Tag: Lorne Donaldson

‘Clear and obvious should be clear and obvious’ – Spirit star Sullivan decries long VAR checks

There were in incredible 13 minutes of first-half stoppage time in Sunday’s game

Frustration is mounting across the NWSL early in the season, as some VAR reviews drag on for what seems like an eternity.

Among those who are growing weary is U.S. women’s national team and Washington Spirit midfielder Andi Sullivan, who saw her side’s game against the Utah Royals ground to a halt on multiple occasions.

Three VAR reviews throughout the game slowed the play considerably at Audi Field on Sunday. There were an incredible 13 minutes of stoppage time in the first half, with one of the reviews taking place on a fairly obvious Spirit penalty that Sullivan would eventually convert.

After a game her side won 2-1, Sullivan told reporters that while she’s grateful for the presence of video technology in the NWSL, there needs to be a concerted effort toward eliminating lengthy reviews.

“Obviously we’re glad about VAR being in the league,” the midfielder said. “But I think we need to figure out a way to make it a little more efficient. I especially think clear and obvious should be clear and obvious and it shouldn’t take a long time to decide if something is clear and obvious.

“But obviously I’m not in the booth, I don’t know the demands of that job so I shouldn’t really speak too much on that.”

On her penalty, she added: “It was a very clear penalty. I don’t really feel like that needs to be checked or checked very long. And I felt like it could have been checked by the time I had set up the first time, so I was a little frustrated about that.”

Sullivan said that the frequent stoppages for VAR checks means that teams have to figure out ways to make the breaks work to their advantage.

“We’ve definitely discussed as a team about how to manage those moments, especially when it’s taking a while and then when the ref has to go find the camera,” she said.

“So are there moments where we can come over to the sideline and just regroup? For me I reset because it had just been so long, so I needed to run through the routine again. It’s a new part of the game and we have to recognize it’s going to be a part of it, so we have to figure out different ways and techniques of handling that.”

On Friday night, Chicago Red Stars head coach Lorne Donaldson echoed Sullivan’s point, but did so in slightly more blunt fashion.

“If it takes that long to make a damn decision, then there’s no decision,” Donaldson said.

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