Sporting Kansas City Draws, but the Referee Takes Center Stage

What happens when a team gives it their all, controls the game, creates solid chances, yet still walks off the field with a bad taste in their mouth? Sure, it sounds like another cliché in soccer, but the 1-1 draw between Sporting Kansas City and the New York Red Bulls was way more than just a frustrating result. It was a refereeing nightmare, and Peter Vermes didn’t mince words, calling out the real culprits.

Right after the final whistle, Vermes wasted no time addressing what went wrong. He straight-up questioned the second yellow card given to Jake Davis, who got sent off after a mind-boggling decision by the ref. Vermes was crystal clear: "It’s not a second yellow card." And honestly, he’s got a point.

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The two players were 70 yards from the goal. There was no clear scoring opportunity, no desperation, no need for drastic intervention. There was nothing there—just two guys battling for the ball, like you see in every game. If that’s grounds for a red card, we might as well tear up the rulebook and stop pretending soccer’s a contact sport. Now Davis is suspended for the next game, and Sporting KC loses one of their key players during a crucial stretch of the season. Make any sense?

If Davis’s ejection wasn’t bad enough, SKC got hit with another gut punch: a blatant foul on forward Khiry Shelton late in the match. Was it a clear penalty? Absolutely. Red Bulls' goalkeeper Meara came out like a wrecking ball, took Shelton down, and then grabbed the ball like nothing happened. Come on, anyone with a shred of soccer sense knows that would be a foul anywhere else on the field. But inside the box? It’s like the rules magically shift.

And why didn’t VAR step in? It’s supposed to fix these blatant errors, but nope, it was left unused. It’s maddening because it feels like bad calls are being made both on and off the field. It’s almost laughable—if it weren’t so real.

Still, despite the ref’s roadblocks, Sporting KC put in a solid performance. Alan Pulido, who’s been in a bit of a scoring slump, finally found the back of the net with a determined play. It was a beauty—a pinpoint pass from Jake Davis, and Pulido showed he still knows how to finish when he’s near the goal. But hey, it’s not enough to score a great goal or play well for 89 minutes. You’ve gotta hold out ‘til the final whistle, and that’s where Kansas City stumbled.

In the closing moments, a defensive blunder led to the Red Bulls' equalizer. And look, it wasn’t some brilliant play or attacking genius from New York. It was just a basic mistake—failing to clear the ball properly. Instead of booting it out, the defender smacked it right into a Red Bulls player, who pounced on the second chance and tucked it away.

Even with the draw, you can’t deny Kansas City had control of the game. They handled the Red Bulls’ long-ball tactics, which were pretty much just hopeful punts into the box and scrapping for loose balls. But Kansas, especially their midfield, stood their ground. Jake Davis and Zorhan Bassong were like two bulldogs in the middle, pressing hard and making sure the Red Bulls never got too comfortable.

For Bassong, who’s been adjusting to a midfield role, this game was a big test of mental and physical stamina. He even admitted he’s starting to feel more at home in that position, and the chemistry with Davis gets better every game. They’re shaping up to be a strong duo, and if they keep it up, they could be the key to Kansas City finding their rhythm and securing a playoff spot.

But here’s the thing—playing well means nothing if bad calls keep messing with the results. And the worst part? It seems like there’s zero accountability for these mistakes. The ref screws up, VAR stays quiet, and the teams are the ones who get shafted. Vermes hammered this point home in his post-game press conference, and it’s something that deserves serious thought. How long are we gonna sit back and accept these errors as just part of the game?

If soccer is supposed to be a physical game, as Vermes said, then calls like Davis’s red card and the non-penalty on Shelton need to be reviewed. Otherwise, the sport loses its essence and becomes a game of chance—where the luckiest with the refs walk away winners.