Robin Fraser didn’t pull any punches when it came to Major League Soccer officiating.
The Toronto FC manager was incredulous about the league’s level of refereeing following his team’s come-from-behind 3-3 draw with Charlotte FC on Wednesday night. The Reds played on 10 men from the 56th minute on after Walker Zimmerman was shown a straight red. It was the second straight match in which TFC had a player sent off.
“I keep saying I don’t understand what’s going on with the refereeing,” Fraser said. “It’s ridiculous, to be quite honest. Every week, every week we have something. Okay, we’ve already gotten two letters from the referees’ association saying, ‘Oh, I’m sorry. It should have been this, it should have been that.’ The penalty in Montreal [on July 16], the penalty in DC [on July 25] and every week, it’s something.”
Officiating has become a major talking point in TFC matches since the return from the World Cup break. Zimmerman, who was wearing the captain’s armband in place of Jonathan Osorio, was sent off for a tackle on Charlotte forward Idan Toklomati. In last Saturday’s 2-1 victory over the New England Revolution, Djordje Mihailovic was shown a straight red for a studs-up tackle on Carles Gil.
Fraser says it’s felt like his team has been playing against an extra man.
“It’s hard enough to win in this league when you’re playing against the 11 players, but then when you have the referees, you feel like you’re against them every week,” Fraser said. “It just becomes difficult. But what I’ve said to this group is, ‘This is the way it is.’ For some reason, it feels like we’re playing against more than 11 players and, if that’s the case, then we need to do everything we can to score more goals.”
The second-year manager then turned his attention to the lack of officiating when it came to Niklas Dorsch. The newly signed German midfielder, who has two goals in two appearances including the tying goal in stoppage on Wednesday night, incurred a facial fracture, confirmed on Thursday morning, after being struck by a Charlotte player. There was no whistle on the play.
“Not even a card,” Fraser said of Dorsch. “How is that possible? How is that possible? He’s on his way to the hospital to get a CT scan. How is it possible that somebody can have his face broken? He’s got a dent in his face and not even a card.”
The Reds currently sit on 21 points and 11th in the Eastern Conference. They trail ninth-place D.C. United by three points for the final playoff spot. The team returns to action on Saturday night with a visit to Lionel Messi, Casemiro and the rest of Inter Miami.
