Revolution head coach Caleb Porter suspended, fined for criticizing MLS officiating
FOXBORO -- After referring to the officiating in Saturday's match as a "joke show" and calling one referee a "coward," Revolution head coach Caleb Porter has been hit with a one-game suspension and a $20,000 fine, Major League Soccer announced Tuesday.
Porter was furious with the officiating following New England's 2-2 draw with St. Louis at Gillette Stadium, calling referee Tim Ford "a coward" and calling the officiating a "joke show, a clown show." Ford drew Porter's ire after the Revs were forced to play down a man for a minute after Luca Langoni failed to leave the field in a timely manner on a substitution, and were then denied a penalty on a St. Louis handball a few minutes later.
At the podium after the draw, Porter first took aim at the uncalled handball with roughly 10 minutes left in the match. The ball clearly hit St. Louis defender Kyle Hiebert's right arm as he contested a play with Nacho Gil, but a VAR review deemed Hiebert's arm was in a "justifiable position" and play continued. No penalty was awarded to the Revs.
"We are very disappointed with the officiating," Porter said Saturday. "It's 100 percent a penalty kick. One hundred percent. I don't know how you look honestly at the screen and decide not to give a penalty."
The Revolution are the only team in MLS not to be awarded a penalty kick this season
"It is a complete joke. It's a travesty, and there needs to be some accountability for that decision, because we lost two points because of that decision," Porter continued. "We have literally had that same thing happen to us three different times where the official has been sent to the monitor, and there is a clear penalty, and the official doesn't call it. What is happening? It's mind-boggling."
Porter was not finished voicing his opinion on the play.
"I have never seen anything like it," he fumed. "The referee was a complete coward in that moment. Complete coward, and it's a travesty. He shouldn't officiate. He cost our players two points today, two really important points, and I'm not going to stand for it. I don't care if I get fined, I don't care what [MLS commissioner] Don Garber says. What Don Garber needs to do is look at that situation, look at the official in that situation, and needs to hold this official accountable."
Porter then moved on to the substitution rule violation that Langoni was assessed. MLS rules say a departing player must leave the field within 10 seconds, or the player subbing in has to wait at least 60 seconds to enter play at the next stoppage. Langoni took 14 seconds to get off the field, forcing Gil to wait before entering and putting New England a man down for a minute.
It was during that minute that New England surrendered the equalizing goal to St. Louis.
"Then, the second part of the joke show, clown show, was giving us a penalty for not getting out of the game," Porter said. "Luca was coming out of the game because he was injured. He couldn't sprint any faster to get out of the game.
"Initially, he walked, yes, but then he sprinted out of the game as fast as he could," Porter explained. "The referee told me that it was 14 seconds. Fourteen seconds it took him to get out of the game. So, because he is four seconds late because he can't sprint any faster, they penalize us and we end up giving away a goal during that penalty. The game isn't meant to be played this way. It's an absolute joke. You're supposed to, as an official, use your discretion in those moments. He did not use his discretion in either of those moments."
After settling for a draw on Saturday, New England now sits five points out of the Eastern Conference playoff picture. The Revs will now play Saturday's match against Orlando City SC without Porter on the sideline.