New Rule Is Given a Yellow Card by Coaches

Major League Soccer referees are applying FIFA’s new rule against tackles from behind so vigorously that they’re throwing out players like so much rice at a wedding.

And the unhappy marriage between unskilled players and overzealous officials has MLS coaches seeing red.

Last weekend, three players were tossed out of the New York/New Jersey MetroStars’ game against the San Jose Clash at Giants Stadium and two others were red-carded in the Galaxy’s game against the Tampa Bay Mutiny at the Rose Bowl.

The ejection of Galaxy defensive midfielder Danny Pena means he will miss tonight’s game against the Kansas City Wizards at Arrowhead Stadium. It also left Coach Octavio Zambrano perplexed.

“The game has changed so much in two weeks, I’m baffled,” Zambrano said. “I’m trying to understand what FIFA is trying to do. We’re all for helping good players, but the game has a physical element to it. I hope we can find some middle ground.”

Zambrano is not alone in wondering what is going on.

Guy Newman, assistant coach of the Wizards, said Tuesday that while his team has been lucky to escape red cards to date, he is not clear what the rule means.

“From what I’ve seen with other teams,” he said, “it’s very hard to tell what’s a foul and what’s not these days.

“We played Dallas the other day, and I thought there were a few tackles from behind there that were a lot worse than what I saw in the game between San Jose and New York, where players were going off left and right.

“But we had that Bolivian referee [Juan Paniaqua, one of two guest referees in MLS this season]. He gave only yellow cards. I think it all depends on how referees interpret things.”

Newman said MLS players have been shown a video depicting what officials will consider a red-card offense, but not all of the actions have anything to do with tackles from behind or brutal intent.

“A lot of them were just mistimed tackles,” he said. “I think it’s pretty harsh [to be sent off simply for being clumsy].

Newman also foresees attacking players taking advantage of the referees’ eagerness to show the red card.

“I think you’re going to find offensive players, as soon as they see somebody coming in to tackle, turn their back and all of a sudden it becomes a tackle from behind,” he said.

FIFA’s intent with the new rule is to protect skilled players, especially forwards, from crude and potentially career-threatening lunges by defensive players. The idea is to place more emphasis on attacking play and to increase scoring.

But defenders see it another way. Dan Calichman, the Galaxy’s captain, is critical of calls such as the one against Pena.

“It’s ridiculous, aggressive play is a part of the game,” Calichman said. “Danny’s [illegal tackle] was just a clip. We were under the impression it had to be a sliding tackle with studs up [for a red card to be given].”

The Galaxy defense probably will have its interpretation of the rule tested tonight. For one thing, rain has made the field slippery. For another, the Wizards have speed aplenty in such players as Preki, Mark Chung and Vitalis “Digital” Takawira.

Stopping that trio will be as difficult as trying to stop Cobi Jones, the Galaxy forward who leads the league in scoring. Jones has no complaint about the tackle-from-behind rule.

“I think it’s a great rule,” he said. “In the past, you always had concerns if you were coming back and trapping the ball if a defender was going to nail you from behind.

“It’s not really a situation where they really have a chance of winning the ball. It’s more a case of, ‘Well, if I can’t get it, I’ll take the forward out.’ It’s an intimidation factor, making them scared for the rest of the game.

“I think that takes away from the game. The offensive players, the more creative players, were always worried about being hammered from behind and maybe breaking a leg or something.”

These days, it is the MLS referees who are being hammered, at least verbally, and it will take some time before the new rule is consistently applied.

Meanwhile, like it or not, they’ll keep those cards coming.