This past January sources reported that MLS commissioner Don Garber was open to instant replay. He said the league would try to adapt it experimentally in 2016. We’ve learned that MLS and PRO will make their first foray into video replay starting this weekend in Portland at the Simple Invitational tournament.
“I’m a big believer in instant replay,” Garber told reporters in January. “We’re leading the charge, we’ve put up our hand, and have said to those folks who are looking at it internationally, we’ll be happy to test it here, even in MLS games. It’s not going to happen in 2016, but we are pretty focused on ensuring we will have a test in the USL.”
Several sources told Northern Pitch this week that the league will be trying some initial experimentation with instant replay this weekend in Portland.
Steve Olson is COO at the National Sports Center and a former MLS sssistant referee. He is also a trained FIFA FUTRUA instructor and will soon be called into action as a MLS referee assessor because Minnesota is likely to move to MLS in 2017.
Olson says the concept of instant replay was a big discussion at a recent PRO referee camp. “How is this going to work, what it could be used for, how it gets triggered, and what additional staff might be needed” were all topics Olson listed. He points out that this is still very much in its infancy for soccer and there are still a lot of things to be sorted out.
One of the guests at the camp was current NBA referee Ed Rush. Rush explained that the NBA has a system where referees can go back to the previous dead ball and restart. Olson points to the last MLS Cup Final where the ball left the field of play but was missed and then a goal was scored on that same sequence. He explains that with the NBA setup it would rewind to the dead ball prior to the goal and the play would then resume with a goal kick. The clock would then be set back and restarted.
Olson said the camp principally focused on boundary decisions regarding instant replay but not a lot of conversation regarding rules to constitute a review. He said offside was another discussion where replay technology could potentially be used. According to Olson, for an offside decision, a camera would need to be on a rail, tracking the 2nd to last defender or a high tech software system would need to be in place to “keystone correct the field.” “Even then you would still be left looking for answers in certain scenarios,” reported Olson.
Whether a replay system would be cost effective is another question the league will need to grapple with. Garber has previously said that goal line technology is very expensive and is rarely needed. Yet the higher the profile his league the more he may be interested in adding those features. Olson referenced the experiment in Europe where 5th assistant referees were placed on end lines. “They were supposed to be the new goal judges and cover the sides of the goal area where the referee couldn’t see very well,” said Olson. “Yet only three times in over 1,500 decision were those officials really needed to make the correct call.” He said the referee got the call right in all other cases.
Olson said that most officials he’s talked to would have no problem with a camera over the goal that could tell them within seconds if a ball fully crossed the line or not.” If there was a camera over the goal that proved one way or another that we got it right or wrong we’d be OK with that,” he said. “If they say it was a goal or it wasn’t, just tell us and we will move on – and you can do that in seconds.”
Another issue yet to be resolved is currently the league and PRO have no agreement on the mechanism to get the replay information to the referee.
Olson anticipates hearing more information out of PRO headquarters on Monday with specifics of what was tried in Sunday’s matches.
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