SAN JOSE, Calif. — A tumultuous week that started with the firing of Mikael Stahre on Monday continued with last night’s game against Atlanta United, leaving everyone on the San Jose Earthquakes frustrated following a controversial 4-3 loss to the Supporters’ Shield leaders.
The Quakes, playing with a renewed energy under interim head coach Steve Ralston, enjoyed a two-goal lead over the visitors to Avaya Stadium midway through the second half when Chris Wondolowski delivered a vintage goal on a counterattack to stretch their lead to 4-1. The crowd, more vocal and passionate than at any time during this difficult season, roared their approval, as Wondo celebrated goal number 143 of his illustrious career.
But quietly behind the play, center referee Fotis Bazakos was conferring through his earpiece with video assistant referee Steve Fischer about a possible infraction that had happened a minute earlier. Bazakos made the signal for a VAR review and jogged to the sideline to consult the replay monitor.
The fans at Avaya Stadium, and the television audience watching along at home, assumed the review was on Wondo’s goal, perhaps checking to make sure the forward was onside on the play. Instead, and unbeknownst to everyone else, Bazakos was scrutinizing a possible handball by Magnus Eriksson in the Earthquakes penalty area that had occured 30 seconds prior to Wondolowski’s shot hitting the back of the net, 110 yards away.
“What we do in video review is go back to the start of that attacking play, which was the incident,” Bazakos told the designated pool reporter. “It started right there, so the video referee clicks a button, goes back to that point. He watched it and notified me that there was a clear and obvious error, and I went and looked at it and it was, unlike the first review in the first half, so it was clear and obvious, so I didn’t have any choice.”
Bazakos jogged back onto the field, and two-and-a-half minutes after the infraction happened, waved off Wondo’s goal and signaled a penalty kick to Atlanta United. Josef Martinez, who would later score the game winner for the visitors, slotted home from the spot to make the score 3-2.
In a matter of minutes, the momentum of the game had changed, and the Quakes, who had the Eastern Conference leaders on the ropes, gave up another goal to relinquish their lead. Fans howled in protest, convinced VAR was to blame — neglecting to remember that a VAR review on San Jose’s first goal went the home side’s way — inflamed by the perceived injustice.
“Yeah, turning point,” Wondolowski said after the game. “It’s always a tough moment, tough when the referee takes it in his hands. I understand the rules and the laws and how it goes, but to go back and then go back to a 50/50 play that could be called either way. And to change the whole evening on a call that could go either way.”
Quakes fans with long memories remember that Bazakos was the referee back on April 6, 2013, when the team hosted the Vancouver Whitecaps — a game that earned the moniker “Shoe-gate” for the bizarre circumstances that turned that game around for the visitors.
On a stoppage in play, Alan Gordon and Victor Bernardez retreated to the sidelines to change out their cleats, hoping to find better footing on a slick night at Buck Shaw Stadium. They expected to be allowed to return directly to the field on the restart, but Bazakos denied them entry until the next break in the action, explaining later that the rules required they wait.
The Whitecaps enjoyed a two-man advantage as a result, and the next whistle came only after Vancouver had scored to level the game at 1-1. The draw held up that evening, and Bazakos’ decision, one that followed the rules of the game, did not endear himself neither with fans nor players.
“We’ve had this referee before,” Wondolowski said. “He’s had pivotal calls that have gone against us many times. And I feel sometimes that that hurts.”
Fast forward to Wednesday night, and an already steaming fanbase, mad about Wondo’s disallowed goal earlier in the half, bore witness to what looked like a handball by Atlanta on Valeri “Vako” Qazaishvili’s shot attempt in the 90th minute. The score was still 3-3, and a penalty kick call would have provided Wondolowski a shot from the spot and a small measure of redemption.
Instead, play continued, and at the next stoppage — a foul call on Luis Felipe 36 seconds later — Fischer deemed that there was not enough evidence for Bazakos to review the play. The replay was shown on the stadium big screen, eliciting howls from the stands and protestations from the players, but it was to no avail.
“The video referee did a check on that, and he told me there wasn’t a clear and obvious error, so there was nothing,” Bazakos said. “I can’t go to the monitor in that situation.”
“How is it not clear and obvious in the 90th minute,” Wondolowski said. “He told me his hand was inside his body, and clearly he had his elbow out, away from his body, but didn’t decide to look at that one, which I find interesting and very unfortunate, but being on the Quakes for this long, I’ve seen this happen to us too many times.”
Once the play restarted, the opportunity for review was lost, according to the VAR guidelines. The game continued, and deep in stoppage time, Martinez scored his second goal of the game, giving Atlanta its first lead of the night, and three points from the game.
“It’s a tough one, because you’re up 4-1 for a moment, and then it’s 3-2 and it’s a totally different game,” Ralston said in his postgame comments. “It was the turning point in the game and it is a hard one. I think it was the right call, I think it was a handball, but I don’t really know what a handball is anymore because it could have been a shout for one the other way.”
A visibly frustrated Wondolowski was more direct in his criticism of the refereeing, not shying away from providing his assessment.
“Credit to Atlanta,” Wondolowski said. “They’re an amazing team, and their attacking players are so dangerous and it showed. But to be honest, I felt a little cheated by the refs.”