City SC defender Kyle Hiebert and Chicago Fire FC attacker Hugo Cuypers compete for possession on Saturday, May 11, 2024, in the second half of a game at CityPark.
What’s a handball? That was the question a lot of people were asking after referee Tim Ford was called to the VAR monitor on Saturday night to review a ball that hit the arm of City SC center back Kyle Hiebert as he defended a play in the box against New England.
Ford examined the replay and decided it was no penalty, saying that Hiebert’s arm was in a “justifiable position.”
But anyone who has watched an MLS game this season has seen similar plays where a handball has been called and a penalty kick awarded. Revolution coach Caleb Porter was livid after the game about the no-call; considering the timing of the play, in the 79th minute, a successful penalty kick would have put New England in solid position to win the game.
Porter called Ford “a coward” who was “not competent,” among a lot of other things in a lengthy criticism that earned Porter a $20,000 fine and a one-game suspension.
But all season long, City SC interim coach John Hackworth has expressed confusion over what is called a handball.
“I’m lost,” he said.
Earlier in the game, Ford also let go a ball that hit New England center back Tim Parker’s arm in the box. Parker’s arm was held straight down as he tried to keep it close to his body. The irony is that if one of the standards is whether the arm is in an unnatural position, that was clearly the case with Parker. But in soccer, an unnatural position like that is considered natural because he was trying to keep it out of the way.
Hiebert, meanwhile, felt his arms were in a natural position for someone jumping in the air.
“I thought my arm was in a natural position, so I wasn’t surprised (at the no-call),” Hiebert said. “I know the handball rule is super-ambiguous. So it seems like no one really knows. But I know Tim had one in the first half where his arm was in a natural position, but it’s here (by his side) and it hits him in the arm. So my arm, I was jumping for a header, so my arm comes up, but we’re like 6 to 12 inches apart. So I honestly don’t know, but every time the ball hits you in the arm, you’re worried, but it would have felt hard done by to not get the goal where they called it a foul after the fact and then gave the pen.”
“I know I’m biased,” Hackworth said, “but Tim Parker’s handball in the first half, I thought that would have been a handball because his hands were down at his side and the ball hit his hand. But that’s deemed a natural position where Kyle’s is not in a natural position at all, comes off a deflection, and it’s just, honestly, all I can tell is that it’s just a person’s opinion in the moment. ... Very honestly, I’m confused.”
When the game was being delayed while the VAR was deciding whether to call Ford over for a second look, Hackworth thought they were looking at the next part of the play, where a goal by Marcel Hartel was negated by a foul.
“I really thought they were going to give Cello’s goal,” he said, “because I didn’t think that was a foul. I mean, you have a smaller guy going against the center back, and it was a shoulder charge. I didn’t think that was a foul. I thought they were going to give us the goal and then turn around and give them a PK. ... In reality, they wouldn’t be able to do that. (The play would be considered over at the point of the handball.) I know that’s not rational, but that’s what I was thinking.”
Horn of plenty
Newly acquired left back Jannes Horn has played in three MLS games, and he has three yellow cards. If he gets two more, he’ll miss a game and be fined by the league. Hackworth said he’s not concerned about losing his newest player.
“No, he’s a smart player,” he said. “It’s a fine line because if we’re going to be a team that presses and is aggressive stepping out of our compact press into a pressing situation, you’re going to have guys that get isolated ... in bad situations, and whether it’s a grab or a professional foul, that’s just going to happen. So I’m not as worried because I really think Jannes is a really smart soccer player. As an example, I wasn’t worried about him getting another yellow in that game because I think he chooses something different the next time.”
Horn was subbed out of the game in the 57th minute when Hackworth chose to go with two strikers, but Hackworth said Horn wasn’t chosen to come out because of how he was playing but because right back Jake Nerwinski was better prepared to go the full 90 minutes.
Notes
Former City SC coach Bradley Carnell has been working with his former boss Jesse Marsch as an assistant coach for Canada for its two games during the international break. Canada beat the United States 2-1 on Saturday and played Mexico on Tuesday in Arlington, Texas. Carnell was an assistant under Marsch with the New York Red Bulls.
Carnell’s contract with Canada is only for these games, but a federation official said there’s a possibility he could stay on for future camps.
- For the third straight week, Hartel was named to the league’s team of the matchday. He was named to the first team after his first match and has been tabbed for the second team the following two weeks. Simon Becher was also named to the second team.
Klauss, Eduard Lowen and Roman Burki all made the team of the matchday in two straight weeks last season.
- Indiana Vassilev, who left the New England game at halftime with a leg injury, was a full participant at practice.
- Anthony Markanich, traded by City SC to Minnesota United, has yet to get in a game for them and has appeared with the club’s MLS Next Pro team, Minnesota United 2, twice.
