Around the Columbus Crew, they are falling and flopping like fish in the Olentangy River

by Steve Davis on Oct 5, 2009 4:02 PM EDT Comment 3 comments

The weekend’s best MLS match was easily the one in Ohio, where Seattle outlasted Columbus in a night that had it all.

There were terrific story lines (Seattle manager Sigi Schmid returning to Ohio to go upside the head on his old club, two of the league’s best attackers in Guillermo Barros Schelotto and Freddie Ljungberg, etc.), a desperate visitor in need of points in the playoff chase, good quality on both sides, not too much of the usual over aggressiveness and delay tactics that drag down too many MLS matches. In short, two sides doing things the right on the field, with a healthy intensity about the match.

The only thing that dented the contest quality was Alejandro Moreno’s and Schelotto’s falling and flopping in an effort to get calls. Even Crew midfielder Eddie Gaven got into the action, spinning at one point and falling inside the penalty area when it appeared that neither Seattle center back made contact.

Columbus does a lot of things right and is generally a good side to watch. But the players there can’t have it both ways. They can’t complain about Cuauhtemoc Blanco’s flop that got teammate Gino Padula wrongly ejected earlier this year and then pull the same crap on other teams. Referee Ricardo Salazar finally had enough and cautioned Moreno in the 55th minute for the Crew striker’s ridiculous flailing upon the most benign contact from Seattle defender Leo Gonzalez.

Players like Moreno make the referee’s job so much tougher. Moreno is maybe the league’s best at "working" referees. He’s quite cagey in knowing where the referee is positioned and then fouling and grabbing jerseys in places where it’s tough for the man in the middle to spot. Several times against Tyrone Marshall or Jhon Kennedy Hurtado on Saturday, Moreno was grabbing shirts like a randy school boy on a Saturday night. But he did so the shirt fronts, so as to obscure the offense from Salazar’s vision. Then, upon feeling the first contact by the defender, he falls down in a heap. Salazar sometimes saw it correctly, but sometimes he didn’t.

Columbus is a good side with good players. So how about this, guys: just cut it out. Worry about scoring goals, and not about drawing fouls and cards, and maybe you’ll score more than you did Saturday. For those who didn’t see, that would be "none."

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I hate floppers

Montero, Blanco, and Moreno are the leagues worst.

Columbus is the worst as a team because they play physical but then flop with the slightest touch.

This trend of flopping and inconstant referees has killed Houston this year with almost an ejection per game the last two months.

by GeoJock on Oct 6, 2009 2:09 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

i dunno about that

Cam Weaver’s tackle the other day was ridiculous. Brad Davis recent ejection was warranted.Hainault’s choice to do the same thing twice, after getting freakin’ cautioned on the first one makes you wonder what the heck he was thinking. A couple have been debatable, but Houston has only itself to blame for the red mist lately. Just my opinion. you’ve read my stuff enough, so you know what i think of MLS refs. That said, Dom’s team has to shoulder some of the blame here, too.

by Steve Davis on Oct 6, 2009 2:22 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

True

Weaver’s tackle was bad and out of control, but did you see how the player went down? He largely jumped over the tackle but then began to go down and act as if he had just lost a leg. A red card challenge, true, but an acting job that guaranteed red card regardless of details of the challenge.

Hainault has been eject twice recently both times on 2nd yellow. The 1st yellow may have been legit but the second was a flop job. Once the MLS rewards a flop to a Montero, Blanco or Moreno, its like giving a bum a $20… he’ll be back for more.

Davis’ ejection from Colorado really cant argue. But the ejection from the bench in Dallas? Please.

Chings ejection from RSL was legit, but it was because he lost his head after been hacked all game that culminated with the RSL guy raking his shins with no call.
Had Ching flopped as magnificently like they must teach in Columbus, he would have probably earned some free kicks and cards for RSL. I guess it pays to flop and thats what i hate.

by GeoJock on Oct 7, 2009 5:17 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs