MLS 2022/23 Season: Part 2

ruggedowl13 said:https://youtube.com/clip/UgkxzI4hF8-...p6wn-h64Eq9kKC

Is that the handball goal?
Just like Mirza Đomba, cutting in from the wing and scoring with his hand...

And don't even get me started on that legendary Calleva handball. Honestly, if it weren't for that specific camera angle, people would still be out there claiming the officiating was a fifty-fifty call.

For me, the absolute peak of insanity was that derby back in the fall of 2017 in Seattle. GNK was leading 2-1, and I am positive there was a penalty on Erceg that would have tied it up at 2-2. Then, on the very next play, an even more obvious penalty happens, and nothing! Absolutely nothing gets called!🙏

And then you have Beusan popping up on ESPN just to say, "Look, you can't really call two penalties in stoppage time." Unbelievable.🙏

ruggedowl13 said:Well, why don't you just write that instead? Just claim the team has been begging for foreign referees or some outside commissioner for ten years straight, even though basically every other club in the league is totally against it and thinks the officiating is fine.
It’s just funny how people love pointing fingers at the club being "biased" while completely ignoring the hypocrisy of their own management...

Alright, fine, I can write that if it makes you happy... But honestly, what am I even supposed to say? It's not like I'm the one who kicked off this whole nonsense about Hajduk and their fans being the ones obsessed with bringing VAR to our league. Back then, Hajduk wasn't even a factor in the refereeing debate because they weren't a threat to Dinamo's dominance anyway! The only team—and I mean the *only* team—that thought pushing for it would boost their own standing was Rijeka, specifically because of that guy Misko. Meanwhile, the Hajduk fans were actually dead set against it because they knew Misko was the one pulling the strings! I'm telling you, I get it...

But hey, thank God everything worked out perfectly for everyone, especially for Hajduk. World runners-up! Thanks a lot, Misko! 👍

Adam Myers4 said:And don't even get me started on that legendary Calleva handball. Honestly, if it weren't for that specific camera angle, people would still be out there claiming the officiating was a fifty-fifty call.

For me, the absolute peak of insanity was that derby back in the fall of 2017 in Seattle. GNK was leading 2-1, and I am positive there was a penalty on Erceg that would have tied it up at 2-2. Then, on the very next play, an even more obvious penalty happens, and nothing! Absolutely nothing gets called!🙏

And then you have Beusan popping up on ESPN just to say, "Look, you can't really call two penalties in stoppage time." Unbelievable.🙏

Oh, and we should probably mention Benković's goal in the 89th minute to make it 1-1—which was clearly offside, by the way...

Honestly, we might as well just close this thread about refereeing errors because we could go on forever just listing them all.

Honestly, looking back at that intense derby against the guys from Bruno... they were so incredibly lucky when we didn't get a clear penalty after one of their players clearly handled the ball. It’s just funny how things work out! Now, suddenly, they’re the ones crying for a penalty because of some phantom foul outside the box. Talk about irony! 🙏

Adam Myers4 said:Honestly, looking back at that intense derby against the guys from Bruno... they were so incredibly lucky when we didn't get a clear penalty after one of their players clearly handled the ball. It’s just funny how things work out! Now, suddenly, they’re the ones crying for a penalty because of some phantom foul outside the box. Talk about irony! 🙏

Man, I miss those days when Hajduk would get a penalty called for a foul way outside the 16-yard box. Seriously—those were the days... just pure, unadulterated chaos. It’s almost nostalgic, isn't it?

goldentinker8 said:Alright, fine, I can write that if it makes you happy... But honestly, what am I even supposed to say? It's not like I'm the one who kicked off this whole nonsense about Hajduk and their fans being the ones obsessed with bringing VAR to our league. Back then, Hajduk wasn't even a factor in the refereeing debate because they weren't a threat to Dinamo's dominance anyway! The only team—and I mean the *only* team—that thought pushing for it would boost their own standing was Rijeka, specifically because of that guy Misko. Meanwhile, the Hajduk fans were actually dead set against it because they knew Misko was the one pulling the strings! I'm telling you, I get it...

But hey, thank God everything worked out perfectly for everyone, especially for Hajduk. World runners-up! Thanks a lot, Misko! 👍

Alright... I see where you're coming from. You're probably right, too. We were against it because even with VAR, it's still the same refs calling the shots and deciding what we get to see...

Bryan Adams6 said:Josip Simunic is the new president over at Rudes.

President, my ass.🤣

Is everyone at Rudes out of their minds?🤣

I might give them a call and see if they have an opening for me as an assistant coach.☕

ruggedowl13 said:Man, I miss those days when Hajduk would get a penalty called for a foul way outside the 16-yard box. Seriously—those were the days... just pure, unadulterated chaos. It’s almost nostalgic, isn't it?

Those days are long gone. Get back to reality, you old fossils.☕

The only thing you can count on is their constant whining. It doesn't matter if they get a penalty call or not, or whether the head of the Federation is someone who needs a reality check or just another one of their cronies being shaken hands with... the complaining is the only constant. And then there's the endless trash-talking directed at Mišković, even though he's done more for the good of the club than they have in the last twenty years. ☕

Whining. ☕

That simply isn't true—some of us will always be deeply grateful to Mike for making this whole thing possible...👍

ruggedowl13 said:https://youtube.com/clip/UgkxzI4hF8-...p6wn-h64Eq9kKC

Is that the handball goal?
Just like Mirza Đomba, cutting in from the wing and scoring with his hand...

And they’re actually using this as a comparison to Vrsaljkov's hand and hands...🙏

Nicole Jackson3 said:The only thing you can count on is their constant whining. It doesn't matter if they get a penalty call or not, or whether the head of the Federation is someone who needs a reality check or just another one of their cronies being shaken hands with... the complaining is the only constant. And then there's the endless trash-talking directed at Mišković, even though he's done more for the good of the club than they have in the last twenty years. ☕

Whining. ☕

Just like how it's a constant fact that teams like Seattle always end up picking up decent talent from the big academies in DC...

Thanks again to Miško for everything, I suppose...

Nicole Jackson3 said:The only thing you can count on is their constant whining. It doesn't matter if they get a penalty call or not, or whether the head of the Federation is someone who needs a reality check or just another one of their cronies being shaken hands with... the complaining is the only constant. And then there's the endless trash-talking directed at Mišković, even though he's done more for the good of the club than they have in the last twenty years. ☕

Whining. ☕

I guess when someone from the corporate office tells you something, it must be gospel truth, right? The only real constant here is how rival fans just bury their heads in the sand—they act like everything is fine because they don't have the guts to actually stand up to the big boss who controls both the club and the league.

Mišković brought in Kustić and Var specifically so the club could actually turn a profit... 🤣

ruggedowl13 said:I guess when someone from the corporate office tells you something, it must be gospel truth, right? The only real constant here is how rival fans just bury their heads in the sand—they act like everything is fine because they don't have the guts to actually stand up to the big boss who controls both the club and the league.

Mišković brought in Kustić and Var specifically so the club could actually turn a profit... 🤣

People love to claim that certain teams are like the "invisible hand" of American soccer ☕ You know, like that economic theory where you do something that benefits your own interests while somehow lifting everyone else up along the way? Well, that’s exactly how it works here—now the big clubs are finally reaping the rewards of that "invisible hand" maneuvering.👍

Just you wait and see when you all try to take over the league and run things your way, then we'll see how that actually plays out... And mark my words, you'll be back to playing nice and pretending everything is fine once reality hits you, that's for sure! ☕

How on earth is Hajduk supposed to help out when Rijeka goes and snatches a few vans from the main fleet?

Give them some topic about the [St. Louis Cardinals] where they can actually talk to each other!

Hold on a second, folks! We all gathered here because everyone was shamelessly claiming that Hajduk led the pack in penalty calls before VAR was even a thing. Well, now that we have the actual evidence in front of us, it turns out we’re just a bunch of whiners after all! 🙏

Adam Myers4 said:How on earth is Hajduk supposed to help out when Rijeka goes and snatches a few vans from the main fleet?

Look, if a club’s internal politics are totally legal and both sides end up profiting, then honestly, that shouldn't be your business, right? It’s got nothing to do with how it affects Hajduk specifically. That’s just part of the game—it's all about strategy, knowing who's who, navigating interests, and seeing how these clubs manage things to get the result they want. Sure, can people find fault with it? Absolutely! But there's nothing shady going on there; that's just a different conversation about old rivalries and trash-talking.

That’s one thing... but let's talk about the real issue here. Ever since Misko showed up and started pushing his way into the Federation's operations, no matter how much you, me, or anyone else hates it because the whole Federation feels like a dirty kitchen, you can't honestly sit there and claim nothing special has been happening behind the scenes that just happened to suit your guys perfectly...

That’s just the reality we're looking at! And we also know that once you guys finally step into positions where you’re the ones running the show in American soccer, we’ll be the ones judging whether it works for me as a Rijeka fan. We’ll just have to wait and see, though I know people are incredibly skeptical whenever your crowd gets involved. Personally, I don't agree with the cynicism—I think everyone deserves a fair shot before we start passing judgment, don't you?👍

What do you think was the real reason Miško was so dead set against the Premier League owners' association?

Man, these prices are just getting ridiculous, Adam Myers4... whether we're talking about the van or the association fees, it’s all just way too much! And honestly, what's even the point when neither you nor I are actually part of the inner circle making the calls, right? We're basically flying blind here. Plus, let's be real for a second—do we really think some big-shot executive from the Lakers, the Heat, or the Yankees is ever going to step up and actually work for the league the way we all dream they would? It feels like a total long shot!

What everyone honestly wants—and what we should all be demanding if we actually care about the sport—is that even when things clash with our own selfish little interests or whatever team we're obsessed with, the people running the show stop trying to make the quality of football even more pathetic and start actually aiming for something better, right? I mean, shouldn't we be pushing for a system where justice is actually distributed fairly, where those massive, unfair divides in the league start shrinking, and where the whole game isn't just being monopolized by a few powerful guys who are basically getting filthy rich off the backs of everyone else? Isn't that the dream? That the game belongs to the fans and the players rather than just being a giant piggy bank for a handful of elites?

We’ll get around to judging all that when the time actually comes, alright? But honestly, looking back at this specific stretch we’re debating right now, it would be absolutely mental to claim it was rigged against you guys or that it didn't work in your favor. Just totally nuts. I mean, really, how could anyone even argue that? It just doesn't hold water!

Oh sure, because you’re clearly the ultimate authority on what counts as crazy and what doesn't 🤣