TUKWILA, Wash. – Seattle Sounders head coach Sigi Schmid weighed in on a perceived rash of red cards in Major League Soccer on Monday, and said referees are still working out the kinks of cracking down on the league’s offenders.
MLS referees have handed out 16 red cards through the first 42 games of the season, good enough for 0.38 red cards per game. While that number is comparable to the 2015 season (0.33 red cards per game through 42 games), it's the highest total since 2011, when refs handed out 19 red cards through the first 44 games.
The Sounders have been no stranger to seeing red, as second-year defender Oniel Fisher was sent off midway through the opening game of the season against Sporting Kansas City for a reckless tackle (video above). The Sounders played the entire second half down a man and ultimately lost the game, 1-0.
Schmid didn’t argue that call last month, but he did say Monday he’s noticed an uptick in the amount of red cards this season, punctuated by four more given out in games across the league over the weekend.
“It’s a point of emphasis of obviously trying to allow the skillful players to be skillful and to take way the edgy tackles,” Schmid said. “But when you get into a new area like that, then that final judgment and decision-making, everyone, the players, the referees are trying to come to grips with it.”
ESPN senior researcher Paul Carr put the league’s increase in red cards in perspective on Saturday night after Vancouver Whitecaps FC midfielder Matias Laba was sent off for a tackle on LA Galaxy midfielder Mike Magee, figuring the total red cards this season could soar well over 100.
Schmid conceded that the league’s initiative to better serve its talented players from harsh tackles is headed in the right direction, and the Sounders have some painful experience with what happens when players aren’t protected. Rash tackles caused serious injuries to four of the league’s best playmakers early in the 2011 season – David Ferreira, Javier Morales, Branko Boskovic and the Sounders’ Steve Zakuani - and the league has tried to crack down with clearer guidelines to red cards and the implementation of the MLS Disciplinary Committee, who can retroactively punish players for harsh tackles.
But, Schmid asserted, there’s still some work to do to make sure players and coaches are clear on what to expect week in and week out.
“Are they finding the right balance right now? Probably not,” Schmid said of the league’s officials. “It takes a while to find that balance. But eventually things change, and things become different. It’s a much tougher game to referee now because the game’s much faster now. In the old days the game was much slower, and also more physical. Tackles like that were sometimes considered good things.”
Morris Gets a Breather
Jordan Morris failed to make the starting lineup for the first time in 2016 in the team’s 1-0 win over the Montreal Impact on Saturday, but it wasn’t because of the young forward’s lack of productivity. The 21-year old Mercer Island native was given a break after an emotional week with the U.S. Under-23 team, who narrowly failed to qualify for the Olympics via a two-game series against Colombia last Tuesday.
Morris ultimately came on in the 57th minute for Aaron Kovar, but he’s still looking for his first goal or assist of his rookie season.
“I wanted Jordan to find his game, to enjoy his game,” Schmid said. “There’s been a lot of expectations heaped upon him, not the least of which comes from [the media], and sometimes it’s good to take a step back. Sometimes if the front door is locked, you take a step back and you look at the back door, and you make your way in that way.”
No Worries About S2
Schmid said he’s not overly concerned about the performance thus far this season from S2, which dropped the third straight game to open the season on Sunday night to USL expansion side San Antonio FC. All three of the S2’s losses this season have come to clubs not directly affiliated with MLS clubs – Sacramento, Arizona and San Antonio – and Schmid said those teams typically have more experienced players and larger budgets compared to their MLS counterparts.
“We’ve made a commitment to playing young players,” Schmid said. “So you’re looking at an Academy kid misjudging a ball or an Academy kid losing a guy on a header. Those things happen.”
S2 will return to action on April 12 against the Rio Grande Valley FC Toros.
