Robinson rails against ‘awful’ call
Like every manager in MLS, Carl Robinson has been in this position before and, like every manager in MLS, Robinson usually accepts his fate philosophically.
Accepts it while biting a hole through his lower lip, but accepts it nonetheless.
But following the Whitecaps’ 1-0 defeat to D.C. United, Robinson wasn’t in the mood to accept his team’s fate stoically. Maybe it was the sheer wrongness of referee Storin Stoica’s penalty call, which led to the game’s only goal. Maybe it was the three crossbars and post the Caps managed to hit behind D.C. goalie Bill Hamid. Or maybe he’d just seen this movie one too many times in MLS.
Whatever the reason, Robinson laid bare his feelings on Stoica’s call and its commentary on MLS. This undoubtedly will draw the attention of the league’s disciplinary committee, but say this for Robinson: Dude got his money’s worth.
“Without getting fined, could ...” came the first question and the Caps manager cut his inquisitor off right there. “Awful,” he said. Then he got specific. “I’ve seen their penalty and it’s an awful call and it had a major impact on the game,” Robinson continued. “Usually I don’t criticize the officials because they have a hard enough job. But this official (Stoica) seems to cost us a lot.
“It’s unfortunate. We should score with one of our chances. But I think D.C. came with a game plan to get a point. They were gifted three by a wrong call. I could say it’s OK, but it’s not OK. We’re talking about professional sports now. It’s not OK.”
Robinson was reacting to the latest farcical call, which tipped the balance of an MLS game, but even by the league’s surreal standards, this one was a doozy. On the play in question, United’s Jose Ortiz was clear of Whitecaps defender Kendall Waston when he dove theatrically to the turf, fooling no one but the one man who had control of the game.
Stoica pointed to the spot. Lamar Neagle converted. As an added bonus, Ortiz was fined this week by MLS for simulation.
“(Wrong calls happen) too many times (in MLS). I try to explain them to you and that’s not my job.”
Robinson then drew the example for Saturday’s FA Cup final between Arsenal and Chelsea in which Chelsea’s Victor Moses was sent off after he earned his second yellow card for simulation.
“That was a top, top official making a correct decision,” said Robinson. “It’s professional football. We’re professional football here as well.” At least it is in most respects. In the interests of full disclosure, D.C. head coach Ben Olsen was equally steamed over a penalty awarded to the Caps in the game’s dying minutes. On that play, Hamid rammed into the Caps’ Brek Shea as the latter was launching a header off the crossbar.
After a lengthy deliberation between Stoica and linesman Jason White, a penalty was awarded, which, naturally, Cristian Techera rattled off the inside of the goalpost.
“Of course I have a problem with the way the decision went down,” Olsen said. “But there’s nothing I can do about it now. I don’t know. I’m not an expert in referees.
“The linesman seemed to talk the referee into a P.K. I think everyone saw what happened and the linesman talked him into it. Again, our P.K. was a little dubious. Maybe it all evens out.”
And maybe it’s that simple. Except this happens far too often in MLS to be dismissed as one of the whims of the soccer gods. The penalty is the harshest judgment in the game. There has to be a certainty when the call is made. But in MLS, there is no certainty. There is only randomness and it impacts the credibility of the game.
The talking points of Saturday’s match should have been D.C. United ending a threegame losing streak or Hamid’s performance or the Caps failure to maintain the momentum from a series of strong outings. Instead the talking point is the officiating. Robinson was asked if a tie game would have been a just outcome given all the events of Saturday. He didn’t even take that crumb when it was offered.
“It wouldn’t have been right, no,” he said. “We deserved three points. We have to accept that. We missed our opportunities and D.C. took the one gift they had.
“We’ll have to make it up somewhere down the line, which we will because we’re a good team.”
Which just happens to play in a funny league.