Major League Soccer officials have begun cracking down on on-field behavior, implementing a series of new rules and imposing harsher penalties on players.
Last weekend, three players were fined for… – Not leaving the field at the right time After receiving the red card. Stefan Frei (Seattle Sounders), Diego Charla (Portland Timbers), and Griffin Dorsey (Houston Dynamo) were subjected to additional punishment, as Major League Soccer seeks to eliminate ill-discipline.
Free's red card, which came in the 28th minute of the match against DC United, was later overturned on appeal, meaning he will be eligible to face LA Galaxy next weekend. But the goalkeeper's fine remains.
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What are the new MLS time-wasting rules?
This disciplinary campaign came just one week after the league officially introduced a series of new rules designed to reduce time-wasting in the game. “League”Off-field treatment base' And 'Timely replacement ruleIt was tried out in MLS Next Pro last year with impressive results.
Off-field treatment base Requires medical personnel to remove players from the field of play before continuing their evaluation, allowing the match to resume and creating a less stressful situation to heal the player. The rule applies to any incident in which a player is on the ground for 15 seconds or more, but exceptions are made in the case of serious medical issues, head injuries, goalkeeping and serious fouls.
In the 18 months since this rule was adopted in MLS Next Pro, officials have set a record 80% reduction in the number of extended downtime Due to medical treatment.
Major League Soccer referees have also begun implementing a timed substitution rule to reduce time-wasting at the end of matches. Alternate windows now have a 10 second limit, with the incoming player required to wait another 60 seconds if the player leaving the field exceeds this limit. Their team will have to play the next minute with one player less. Again, there are exceptions for goalkeeper substitutions and injuries.
During 2023, there were 3,150 substitutions in MLS Next Pro, with only ten instances of time violations. In the qualifiers, no player took more than 10 seconds to leave the field, showing how effective the procedure was.
