U.S. referee shines the brightest in game
The man who produced the most noteworthy performance at the Home Depot Center on Tuesday night was not Alfredo Moreno, who scored as Necaxa defeated Tigres UANL, 1-0, in the first half of an InterLiga soccer doubleheader.
Nor was it Joel Morales, who scored the winner in the 80th minute as Monterrey beat Cruz Azul, 1-0, in the second game.
In fact, the most influential figure was not a player at all, or even a coach.
It was a referee -- Toledo Baldomero, of the United States no less.
For as long as anyone can remember, Mexican teams have complained about the quality of officiating when they travel north of the border. They believe American-trained referees appointed by U.S. Soccer are inferior, do not know the nuances of the sport and all too frequently make bad calls.
The eight-team InterLiga tournament, which kicked off with four doubleheaders in Houston and Dallas last week, has been no exception.
In Texas, former Chivas USA player Juan Pablo Garcia lashed out at U.S. referees and said it was one reason why he had decided to return to Mexico, to join Tigres at the end of the Major League Soccer season.
Garcia’s comments were echoed by Morelia Coach Antonio Figueroa, who was angry after his team was left with only nine players on the field at the end of a 2-0 loss to Club America.
“Why do we even bother to play if they’re going to give the points to America and the other big teams?” he said. “We had a lot of offensive breakdowns, but the ejections, the yellow cards, that’s just not fair.”
But on Tuesday night, in front of 10,212 in Carson, Baldomero showed conclusively that not all American referees are bad. Some, in fact, are as good or better than their Mexican counterparts.
Baldomero called 23 fouls, about evenly split between Tigres and Necaxa, and did not once resort to yanking a yellow card or red card from his pocket.
Baldomero’s best call was a non-call. It came in the 69th minute when Necaxa’s Osvaldo Lucas was bundled over at the edge of the penalty area. The ball bounced loose and Moreno slammed it into the Tigres net from 19 yards.
Baldomero could have nullified the goal and awarded Necaxa a penalty kick, or at the very least a free kick, but his crucial split-second delay allowed a deserved goal from the run of play. Tigres players did not complain.
Tuesday’s results meant that Necaxa (3-0) and Tigres (1-1-1) advanced to Saturday’s finals. Tonight, Morelia (0-2) plays UAG Tecos (0-0-2) at 6 p.m. and Club America (1-0-1) plays Jaguares de Chiapas (1-0-1) at 8:15, with two other places at stake.
