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In the 13th minute of Vancouver’s 4-1 loss in Atlanta, Whitecaps captain Kendall Waston collided with Leandro González Pírez in the box.
Having his arm lifted up, the Costa Rican defender hit the Argentine defender in the face. It was the sort of play that takes place among players inside the penalty box on countless occasions throughout a game.
Referee Ismail Elfath, however, decided to review the play and ultimately issued Waston a red card. It was at best a questionable decision, which effectively killed off a game that promised to be an intriguing affair between two in-form teams.
The Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system is supposed to make the game more fair by avoiding obvious referee errors. The system is also supposed to be quick and should not harm the flow of the game, according to the league.
Elfath, however, took 4 minutes, 30 seconds to come to a decision, which on the surface did not rectify an obvious error. Right or wrong, this particular VAR decision will spark discussions about the use of technology in the sport – and not just among Whitecaps fans given the technology will be used at this summer’s World Cup.
https://twitter.com/TotalMLS/status/975158914533732352
Kendall Waston’s suspension
It will now be interesting to see how long MLS will suspend Vancouver Whitecaps defender Waston and how the Whitecaps will react to any decision. Waston will be on international duty next week and would have missed next Saturday’s game against the L.A. Galaxy anyhow, but could now face further suspension.
The Vancouver Whitecaps captain is a repeat offender, and the league can suspend a player for a red card offense for up to three games. Given that Elfath issued the red card for an elbow to the head, additional suspensions are indeed possible.
New tactics
With one of the key defenders out of action, Carl Robinson has just two centerbacks left. The Caps will likely go back to a four-man back line, which they deployed against Houston and Montreal, rather than continue with the 3-4-1-1 formation used for the first time against Atlanta.
Going with a 3-4-1-1 Carl Robinson further expanded the Whitecaps’ tactical repertoire by playing Waston, José Aja and Aaron Maund in the back three. The new formation also saw Alphonso Davies once again feature at left-back, and the 17-year-old highlighted that he is well adapted to play a more defensive position and was perhaps the best Whitecaps player on the field.