MLS referees get a lot of heat. Now, refereeing is extremely difficult and a lot of times the man with the whistle is unfairly criticized, but the referees in MLS have earned almost all of the criticism they get. They are just flat out bad and Mark Geiger is proving why. He's one of the better refs in MLS (that says a lot about MLS refs) and he got the first leg of the marquee conference semifinal between the Seattle Sounders and Real Salt Lake, but he looks every bit an amateur in this match.
Real Salt Lake Vs. Seattle Sounders Live, MLS Cup Playoffs 2011: Mark Geiger Having Himself A Shocker
The first big miss for Geiger was when he let Robbie Russell get away with leaving his feet in a tackle for an extra few seconds, resulting in a scissor tackle on Alvaro Fernandez. Not only wasn't it a card, Geiger didn't even call a foul. Later he actually showing a card to Fabian Espindola, but going in with two feet? It could have been red. He also showed yellow to Osvaldo Alonso for a push to the neck out of frustration that was an obvious red card and has missed several other calls on the night. It's just been awful for Geiger. Just...wow.
For more on this game and playoff series, check out Seattle Sounders blog Sounder At Heart and Real Salt Lake blog RSL Soapbox. We’ll have live coverage of this match in our RSL vs. Seattle Sounders StoryStream. For more on the entire world of soccer and the rest of the MLS Playoffs, check out SB Nation Soccer.
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