I don’t think that is legal over here.
Referees have to be impartial.
Eh. He didn’t ask for it ahead of time in some sort of quid pro quo.
Now, if he did not call offences that Messi made, or called offences on opponents that they did not make, to have a better chance of getting the jersey, that would be different.
I have it in my YTTV library. I can check for any pre-request favoritism.
Another issue is: what if Messi refused? Would this Referee now have a bias against him in future matches?
Do note it was a Mexican Referee, who will not likely have a future match involving Messi, except in this possibly in this competition (and maybe not anymore after this).
Atlanta pulled off a roster compliance trick I did not know was possible. In MLS you can have up to 3 designated player slots, and you can pay these 3 whatever you want. The rest of the roster gets paid in Garber bucks.
Atlanta managed to have 4 DP slots this year. They took Klich off DC’s hands, where he underachieved. He was and is a DP. However, since DC is still paying most of his salary he still occupies one of their DP slots rather than Atlanta’s.
I don’t know if ATL can play any defense, but I think they are going to score this year.
Watched a little of the CONCACAF Champions League LAFC v CMH. Place was nearly empty. Wondering why.
Maybe the tix were not included in the season ticket package.
Maybe it was too cold to venture out.
Maybe midweek has this kind of attendance, hard to get downtown at that time.
Maybe the tix were too expensive in the lower bowl, and fans paid less for the higher bowl.
Rabid Fan section was pretty full, though.
Can’t find attendance figures, which seems typical of an insecure team/league.
My English SIL arrives today so may take him to a Whitecaps match tonight or Saturday since the Caps are playing well. Unfortunately they are playing Monterrey and Montreal so he won’t get a chance to see the new Canadian tradition of booing the US national anthem!
However I bought two good tickets for Canucks-Ducks this Friday night so there may be some booing then during the US anthem. May also be some booing of the Canucks team if they don’t start playing better.
I agree. I thought this was a stupid deal all along. This is a growing league, and if you want to expand the fanbase you need to make games accessible on TV. Throwing most of the content behind a paywall isn’t the way.
Sounds like this isn’t going to change anytime soon though.
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Hey, L.A. is getting a Messi (maybe) match, in the CONCACAF Champions Cup, on April 2.
Unusual Tournament, in which the Final’s location is so far, on June 1, undetermined. The wiki page doesn’t say how it will be determined.
The official website has “everything you need to know” with no location for the final or even how it will eventually be determined.
https://www.concacaf.com/champions-cup/news/2025-concacaf-champions-cup-all-you-need-to-know/
Apparently, this is on a need to know basis, and you and I do not need to know.
Last year, it was in Pachuca, where the home team won. Neutral location would be better, like ATT Stadium or SoFi, assuming grass would be laid down for it. Guess it is not that important to have a neutral site, than it is to have the stadium filled.
Match between the two Berhalter teams today. I seem to recall that Bradley and son also opposed each other in the past. Whitecaps will need Berhalter Junior to perform well as Caps are greatly depleted today by injuries and national team competitions.
Playing during the Break? So gauche.
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Weird drama on Messi’s autograph:
Best strategy may be never to buy signed cards.
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“Autopen”?
Girl ref in SD v LAFC. That’s nice.
In a bar in the Gaslamp Quarter.
New Laws of The Game are a little interesting.
Corner kick awarded when an opposing keeper holds ball more than 8 seconds. When 8 seconds starts is a mystery.
And USSF putting the hammer down on referee abuse.
Tyler Adams wants to see pro/rel
But Garber says:
MLS commissioner Don Garber has pointed to the lack of promotion and relegation as being a key driver in investment in the league, which has seen expansion fees climb to $500 million for newest club San Diego FC. However, he has not completely ruled out the system existing in some form in the future.
I think he means “Investment RETURNS,” for current owners.
I would be sad if we lose the Whitecaps. Buying four tickets today to show my support.
Rumours are now swirling that KDB might be headed to Miami when his contract runs out at City this year.
I really didn’t see him headed for SA so move to the US makes sense.
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So, which team has “Discovery Rights” to Jamie Vardy?