(Left to Right) Mark Sherrod, Je-Vaughn Watson, and JJ Koval all saw red cards on Sunday. Photo credit John Hefti
On Sunday afternoon, fans of FC Dallas and San Jose witnessed nearly every version of a red card a referee can issue as their teams played to a scoreless draw.
The first ejection was given to San Jose’s Mark Sherrod, starting in his first game of the season due to injury, in the 53rd minute when Sherrod tried to jump over keeper Dan Kennedy when Kennedy went to ground. As he did, Kennedy stood up and caught Sherrod’s boot in his forehead. Sherrod did his best to avoid contact with Kennedy and was immediately concerned for the keeper when he made contact and there were no Dallas players calling for punishment from referee Baldomero Toledo.
Toledo went straight to the back pocket and pulled out a red for Sherrod, an action he’d practice twice more in the match, as Sherrod looked on dumbfounded. In fact even some Dallas players looked a little surprised at the call and broadcasters shared the same sentiment, wondering if it was even worthy of a yellow.
Next it would be Dallas’s Je-Vaughn Watson who would make an early exit as he was sent off in the 75th minute for a tackle on Cordell Cato. As Cato slid in to tackle the ball away from the Dallas defender, Watson tried to play the ball with the inside of his foot. Watson missed high and his boot went over the top of the ball and his studs slid over the top of Cato’s thigh. It was a clumsy play by Watson but most were likely expecting a yellow card for the offense.
Toledo again had a different opinion of the play and sent another player packing, although a caution would have certainly sufficed. Watson did not have his studs raised to the player and had Cato not taken the risk of making a sliding challenge, it would have been extremely difficult for Watson to have connected Cato in a dangerous manner.
The last red card of the night would be the easiest for Toledo as JJ Koval, who entered the match 5 minutes earlier, made a straight leg, studs up tackle on Ryan Hollingshead and came nowhere close to the ball. It was as straightforward a red card as can be given and left the home side shorthanded once again.
In the end neither team could find the net to punish the other teams offenses as both teams attempted 10 shots each but combined for only 3 shots on target in a match where possession was fairly evenly split.
With the draw, Dallas found themselves dropping two spots to 5th after Sporting KC and Portland both scored three points at home and San Jose fell to 8th as the Dynamo were victorious in Houston.
San Jose will have the next week off, next hosting Sacramento Republic FC on Tuesday the 16th for the US Open Cup, before traveling to Seattle to take on the Sounders one week after FC Dallas makes the same trip, playing Seattle this Saturday the 13th.
