You know, I had the impression that we were getting a lot of cards lately. But I had no idea it was 27 yellows and 5 reds in the last 10 games.
As Playoffs Loom, United’s Concerns Are in the Cards… another great article by the Washington Post’s Steven Goff.
United has been a victim of some really poor officiating, and just as equally some really poor decision making by its players.
Teams like the Chicago Fire are AWESOME at toeing the line between really physical play and cynical fouling. The problem is if a ref lets it go (they usually do) then DC gets frustrated. So they retaliate. And frankly, they don’t know how to do it without getting caught. So they retaliate and of course, get caught.
And its not like the cards are worth it where they brutalize the opponent and give him a welt the size of a baseball on their thigh. Nope, its usually just a push or shove. See Erpen’s red card this last saturday… He stomped on Wolyneic’s foot. Not exactly what I’d call “worth it”.
And now that they’ve been “caught” several times, refs are looking out for it. And yes, I see the irony that they should instead be looking out for the fouls that instigate the retaliation instead of the actual retaliation. We need to be the ones to hit first, not hit second.