew
Sporting Kansas City vs. FC Dallas
Houston Dynamo vs. Colorado Rapids
Real Salt Lake vs. Portland Timbers
San Jose Earthquakes vs. Los Angeles Galaxy

 
I understand why they do it, but I'm getting sick of the Regional draws.  The Timbers play RSL and Seattle enough in regular MLS play, we don't need more games against them.

 

[Section30]

If you look up the referee for the Sounders/Timbers game where Dempsey got tossed you see that in 11 NASL/MLS matches he gave out 65 yellow cards and 13 red cards. The team captain is allowed to speak with the referee, that's why he wears the armband. I'm not defending Dempsey's meltdown but I can understand his frustration.

 

[Schnerres]

Usually, the ban would affect the same kind of matches where the incident happened, right (say, player gets red in CL match, he gets ban in for CL but can play in Bundesliga)?
So not that it would interest me (and such a douchebagerial behaviour would be good cause for a ban from national dress, too), but why would Dempsey be banned from US matches?

 

[SoxFanInCali]

Well, Suarez bit a guy while playing for Uruguay, and it got him banned worldwide for both club and country for several months.
 
It can vary within leagues, too.  While a red card in a Premier League game may not ban someone for Champions League, it generally will make them ineligible for a domestic cup game.

 

[Titans Bastard]

ESPNFC did an anonymous player survey on various topics.
 
One thing that annoyed me about this -- and about discussions of this topic in general -- is that the "European calendar" and the "FIFA calendar" are not the same thing.  Aligning the schedule to FIFA international dates and aligning to the fall-spring season common in non-Scandinavian Europe are entirely separate issues.

 

[saintnick912]

Chiming in late on the Revs USOC match:
 
I was in the back of the midfield section, with a bunch of young guys around me who were HS friends of Herivaux, so they were excited when he got on the pitch.
 
Aguedelo (sp?) was so much better than everyone else out there when he came on, it was kind of ridiculous to watch.  Couldn't put one in the net, but skill and strength wise just another level.
 
Was going to say "head and shoulders above" but I believe that's also literally true.  Walking out after the match the Revs were coming off the field and we passed between two groups of them, very close to Kevin Alston.  They are not a tall group in general.

 

[Titans Bastard]

Chiming in late on the Revs USOC match:
 
I was in the back of the midfield section, with a bunch of young guys around me who were HS friends of Herivaux, so they were excited when he got on the pitch.
 
Aguedelo (sp?) was so much better than everyone else out there when he came on, it was kind of ridiculous to watch.  Couldn't put one in the net, but skill and strength wise just another level.
 
Was going to say "head and shoulders above" but I believe that's also literally true.  Walking out after the match the Revs were coming off the field and we passed between two groups of them, very close to Kevin Alston.  They are not a tall group in general.

 
Yeah, the team on the field was really small.  Charlotte wasn't very good, but they always seemed dangerous on set pieces.  Their big lump of a Polish center forward Tomasz Zahorski didn't seem to have much except for size, and their left back(?) Patrick Slogic was also enormous.  But the Revs managed to avoid conceding off a corner kick; Charlotte's only other chance was that long-range bomb from Herrera.
 
Charlotte did a good job of keeping the defense compact.  The Revs didn't have enough quality on the field to break down the defense and Charlotte was happy to concede plenty of corners that the Revs mostly played short due to the massive aerial disadvantage.  (Really only Woodberry and Okoli had decent height among the starters, and I'm not sure either of them are all that much of a threat in the air anyway).
 
We really could have used Agudelo at halftime.  Okoli was pretty poor.  He perked up briefly in the second half, but then blew the best chance of the night, and was subbed immediately after.
 
I wish Heaps hadn't rested the entire first XI.  Playing a pure second XI in cup games always seems to blow up in the Revs' face.  There's the drop in quality and the disjointed effects that come from not playing with each other frequently.  Most other MLS teams started 4-6 regulars and I think that makes a big difference.

 

[steeplechase3k]

https://twitter.com/mattpentz/status/611957601115373569
 
 
 

Got word from the league: Dempsey announcement expected around noon PST

 

[SoxFanInCali]

3 games and a fine.

 

[SoxFanInPdx]

What a joke, not harsh enough. It's the same punishment for a straight red. MLS didn't do anything to different here. The rulebook says its a 3-month suspension. Anyone else they get more than that and miss Gold Cup games. Anything to help the golden boy. Not shocking though sadly with this league.

 

[Cellar-Door]

What a joke, not harsh enough. It's the same punishment for a straight red. MLS didn't do anything to different here. The rulebook says its a 3-month suspension. Anyone else they get more than that and miss Gold Cup games. Anything to help the golden boy. Not shocking though sadly with this league.

http://americansoccernow.com/articles/will-clint-dempsey-be-suspended-for-3-months
Actually it's a minimum of 6 games since he's an MLS player, it seems based on the rules that the 3 month punishment doesn't apply to professionals.
Of course he's Clint Dempsey so he got 3 and will miss no national team games, not even a friendly.

 

[SoxFanInPdx]

I stand corrected then. Still, another case of the rules not applying to everyone. At least he gets more time to possibly make some new rap tracks during his ban.

 

[Titans Bastard]

This seems to be what they made their decision on:
 
https://twitter.com/SoccerByIves/status/611989046974377984

 

[SoxFanInPdx]

How'd I guess that Garber was the one who stepped in and keep the Disciplinary Committee out of it.

https://twitter.com/brianstraus/status/611976842900324352

https://twitter.com/brianstraus/status/611976842900324352

link to tweet

 

[Cellar-Door]

This seems to be what they made their decision on:
 
https://twitter.com/SoccerByIves/status/611989046974377984

Which is hilarious since the definition for the 6 games goes out of it's way to mention damaging the referee's equipment (cards/notebook). So they said... hey I know the rule specifically says that this is referee assault, but when we wrote damaging the referee's equipment we really didn't mean damaging the referee's equipment.

 

[Titans Bastard]

Which is hilarious since the definition for the 6 games goes out of it's way to mention damaging the referee's equipment (cards/notebook). So they said... hey I know the rule specifically says that this is referee assault, but when we wrote damaging the referee's equipment we really didn't mean damaging the referee's equipment.

 
Yep.  Clearly a business decision.
 
 

How'd I guess that Garber was the one who stepped in and keep the Disciplinary Committee out of it.
 

https://twitter.com/brianstraus/status/611976842900324352
link to tweet
 

 

It's not clear to me whether this is unusual or whether the DisCo has authority over events in USOC games or not.  But either way, the ruling was not pursuant to the rulebook.

 

[dirtynine]

The weak sentence aside, I don't understand why this was purely Garber's call to make. If it was Sounders vs. a NASL club, would another commissioner have weighed in? How does Garber's ruling prevent USSF from also disciplining him as far as USMNT matches go?

I'd rather have one mostly transparent, somewhat incompetent organization (think the FA) making these calls for the American game than a cabal of 2-3 murky, opaque ones as is the case now.

 

[steeplechase3k]

My understanding is that USSoccer still is going to issue some punishment for the USOpenCup. They could ban him from a few games or even the entire tournament next year.