The Union have had almost a week to digest their playoff ouster in Cincinnati, and the circumstances of the goal that dumped them out of the Eastern Conference semifinals are no clearer.
The Union thought that a goal by Yerson Mosquera in the fourth minute of stoppage time would be waved off, with defender Ian Murphy, who headed the pass to Mosquera, in an offside position.
Video review did not concur, though the evidence presented on the broadcast offered little definitive proof. While the broadcast hinted at a “definitive angle” that showed Murphy onside, a club source said the Union had not been provided with that.
A spokesperson for the Professional Refereeing Organization, which comprises MLS refs, confirmed no such footage exists.
“While no angle was available to the VAR that showed definitively that Ian Murphy was onside, the standard in MLS has always been that the on-field decision is correct unless there is clear evidence that an error has been made,” a spokesperson said in response to questions.
Mosquera’s goal powered a 1-0 Cincinnati win, sending the Supporters’ Shield winner to this week’s Eastern Conference final, where it will host in-state rival Columbus. Despite both teams missing several regulars, the Union managed to stalemate the game and won the expected goals battle, but they couldn’t find a breakthrough.
It looked like they would be spared on a coverage breakdown on Cincy’s late free kick. MLS MVP Luciano Acosta squared the ball to an uncovered Alvaro Barreal, and the late response from the Union warped the team’s defensive structure. It allowed Murphy to receive Barreal’s service unmarked and Mosquera to be afforded too much space to take it down and blister a shot into the far side netting.
But Murphy looked like he had drifted into an offside spot.
“We have an iPad, obviously, on the bench,” Union manager Jim Curtin said after the game. “Every player that saw it, every coach that saw it said, don’t worry it’s offsides, it’s offsides, it’s coming back, (Murphy) is offsides. It’s also why we didn’t have a change up immediately, because it was so clear to everybody that was telling me. Again, I think the word that we got from the center referee was that they did review it and it was deemed onside.”
A brief check by video assistant referee Kevin Stott saw nothing amiss, and referee Ismail Elfath allowed the game to restart. Crucial for the moment is that Stott was tasked by the video review interpretation less at onside or offside than at if there was an error in the original ruling by assistant referee Cameron Blanchard.
“Since the decision by the on-field officials was that the attacker was in an onside position, the VAR needed to find conclusive evidence that he was offside to recommend a review,” continued the PRO statement. “With the angles that were available to the VAR, there was nothing that was able to clearly demonstrate this. Therefore, the VAR confirmed the on-field decision, and the goal was awarded.
“If offside line technology was available to the VAR, it would show that this was an extremely tight decision. With no camera directly in line, it is impossible to say definitely that this is onside or offside.”
The offside decision was narrow, which left broadcasters Steve Cangialosi and Danny Higginbotham wondering how it wasn’t called back. Cangialosi mentioned on that broadcast that VAR had access to angles that the Apple TV broadcast did not, but that appears not to be the case.
It’s another dour season ending for the Union. They fell in penalty kicks after Gareth Bale scored an equalizer in the 120-plus-8 minute in last year’s MLS Cup final and lost an Eastern Conference final at home to New York City FC in 2021 after the club had 11 players ruled out with a COVID-19 outbreak.
The Union lost in the semifinals of three competitions this year, losing a two-leg tie in the CONCACAF Champions League to LAFC and to Inter Miami at home in the Leagues Cup.
