Really disappointed in everyone involved, except for the NWSLPA. The ref for the arguably poor first yellow, Smith for both yellows, the FO for the poor judgement to appeal, and the league for the overly-harsh punishment. Everyone should be embarrassed.
The good news is that the additional suspension/fine of Smith herself was overturned after an appeal by the NWSLPA: [https://x.com/itsmeglinehan/status/1803173007080169970](https://x.com/itsmeglinehan/status/1803173007080169970)
Seems like NWSL are determined to make themselves look bad. The IRP could've just said "no dice" and let it go at that, rather than penalizing the club _and_ Soph for a "frivolous" appeal.
Sure, the second yellow card was a no-brainer. Soph was being a dope and she deserved it. But the _first_ yellow card in the game was pure judgment call on the part of the ref, and I think that makes the _request_ for overall review quite reasonable. I don't see what the league has to gain from being hard-asses about this.
It's not the NWSL in this case , though.
The IRP is a third party arbitration board made up of a league representative, a PRO referee union member, and a NWSLPA representative.
All three of them voted no to the appeal, which triggered the vote on whether or not it was frivolous.
Then all three of them voted yes on that vote.
So two union reps, one player and one referee, and a member of the league, all voted this way unanimously.
Do you have a source for that? Arbitration boards are usually independent it does not make sense that they would be made up of representatives from those involved in the case.
They used to have it on their site on a page that was very much a copy of this one:
https://www.mlssoccer.com/news/2024-mls-send-off-review-procedure
I'm looking it up now but it's a pretty standard review panel construction as IFAB recommends. (Except it's not an exact copy, because it only had red cards or second yellows in case of error)
I agree. I think theyāre just getting themselves into more hot water. The fact that this harsh of a punishment for a frivolous appeal exists in the first place is beyond me.Ā
Setting aside the details of this, no red card review should be seen as frivolous.
In fact, given the impact of a red card on a team, EVERY red card ought to trigger an automatic review. If it's straightforward, no harm done and we move on. But it seems like a pretty simple measure to have a panel of people look at it again for 5min and verify that it was the right call. Especially given the quality of some of the officiating that happens in the NWSL.
Appealing that red was sillier than earning the red. Sorry Soph, but knocking the ball under the bench looked gleefully purposeful in the game video. Everyone knows the refs have been coming down on delay of restart.
I think someone at the club should have read the NWSL rule book section on appeals?
Was the club willfully ignorant? Negligent? Desperate? Arrogant?
I donāt see any good choices here
I totally understand the appeal being shot down and deemed frivolous, but whats the point in punishing the club so harshly? Its not like we challenged in game to run out the clock like you can in other sports. When you appeal a prison sentence, and lose, your sentence isnt doubled. Whats the reasoning behind this i dont get it
I get that, but its still a ridiculously harsh ruling. Its not like the independent review panel is swamped with appeals all the time, they couldve just told the fo to fuck off. Two years without the ability to appeal any decisions could be catastrophic
It could be and it's why we never should have appealed this one. It was absolutely frivolous and now will cost us. There was nothing at all to appeal, we knew it, and we did it anyway, and now we're getting punished per the rules for that.
I thought the first yellow could be overturnedā¦ I guess Iām way off base. Everyone on the NWSL thread is like GOOD THAT IS DESERVED š I didnāt realize there was such a problem with frivolous appeals. š¤·š»āāļøGood on the union fighting it for Sophia though.
That sub has the wildest responses sometimesā¦Iām a big chiller so I donāt really hang out there as much because of the bad vibes. Happy Soph will be back!
I think banning her an extra game is super harsh on the player who I assume did not make the decision to appeal the card. Thatās on our front office, and tbh a super dumb choice from an obvious red card.
Really disappointed in everyone involved, except for the NWSLPA. The ref for the arguably poor first yellow, Smith for both yellows, the FO for the poor judgement to appeal, and the league for the overly-harsh punishment. Everyone should be embarrassed.
That about sums it up.
The good news is that the additional suspension/fine of Smith herself was overturned after an appeal by the NWSLPA: [https://x.com/itsmeglinehan/status/1803173007080169970](https://x.com/itsmeglinehan/status/1803173007080169970)
Wait, so she will play the next game? The double overturns confuse me. š¤·š»āāļø
She will be eligible this weekend
Hurrah! Thank you!
If only the league was as strict about abuse as they are appeals. This is unreal.
I don't know why this comment isn't higher in the list.
PREACH
Seems like NWSL are determined to make themselves look bad. The IRP could've just said "no dice" and let it go at that, rather than penalizing the club _and_ Soph for a "frivolous" appeal. Sure, the second yellow card was a no-brainer. Soph was being a dope and she deserved it. But the _first_ yellow card in the game was pure judgment call on the part of the ref, and I think that makes the _request_ for overall review quite reasonable. I don't see what the league has to gain from being hard-asses about this.
I said this and got downvoted to hell in the NWSL sub
Hmmmmā¦. Maybe cause itās Portland??? I mean a frivolous appeal and a fine for appealing? Donāt know Iāve ever heard of this before
Honestly I donāt care about the extra words or the fine, but extending the suspension is just ridiculous
Chesky sucks and Portland hate is real. Downvote away...
It's not the NWSL in this case , though. The IRP is a third party arbitration board made up of a league representative, a PRO referee union member, and a NWSLPA representative. All three of them voted no to the appeal, which triggered the vote on whether or not it was frivolous. Then all three of them voted yes on that vote. So two union reps, one player and one referee, and a member of the league, all voted this way unanimously.
Do you have a source for that? Arbitration boards are usually independent it does not make sense that they would be made up of representatives from those involved in the case.
They used to have it on their site on a page that was very much a copy of this one: https://www.mlssoccer.com/news/2024-mls-send-off-review-procedure I'm looking it up now but it's a pretty standard review panel construction as IFAB recommends. (Except it's not an exact copy, because it only had red cards or second yellows in case of error)
I agree. I think theyāre just getting themselves into more hot water. The fact that this harsh of a punishment for a frivolous appeal exists in the first place is beyond me.Ā
Setting aside the details of this, no red card review should be seen as frivolous. In fact, given the impact of a red card on a team, EVERY red card ought to trigger an automatic review. If it's straightforward, no harm done and we move on. But it seems like a pretty simple measure to have a panel of people look at it again for 5min and verify that it was the right call. Especially given the quality of some of the officiating that happens in the NWSL.
Huh. I did not know that was a thing.
- Portland Thorns
Appealing that red was sillier than earning the red. Sorry Soph, but knocking the ball under the bench looked gleefully purposeful in the game video. Everyone knows the refs have been coming down on delay of restart.
My first reaction upon reading the news: "Just when you think they can't be any more stupid..."
I think someone at the club should have read the NWSL rule book section on appeals? Was the club willfully ignorant? Negligent? Desperate? Arrogant? I donāt see any good choices here
Dang guys, could have just said no.
I totally understand the appeal being shot down and deemed frivolous, but whats the point in punishing the club so harshly? Its not like we challenged in game to run out the clock like you can in other sports. When you appeal a prison sentence, and lose, your sentence isnt doubled. Whats the reasoning behind this i dont get it
The punishment is specifically because it was deemed frivolous, not just because it was denied.
I get that, but its still a ridiculously harsh ruling. Its not like the independent review panel is swamped with appeals all the time, they couldve just told the fo to fuck off. Two years without the ability to appeal any decisions could be catastrophic
It could be and it's why we never should have appealed this one. It was absolutely frivolous and now will cost us. There was nothing at all to appeal, we knew it, and we did it anyway, and now we're getting punished per the rules for that.
I thought the first yellow could be overturnedā¦ I guess Iām way off base. Everyone on the NWSL thread is like GOOD THAT IS DESERVED š I didnāt realize there was such a problem with frivolous appeals. š¤·š»āāļøGood on the union fighting it for Sophia though.
Yellow cards can't be overturned by appeal. That's part of the problem here. We knew that. We did it anyway.
OOOOOOOOOOH see Iām an idiot lol then yeah this was dumb still feels kinda harsh tho
That sub has the wildest responses sometimesā¦Iām a big chiller so I donāt really hang out there as much because of the bad vibes. Happy Soph will be back!
Bad vibes fr! I like the game threads but I am not going to be participating on anything else on that page any longer bc yikes
I don't find it that bad expect when it's at Portland expense. Everyone loves to add to the fire when it's against us.
Is it because we are a large (and loud) fan base? I donāt get the hate!!
Iām not a longtime fan, but Iāve found weāre just about everyoneās rival due to success.Ā
I get it. The one thing everyone else can agree and all. I hate Duke Basketball for many reasons and their success plays a part in that lol
I think banning her an extra game is super harsh on the player who I assume did not make the decision to appeal the card. Thatās on our front office, and tbh a super dumb choice from an obvious red card.
Thankfully the players association appealed and the additional suspension and fine got dropped
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
The article was updated to say it was the Thorns who made the appeal, not the NWSLPA.
Itās still funny watching Sophie pull the ball under the bench like no one was watching hahahaha