Whitecaps Debacle

I had a lot of respect for the Vancouver Whitecaps due to their so far fantastic performance in MLS, but I've got to say this single act of utter stupidity by their french striker Eric Hassli degrades that respect a little. To set things up, in the closing minutes of the first half midfielder Gershon Koffie gets served a straight red in a collision with a New England Revolution player because his arm and elbow struck the Revolution player straight on in the face. Hassli then gets subbed on coming into the second half. I don't know the exact detail, but he picks up a first yellow in the forty ninth minute. He then goes on to score in the fifty sixth minute and in the process of celebrating he removes his jersey which results in a second yellow, thus a red and ejection. Oh, and get this: this is his second red card only four games into the season.

Not a very bright one, is he?

And as it turns out, that was just the beginning of the match descending into farce. In the seventy fourth minute Revolution player AJ Soares, in an attempt to shutdown an attack by the Whitecaps makes a late challenge for the ball that sends Atiba Harris sprawling. Certainly it was a foul, or even yellow card, worthy play but from a close-up replay a straight red is definitely on the extreme side. It definitely seems that ref Toledo has either acquired a taste for the red card or is simply finding an opportunity to even things up for Vancouver.

Then, finally, to add insult to injury, the Revolution score three minutes deep into stoppage time to bring the final result level at 1-1. In all honesty, though, I would have been dumbfounded had the Whitecaps held onto their lead after going two men down.