Portland Timbers fans saw first-hand Thursday night how the addition of video replay could significantly change Major League Soccer.
Major League Soccer and the Professional Referee Organization have been testing out video replay in game-changing situations during preseason and the technology was put to full use Thursday as the Timbers drew Real Salt Lake 3-3 in front of 10,117 fans in a preseason match at Providence Park.
Referee Stoica Sorin turned to video replay in the 39th minute when Real Salt Lake appeared to earn a corner kick after Jake Gleeson made a diving save to deny Yura Movsisyan.
Sorin spent a long time on the sideline reviewing the tape as fans loudly booed the delay in game before finally coming back on the field and issuing Timbers midfielder Diego Chara a straight red card for violent conduct. Video replay showed that Chara had elbowed Movsisyan in the head as he was taking his shot, a foul that absolutely warranted a red card, but may have gone unnoticed without the video review.
“I think in theory if they get (the video review) cleaned up, it will hopefully limit mistakes,” Timbers coach Caleb Porter said. “I think if you ask any coach, we’re going to want the right calls. I think if they can limit the time it takes to make those decisions — We certainly don’t want it to be a more choppy game, but we definitely want to get big calls right.”
Following Chara’s ejection, Real Salt Lake was awarded a free kick at the top of the box and Joao Plata sent the kick over the wall and into the net for Salt Lake’s first goal of the night.
MLS will continue to test out the Video Assistant Referee technology throughout preseason and will look to implement it in select regular season games in the second half of the year. The video reviews will only be used for goals, penalty decisions, direct red card incidents and cases of mistaken identity.
The video review somewhat overshadowed what was a very promising first half from the Timbers starting lineup Thursday.
Timbers designated player Sebastian Blanco, who Portland acquired this month from Argentine club San Lorenzo after a month-long negotiation process, saw his first 45 minutes in a Timbers uniform and did not disappoint.
Blanco looked dangerous on offense in his moments on the ball and appeared to be quickly developing chemistry with his fellow attacking players. The 28-year-old winger also made an effort to contribute significantly on defense, something that the Timbers were missing from their wingers last season.
“He’s a good player,” Porter said. “He’s technical. He’s quicker than you think. He can battle more than you think.”
The Timbers as a whole also looked very good in the attack, despite the absence of forward Fanendo Adi, who sat out the game with a tight hamstring. Portland’s starting group strung together some great passes around the box and did a terrific job of maintaining possession.
Diego Valeri scored twice in the first half and Darren Mattocks added a goal in the 52nd minute. The Timbers led 3-2 in the 56th minute when Porter subbed off the majority of his starters and put on a different lineup for the final 34 minutes of the game.
“I think this is going to be one of our best passing teams that we’ve ever had here,” Porter said. “I think that showed. I think every single player is technical and can play. We have 10 guys that can keep the ball.”
— Jamie Goldberg | jgoldberg@oregonian.com
503-853-3761 | @jamiebgoldberg
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