Yerson Mosquera's onside goal: Inside the FC Cincinnati-Philadelphia Union controversy
In a video analysis piece published Friday, the Professional Referee Organization (PRO) peeled back the curtain on the decision-making process and video review that led to Yerson Mosquera's eventual game-winning goal Saturday against the Philadelphia Union being upheld.
Mosquera banged home his goal at TQL Stadium to knock Philadelphia out of the MLS Cup playoffs but before the celebrations kicked off, the play was remotely checked, or reviewed, by the match's assigned video-assistant referee (VAR) after the assisting player on the goal, Ian Murphy, was thought to potentially be in an offside position prior to passing to Mosquera.
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Immediately following Saturday's match, the officiating crew for Cincinnati-Philadelphia responded to a question regarding the Mosquera goal via the pool-reporter system: "(Murphy) was judged to be even with the second-to-last defender.”
PRO went a step further with its dissection of its decision-making process in the Friday analysis − a move that came at a time when some high-profile individuals, including Cincinnati head coach Pat Noonan, have called for more transparency from referees (of course, this decision went in FC Cincinnati's favor).
Greg Barkey, PRO's manager of video review and narrator for portions of the analysis piece, highlighted that the most pertinent camera angle for the VAR was not aligned with the on-field sequence in question. Barkey indicated it was possible Philadelphia Union's Julian Carranza kept Murphy onside with his right foot, and also stated that the assistant referee on the sideline was in "perfect position" to make a a real-time determination on the play.
"On first glance, it appears Ian Murphy was offside when the ball was played across by Barreal," Barkey said. "However, once you compare the right foot of the second-to-last opponent, Julian Carranza, with Murphy's, and then take into account that the camera angle is not aligned, it becomes less clear. The assistant referee, who was in perfect position, determined that Murphy was onside. The VAR, who only has access to the broadcast angles, had no angle that showed definitively that the onside decision was clearly wrong.
"The standard in MLS has always been that the on-field decision is always correct unless there's clear evidence that an error has been made. The same standard applies in this case."
The analysis video also showed footage from inside the VAR room as VAR Kevin Stott talked through his analysis of the various replay angles at his disposal. VAR communicated in real-time with the match's center referee, Ismail Elfath, who is also heard communicating back to Stott.
Had the check produced what's called a "clear and obvious error" on the on-field decision, Stott would have recommended to Elfath an on-field review using a field-side monitor.
In the end, that wasn't deemed appropriate on the play relating to Mosquera's goal. FC Cincinnati went on to win and will host Columbus Crew on Saturday in the Eastern Conference final.
There were no on-field monitor reviews for any of the four MLS Cup semifinal matches played last weekend. But controversy arose from refereeing decisions anyway and while Burkey didn't address the controversy surrounding the calls explicitly, he explained at the start of the video that it was an atypical for PRO to offer additional insight on such situations.
"Normally, in this format, we only cover incidents where the VAR has recommended a (on-field) review," Barkey said. "However, in this edition, we will take the unusual step of taking a look at three key incidents."
The other decisions reviewed in the PRO-produced video were from the Columbus-Orlando City SC semifinal for a red-card decision, as well as a denial of an obvious goal-scoring opportunity, or "DOGSO," from the Houston-Kansas City match on Sunday.
The VAR system, explained
At the 2017 Major League Soccer All-Star Game in Chicago, media members were invited to participate in an informational session regarding VAR, which was set to be introduced league-wide in 2018.
Howard Webb, formerly a world-renowned soccer referee and also formerly the manager of VAR operations for the PRO, led the tutorial.
From 2017 VAR is here: What you need to know
"We're not asking the VAR – the video assistant referee who is working in the video operations room looking at all the feeds – to ask himself or herself, 'was the decision right,' " Webb said at the informational session in Chicago. "We're going to get them to ask a different question of themselves: They're going to ask themselves, 'was the decision clearly wrong.' "
As Barkey said, that is the standard that remains today.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Referees explain decision on FC Cincinnati's goal vs. Philadelphia
