Revolution at Vancouver Whitecaps, 4.6.11

There were plenty of opportunities to watch the odd ritual of a soccer referee carding a player when the New England Revolution played the expansion Vancouver Whitecaps to a draw in early April. I’ve always thought there was something vaguely fascistic and mid-20^th-century about the sight of a ref, chest puffed and hair lacquered, approaching a player and abruptly raising a little card in a kind of salute. Or maybe it’s more reminiscent of something out of a sci-fi thriller like Invasion of the Body Snatchers. Whatever the best analogy may be, the player has been caught out and publicly shamed.

Last night’s referee issued five yellows and sent off two Whitecaps’ players and A.J. Soares of the Revolution. It was a strange game. Stocky Whitecaps’ forward Eric Hassli got a second yellow after celebrating a goal by stripping off his jersey and hurling it into the crowd. That was odd in itself, but he was wearing a second, identical jersey underneath, making the gesture doubly curious. (Hassli’s first yellow came after an elbow to the face of Kevin Alston, who played much of the second half with blood-soaked cotton plugs sticking out of his nostrils, further adding to the game’s bizarre feel.) Hassli probably thought the extra jersey would protect him from a card but of course it didn’t, and he clearly felt the full weight of public shame when he got sent off. No doubt adding to his shame were the facts that he’d just come on as a substitute, that he’d received a red card two games prior, and that his goal came off a penalty shot. While I’m not one of those seemingly countless older American white guys who believes that all exuberance should be sublimated on athletic fields, excessive celebration after converting a penalty kick always strikes me as kind of lame.

So the game was one of those strange, mismatched affairs, with the Whitecaps scoring off a penalty, then falling back and trying to hold on and occasionally counter. (For about twenty minutes, the Whitecaps played with two men down.) The Revs were mostly inept trying to penetrate their defense, though they improved when Chris Tierney came on for Sainey Nyassi in the 74th minute and began raining down arcing, left-footed crosses from the wing. Ilija Stolica, another late substitute, had one goal disallowed and then scored the equalizer in extra time. That play saw Stolica use his thigh to settle a close range, headed pass from Zack Schilawski, whereupon Stolica calmly turned and slammed the ball into the upper half of the net. The goal was efficient—a classic veteran-striker goal.

Speaking of veterans, I thought Didier Domi, the Revs’ recently acquired 33-year-old left back from France, had an excellent game. He has a good first touch, passed the ball accurately (often working with Shalrie Joseph in the middle), and made frequent runs into the offensive third. He seemed to be much more active and fitter than in the Revs’ last game against Portland, which is surprising since the Whitecaps’ game went well past midnight EST. I should add that Domi nearly cost the Revs a goal by getting caught flatfooted on a Whitecaps counter attack late in the game. The play was a reminder that, while it may be harder to create than destroy, a defender is a team’s last line apart from the keeper, and one minor error on his part can ruin an otherwise stellar day.