MLS embarrassing itself with how it has handled referee lockout
Major League Soccer deserves a straight red card for its handling of the officials’ lockout, which will enter its second month this weekend. And last weekend, Montreal coach Laurent Courtois was one of several managers who took issue with the replacement officials, claiming two of the four Chicago goals shouldn’t have counted and that replacement referee DeShun Beard should have given Fire keeper Chris Brady a red card midway through the first half. But the union, which represents approximately 260 officials, said that was misleading, arguing PRO’s offer didn’t go far enough at a time when MLS is touting record revenue growth. The top-tier officials who work for PRO have recently proved to be among the best in the world, with center referee Tori Penso leading a four-person U.S. officiating crew in the 2023 Women’s World Cup final in Australia, one which included assistant referee Kathryn Nesbitt, one of two Americans to work the last men’s World Cup final in Qatar. “It is grossly inaccurate to say that players think that the current group of referees are doing a ‘good job,’ ” the union wrote in a Tweet tagged to Garber and the league.
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