MLS executives ‘pleased’ with performance of substitute referees amid PSRA lockout

Major League Soccer executives were “satisfied with the performance” of the match officials who replaced those represented by the Professional Soccer Referees Association (PSRA) for the opening games of the regular season, according to a memo sent by MLS executive vice president Nelson Rodriguez to the board of the MLS. of governors and received from Athletics.

PSRA officials who work MLS games are locked out in the opening weeks of the season as they seek a new collective bargaining agreement with the Professional Referees Organization (PRO), the MLS-owned entity that manages the conduct of most matches. professional in the United States.

Citing internal metrics, Rodriguez wrote in the memo that the replacement officials’ performance “conforms to professional standards observed in past seasons, maintaining consistency in the quality of officiating.”

Asked for comment, PSRA president Peter Manikowski wrote in an email that “there are hard-to-see metrics like the number of video views in a weekend (14 last week compared to 2-3 on averages our season), the amount and time the ball is in play, the number of wrong offside decisions that stop good attacks and the number of incorrect/avoidable yellow/red cards.”

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Manikowski added: “The referee in the professional divisions is guided by situational awareness guided by experience, knowledge of the rules and expert communication. Closed officials demonstrate these at the highest level – nine of our officials worked at a World Cup final in 2022 or 2023…This dispute will be resolved by bargaining – and clearly there is more bargaining to be done. “

Rodriguez’s memo also states that the PRO will add 17 “experienced referees” to the pool of replacement officials, adding that former professional referees have contacted the PRO about MLS matches.

On Wednesday, PRO and PSRA failed to reach an agreement in a round of negotiations overseen by federal mediators. PRO then notified PSRA on Friday that the February 13 contract offer for officials would remain on the table until midnight on Monday, March 11.

“To encourage PSRA and the membership to accept this offer,” Rodriguez wrote in his memo, “PRO advised PSRA that they have until midnight on March 11 to accept and ratify this proposal, or certain conditions economic conditions of supply will be withdrawn and replaced with less generous terms.

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PRO locked out PSRA-represented officials on February 18 after a pair of temporary extensions to the previous labor agreement between PRO and PSRA expired, and the PSRA membership unanimously rejected the initial proposal put together by negotiators. MLS went ahead with meeting replacement referees for the league’s curtain raiser on February 21 and all other weekend openers.

As part of the move to substitute officials, the league suspended a number of officiating rules that were set to begin this season, including time limits on substitutions and stadium PA announcements explaining VAR decisions.

The most notable missed call of the weekend came in Sunday’s 1-1 draw LA Galaxy AND Inter Miamiwhen Galaxy midfielder Marky Delgado received a second yellow card for a challenge Sergio Busquets that has not contacted the player. Lionel Messi scored the equalizer against the 10-man Galaxy in stoppage time. The MLS Independent Review Panel overturned the yellow card on Thursday.

(Photo: Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)