I don’t see a hip check by the Chicago fire defender. ..if there is one it is way too subtle to be called. Marshall clearly throws his hip out.
There is an expression in soccer: “stand them up, don’t chop them down”. If someone gets by you on defense and you box them out with your body (or an elbow depending on the ref – check out any Italian top division game if you want to see players get well and truly assaulted coming into the box without any fouls being called) you are usually in the clear. If you stick a leg out or reach out with your arm you are committing a foul. Marshall threw his hip at Donovan which is what drew the card. The defender on Ljungberg tried to occupy space but he didn’t reach out or stick a leg out. Ljungberg dove (he fell down when there was nothing to suggest that he had been tripped and the defender had not done anything worthy of calling a foul on since he kept his hands and legs in and merely tried to occupy space) while Donovan drew a foul (It doesn’t matter if contact was made. The falling down bit is just a signal to the ref that he wants the foul that he just earned by successfully forcing Marshall to try to slow him down).
Ljungberg was brought here to play soccer, not scream at refs. He needs to be told this point blank. He can go back to Europe if he thinks the reffing is better there. I’ve reffed (not at that level) and let me tell you when a player or coach get’s in your face it does them way more harm than good. Ljungberg got caught diving and got a yellow card. Why does he need to freak out at the ref? He complains and complains about bad reffing, and then complains some more when the ref makes a good call that happens to be against him. Give me a break. He’s actualy doing damage at this point with his antics, and the Sounders are going to need every single point they can get to make the playoffs with all the league stars back from tournament play now.
Look at the difference in calls when Ljungberg isn’t in the lineup. If Freddie had been screaming at the ref from the opening whistle do you think Beckham would have been red carded? Maybe, but less likely. You may not like it but that’s human (and subhuman in the case of refs) nature and you need to live within that reality as a player and as a fan.

Here is the reason:
What isn’t in the highlights is that Freddie was in the face of the referee the whole night and Landon was not.

The thing with the call on Ljungberg is that since there was obvious contact that it was too close to call for diving. The ref should have told him to get up and left it at that. Marshall on the other had made on obvious movement with his leg to impede a scoring opportunity. I think the right calls were a yellow in the case of Donovan and a non-call in the case Ljungberg.
Add in that he was probably looking for a way to even it up a little and he only needed the barest excuse to make a call. Marshall gave him one.

The issue I’m seeing is bigger then just diving. I’m seeing a lot of red cards that should have been yellow, and a lot of yellows that should have been just fouls. I think our refs are getting too card happy. They need to remember to stay out of the game.

Also, it seems like the reffing is very hit or miss. Maybe if the refs could be more consistant, that would help.

There are also two cases where I would like to see more cards. Diving and time wasting. They seem to be pretty prevelent in MLS. FL’s first yellow would have been fine for me if the diving was more often carded.

Marshall was playing rough psyhical soccer and the entire game even with a yellow already. And the ref warned him about the high arm. It was just a matter of time before marshall fouled someone again even if it wasn’t pictiular this play.

beowuff
That might be the case with some fouls that drew a red/yellow but not in the case of Seattle-LA game.
All reds were deserved even imo marshall’s 2nd yellow was imo deserved since the ref already told marshall to knock it off.
High studs tackle by beckham is a straight red everytime to due the risk of seriously hurting the player.
eddie lewis was all over riley after the play was dead and out of bounds and ends up giving him a smack at the head.
Straight red for contact above the shoulders.

regardless of whether there was a “hip check,” the foul itself was not dangerous enough to deserve a yellow card. The only thing that would have earned Marshall a card here would be that he was preventing an obvious scoring opportunity. As I understand it, Donovan would have had to played the ball close enough to himself that he would still retain possession after passing Marshall. Instead, he clearly boots the ball away and then does everything he can to initiate contact. There’s no way he would have been able to make a play on the ball had he actually tried to do so.

gary,
Marshall was also warned by the ref about how rough his is playing and asked him to knock it off.

gstommylee,
I understand that, but my point is that the tackle which earned Marshall his second yellow was neither a rough tackle nor could it be seen as preventing an obvious goal scoring opportunity. If a player is going to get sent off, it should be for a bookable offense, and in my opinion, this was not one.

How rough a challenge is, is not the only way to judge whether a yellow card is given or not. This yellow was clearly given due to the fact that Donovan had him beat.

The first clip is typically called on the defender. Most seasoned attackers will be able to sell that call. If it is done consistently, it’s not a problem in my book. Whether it should have been a 2nd yellow…depends on frequency of fouls. As for being the last defender, that is a close call. If deemed so, the letter states that it is a yellow, regardless if he is already sitting on one.
In the Second clip, CJ Brown clearly pokes that right elbow out and makes contact, however slight, which should result in the same call against the defender. While a penalty, it would not constitute a yellow because A) it wasn’t reckless, and B) Brown isn’t the last defender to goal.

Actually, the ref is just mad because Freddie wouldn’t give him a signed jersey after the game!

here’s the thing:
players sometimes make a bad touch and then “simulate” because that’s all that’s left for them. they aren’t getting to that ball, and they may as well fall down.
other times, players make a good touch and are running full speed when they loose their balance.
salient in this discussion (to me) is the player’s reactions:
ljundy nutmegs the defender and get’s knocked over, but his eyes are on the ball (you can’t tell from this angle but i was in the brougham end, with him running straight at us). it was the ref’s whistle that stopped the play. he did not look back. he probably would have scored if the ref hadn’t stopped him.
donovan put way too much on his touch. the ball was going to the outside and he tried to cut inside on marshall. scott blew by him and he realized that he wasn’t going to get there, and he falls and is practically looking at the ref before he hits the ground.

You know…I know a lot falls back on the players, but sometimes I really feel like the refs should just let them play ball! Too many yellow cards,

Yeah..I def feel like they need to cut back on the acting. This is soccer, not drama. But, then when it is warranted the refs should make the call.