Referees in MLS could be assisted by video replays in the future. Photograph: Stewart F. House/APView image in fullscreenReferees in MLS could be assisted by video replays in the future.

Photograph: Stewart F. House/APMLS: five things we learnedMLS This article is more than 8 years oldThe referee doesn't need glasses: two reds as US soccer trials video replayThis article is

more than 8 years old

Plus: It could be time to have a talk about Jay Heaps’ future; in praise of high-scoring draws; Montreal feel ref’s impact; life after Sigi Schmid

From the league that brought you retroactive officiating and the first-of-its-kind league Disciplinary Committee, MLS has now teamed up with its lower-league affiliate USL to introduce

another first: virtual assistant officiating.

For the first time in history, a professional match was conducted with the use of the VAR program (Virtual Assistant Referee), effectively a video replay system already used in leagues such

as the NFL and MLB. After a pair of workshops at Red Bull Arena and following approval from the International Football Association Board, USL hosted the first of six video referee trials

during Friday’s New York Red Bulls II, Orlando City B encounter.

The match ended in a landslide, with the host Red Bulls taking a 5-1 victory. However, it will be remembered best for the use video replay. Not once. But twice.

Those curious about the program got their first taste of the trial just 34 minutes into Friday’s encounter. The Red Bulls’ Junior Flemmings went down on the edge of the Orlando City area,

courtesy of defender Connor Donovan. Referee Ismael Elfath called a foul, and was mobbed by players from both sides. Elfath settled the ball at the spot of the foul and spoke to Donovan and

a gaggle of Red Bull players. Then he mimed a box in the air, initiating the first ever use of the VAR.

Elfath met a young man holding a flat screen on the sideline to watch a replay, and within five seconds, Elfath saw all he needed and issued a straight red to Donovan. It took all of 95

seconds from the moment of impact for the officials to use VAR and deliver their verdict.

Another infraction occurred in the 79th minute. Ninety seconds later, Elfath was back on the field, issuing a second red to Orlando.

“To be a part of something in that vein is important to us and I think it’s a step,” Red Bulls II boss John Wolyniec said after the match. “It’s certainly not perfect but I think that it

went well.”

As Wolyniec intimated, the trial run was a bit crude, devoid of the type of pomp, scrutiny and delays that have followed similar initiatives in the NHL and NFL. But, for one night, VAR

showed promise. And football got a glimpse of its possible future. DM

There is life after Sigi Schmid The Seattle Sounders made two moves at the end of July that have transformed their franchise. The first decision was ending their eight-year relationship with

long-time coach Sigi Schmid.

The second decision came in the signing of Nicolas Lodeiro - a move that has arguably made a bigger impact on the club.

How much was Sigi Schmid to blame for his own downfall with the Sounders?Read more While most foreign players take time to adjust to MLS, the 27-year-old Uruguayan playmaker enjoyed a

dynamic debut against the LA Galaxy. His natural understanding with his captain, Clint Dempsey, has revived both the veteran striker and the team’s attack. The Lodeiro-Dempsey connection has

breathed new life into Seattle. Not only did Lodeiro manage the midfield against Los Angeles, but he followed that performance with a strong showing against Orlando City, playing a direct

role in the buildup of two of Dempsey’s three goals on the night en route to a 3-1 win.

Sunday’s encounter with Real Salt Lake was no different. In fact, it was perhaps the most encouraging result of the bunch – and Lodeiro was there for most of the team’s key scoring

opportunities. Seattle’s No10 not only opened the scoring early in the first half, but he also assisted on the eventual game winner to Jordan Morris.

The shocking thing is that his one goal, one assist performance actually downplays his contributions on the evening. At the close of the half, a natural give-and-go with Morris unleashed the

Stanford product into the attack, nearly finding goal.

Suddenly the team that was nine points out of playoff position just three matches ago are looking like a contender. Dempsey is finding his form. Morris looks dangerous. With the offense

clicking, Seattle’s defense has faced less chances as well. And Lodeiro is directly involved with that turnaround.

Now, Seattle are on a charge. The Sounders are just five points behind the sixth place Portland Timbers for the final postseason berth in the West – and they can surpass their rivals over

the span of a week. Seattle hosts the Timbers this Sunday before taking on the Houston Dynamo on the road on Wednesday.

They close out their eight-day stretch against Portland at Providence Park – a match that could define their season as contenders or pretenders to the throne. And if his first three matches

are any indication, Lodeiro will have a major say on which direction the Sounders go. DM

It could be time to have a talk about Jay Heaps’ future in New England As if Major League Soccer as a collective was waiting for just one club to pull the trigger, vindicating the firing of

a head coach midway through the season, the league could now be on the brink of a managerial cull. First, Adrian Heath lost his job at Orlando City. Then, secondly, Sigi Schmid was told to

pack up his things at the Seattle Sounders. It might not be long before there’s a third, with Jay Heaps starting to feel the brunt of a simmering uprising at the New England Revolution.

Saturday’s 4-0 home loss to the Philadelphia Union (a team who themselves hadn’t won in over a month) was the club’s third successive league defeat, dropping the Revs further adrift of the

play-off places in the Eastern Conference. Indeed, August has been a dismal month for New England. But it’s not just defeats that have some fans scrutinising Heaps, but the manner of those

defeats. All three losses - to Philadelphia, Toronto FC and Orlando - have been heavy ones, conceding 11 and scoring just twice. This isn’t so much a dip in form, but a deep, dark hole that

could consume New England’s season.

So who’s to blame for such a catastrophic slump? The Kraft family have come in for criticism over their ownership of the franchise, and indeed Heaps hasn’t been afforded the resources that

many of his MLS counterparts have. But nonetheless, New England posses a much better team than they are showing at present, and much of that comes down to the head coach.

Kei Kamara’s struggle to adapt to his new side is an issue the player must address, but it’s also the responsibility of Heaps’. The back four’s lack of organisation and general slackness is

down to the head coach too. Heaps has plenty to answer for, regardless of how many other factors must be considered when assessing New England’s slide. That is, unfortunately, the burden

shouldered by a head coach.

It’s still somewhat unlikely that Heaps will be fired before the end of the season, but his future at the club beyond 2016 is certainly in question. He might need to win the US Open Cup and

deliver a play-off place to turn the tide of public opinion that is now starting to flow against him. The discussion over his place at the New England Revolution has been sparked and it

might take a lot to extinguish it. GR

MLS needs games like 3-3 draw at Mapfre Stadium, but NYC FC don’t Patrick Vieira was in reflective mood after Saturday’s 3-3 draw between the Columbus Crew and New York City FC. “I think it

was the type of game that MLS needs,” said the former midfielder, viewing the match through a wider scope. “It was, I think, the type of game that everybody enjoyed,” he added, highlighting

just how he had personally enjoyed it. But was Vieira in deflective rather than reflective spirit?

After all, he surely didn’t enjoy Ethan Finlay’s stoppage-time equaliser for the Crew. Or the whirlwind final 10 minutes at Mapfre Stadium that saw NYC FC lose their grip of the contest,

turning the game into a fast and furious end-to-end affair.

Indeed, these games are of great entertainment to those without an allegiance, but to Vieira and New York City FC they are certainly not needed.

Of course, NYC FC deserve some slack given the way they have performed on the road this season. The Bronx side have lost just four times away from home, winning six from 16 trips. Saturday’s

draw against the Columbus Crew certainly wasn’t a disaster, and in fact could be painted as something of a success, extending NYC FC’s impressive run on the road. But nonetheless, Vieira

has reason for concern.

New York City FC have provided a number of highlights for the neutral this season, with Vieira turning them into arguably the most exhilarating, entertaining team in the league. There was

the 5-1 win over Colorado on the back of the 4-1 Hudson River Derby defeat to the Red Bulls. The 3-2 home win over Vancouver in April was a particularly enthralling encounter, with the

watershed 7-0 loss to the Red Bulls coming just weeks later. This has been the pattern of things for NYC FC at points this year.

Sure, as leaders in the East their problems pale in comparison to that of some of their rivals, but for all their improvement over the past year NYC FC can still be an extremely erratic

outfit. That, of course, makes them extremely watchable, and Vieira has used that trait in their favour from an attacking standpoint. But his side remains inherently unpredictable. They

showed that against the Crew on Saturday and it’s something that must be addressed before it could cost them in the play-offs. GR

Montreal feel referee’s impact The Red Bulls have had more than their share of issues with the officials this season. Just this week, MLS took the rare initiative to admit officiating

mistakes in the Red Bull, Galaxy match, owning up to a pair of missed penalty calls that worked against New York. That follows public comments made by Jesse Marsch, accusing match officials

of showing a level of deference to veteran Designated Players – especially the ones dressed for NYC FC.

But this week, the Red Bulls were not complaining – mostly because it was Montreal who felt the impact of the match officials.

No pun intended, of course.

Already down 2-1 thanks to a record-breaking Bradley Wright-Phillips brace, the Impact’s Didier Drogba was robbed of a game-tying opportunity.

Drogba and Aurelien Collin battled throughout most of the evening. However, on this occasion, Drogba had a step on Collin, dragging the Frenchman into the area. Collin’s challenge in the box

clipped Drogba’s leg, thus impeding his progress towards net. Referee Chris Penso did not see it that way. Instead, he ignored the penalty shout as Drogba lay prone in disbelief.

Drogba later told TVA Sports “If we have to play 12 against 11 we need to know from the start, we need to adapt.”

In fairness, Drogba’s propensity for the dramatic may have influenced the non-call. Marsch suffered a similar fate last week against the Galaxy.

But the quiet Ambroise Oyongo’s red card infraction had no influence behind it. The former Red Bull was ousted on a dubious tackle on red-hot midfielder Sean Davis. It wasn’t malicious or

delivered with intent to injure. Oyongo’s studs stayed planted ahead of Davis, causing them to collide legs-first. At most, it seemed a yellow-worthy infraction. However, the odd angle of

the challenge, the speed of the tackle and the clumsy nature of it all caused Davis to twist and fall awkwardly, heightening the severity of the contact. That was enough for Penso to pull

the red. And from there, Montreal had no answer to the intense pressure of the Red Bull offense.

Would the result have been different had either call gone the Impact’s way? That is debatable. Perhaps even impossible. Nevertheless, another week of MLS action has resulted in controversy –

and with VAR still in its infancy, there seems to be no solution to the matter. DM

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