Mark Geiger got the calls wrong on both penalties he awarded to the Vancouver Whitecaps on Saturday, according to MLSsoccer.com's Brian Dunseth on "Instant Replay." This is obviously just one person's opinion -- and it will surely come as little solace to Seattle Sounders fans -- but it might at least tell you that you weren't taking crazy pills when you were watching the game this weekend.
Like virtually everyone else who saw it -- at least those not rooting for or employed by the Whitecaps -- Dunseth agrees that Joevin Jones doesn't even appear to touch Christian Bolanos on the first penalty. The most sympathetic view is that Bolanos legitimately tripped on the turf, but his appeal for a card will likely earn him a fine from the MLS Disciplinary Committee.
The second penalty was a bit more controversial, but Dunseth agreed with the idea that Blas Perez played to contact instead of going after the ball and didn't deserve the call.
Although not directly related to the Sounders' game, it should be noted that Dunseth reviewed a couple more tackles that were similar to the one Oniel Fisher was red-carded for in Week 1. In both, a player comes in late with studs showing and was ejected. Like Fisher, Roger Espinoza and Kyle Beckerman were going in for 50/50 balls, but tackles like this seem to be a point of emphasis for referees.
What goes unreviewed in this video is a handful of other controversial decisions from Geiger. And not to let a good opportunity go to waste, here are three plays we'd have liked to have been reviewed:
The first is a no-call when Joevin Jones gets taken out after putting in a dangerous pass. There was some belief that Geiger played advantage here, but considering no Sounder controls the ball it would have been very simple to still award the free kick
The next is a very late challenge on Andreas Ivanschitz. Although Fraser Aird doesn't leave his feet, it's still a dangerous tackle. It was also Aird's third foul of the first half. Ivanschitz was ultimately given a yellow for dissent after repeatedly expressing his displeasure with a lack of card.
The final one was another example of Geiger whistling for a foul, but refusing to show a card. This was Kendall Waston shoving Nelson Valdez to the ground after being rounded. Not only is it a particularly cynical foul, but it also looks as if Valdez's foot is touching the penalty area when the shove occurs.
All three of these fouls probably should have been yellow cards, and maybe even more. Will definitely be interesting to see if Geiger is in the middle next week.