Every Friday, Sportsnet.ca will chat with Sportsnet soccer commentator Paul Dolan—a former Canadian national team goalkeeper—about the big stories and issues in Major League Soccer.
You were in Chicago last week calling the Fire-Toronto FC game for Sportsnet. What did you think of the referee’s decision that negated Gilberto’s goal? Should instant replay be used on controversial calls in the penalty area?
I didn’t think it was a foul at the time and the replay confirmed that, with even Fire coach Frank Yallop suggesting it should have been a good goal. But in my opinion, this is not the type of play that could ever be reviewable. I am all for moving soccer into the 21st century and probably more than many others, and I think the use of instant replay to get decisions right would be a benefit to the game. But it would be very difficult to implement for anything other than black and white issues such as offsides, balls in and out of play or across the goal-line.
The goal called back in the TFC game was a subjective call, which couldn’t really be disproved through replay if the referee thought any of the incidental contact Gilberto made with the defender was enough to call a foul. Where I do like the use of replay in MLS is with retroactive punishments for serious fouls or embellishment which I believe is helping to reduce injuries and diving after the fact. But I don’t think instant replay could be used in these situations during a game.
Sunday programming alert: Watch Toronto FC vs. Chivas USA in MLS action live on Sportsnet 360 and Sportsnet World. Coverage begins at 3:00 pm ET/noon PT. || TV schedule
Were you surprised the Montreal Impact didn’t make a trade or major free agent signing ahead of the MLS roster free deadline this past Monday?
I wasn’t surprised because I don’t feel the Impact are willing to make any moves now that aren’t clearly going to help the team for next year. Their immediate focus is the CONCACAF Champions League as opposed to doing everything they can to make the MLS playoffs this season. They weren’t prepared to take a gamble on making a move right now that wouldn’t have any long-term benefit. Coach Frank Klopas is being given some time to look at building a competitive team for 2015 and I would imagine most of his signings and changes will take place in the MLS off-season as they look to build a stronger base for next year.
The Vancouver Whitecaps signed academy products Kianz Froese and Marco Bustos to contracts this week. What kind of futures do they have with the senior team?
I think they have very good futures based on what I have seen personally with the Whitecaps and with the Canadian national teams, and maybe more importantly what I hear about their day to day habits and efforts in training with the residency team. Kianz Froese has a good confidence and strength about him that makes him very comfortable already among older players. Marco Bustos has a very good energy that coach Carl Robinson says he really likes, a guy who will get forward from his attacking midfield position and be a real threat to score goals as well. The trick will be how they get implemented into the first team as they need to push themselves over the next year or so to get some meaningful MLS minutes.
Soccer Central podcast: SPORTSNET.CA’s Soccer Central podcast, hosted by John Molinaro and James Sharman, takes an in-depth look at the beautiful game and offers timely and thoughtful analysis on the sport’s biggest issues. To listen and subscribe to the podcast, CLICK HERE.
The Portland Timbers won the Western Conference in 2013. Currently, they sit sixth in the West and are in danger of failing to make the playoffs. What happened?
I think the Western Conference happened—meaning any slip in form sees other teams pass you by in a division full of strong sides. I still feel Portland is a very good club with an excellent mixture of good leadership and skill players in the right positions when you talk about Valeri, Urutti and Adi among others. They’re in a real dogfight with Vancouver for that last playoff spot and come into this weekend’s game against the Whitecaps off the back of a convincing 3-0 win a couple of weeks ago at BC Place. Their real weakness has been their inability to keep clean sheets at home, for whatever reason, with a combination of injuries and poor play hurting them in that area. It will be very interesting to see how Vancouver’s offensive woes stack up against that weak Timber defence on Saturday.
MLS commissioner Don Garber said this week that Chivas USA might sit out the 2015 season. Would this hurt the league if it did?
In my opinion it would help the league, immeasurably. Chivas USA is clearly the biggest black mark on MLS and Don Garber’s tenure, and anything that can be done to rid the league of a club which is essentially a laughing stock in terms of attendance and on-field performance is a good thing—even if it just a hiatus for the franchise. Hide the problem until it can be fixed, with new ownership, a new stadium and a full re-branding that takes the entire failed Chivas USA experiment as far away from its current state as possible.
For a limited time get Sportsnet Magazine’s digital edition free for 60 days. Visit Appstore/RogersMagazines to see what you’re missing out on.
