Upon Further Inspection, Maybe Hunter Freeman’s Goal Was Fair

There's little debate about whether or not the Houston Dynamo's game-winning goal against the New England Revolution hit Hunter Freeman's arm/hand: It did and replays show it pretty conclusively. In this case, though, there's a pretty compelling case to be made that the referee made the right call in allowing the goal to stand. Dynamo Theory, SB Nation's Houston Dynamo blog, does the legwork and has the photographic evidence to make the case:

Take a real close look at what was happening. By the time the ball contacted Freeman's hand, his head was being forced down by Matt Reis' arms and elbow. Thus, he could not have seen the ball coming down and wouldn't have been able to either intentionally make contact or remove his arm from the path of the ball. If anything, it could have been called a penalty on Reis since Freeman established the position, had the right to be there and was fouled by not only Reis but Kenny Mansally during the play.

Thus, it's a good goal. Sorry New England, but for once, the referee got it right.