Luquinhas was treated like a rag doll at times by Cincinnati. (Katie Stratman-USA TODAY Sports)
By Michael Lewis
FrontRowSoccer.com Editor
A frustrated and confounded Gerhard Struber can’t understand why referees aren’t protecting some of the stars in MLS.
Case in point:
His standout midfielder Luquinhas.
The Brazilian maestro was fouled five times in the Red Bulls’ 1-1 draw at FC Cincinnati on Saturday night, twice in the opening 90 seconds. Cincy also was slapped with two yellow cards while fouling Luquinhas.
“I have the feeling the refs are not brave enough to do it after four or five minutes,” the Red Bulls head coach said, alluding to those two early fouls.
“The referee situation is a special topic. I think we could speak after every game about referees, about decisions what they make. … This is always the standard is in the league. When they speak with us before we go in the season the referees say always to us to the coaches: We have one of our big goals this season and the duties to save and protect key players. We can see first moments against Luquinhas and the first two actions we can look again, though, only against his legs. No chance on the ball.
Struber felt that Tyler Blackett’s foul at the 90-second mark could have been a red card awarded by referee Rosendo Mendoza.
“They speak before we go into season always very clear: We have to protect key players, I know for us Luquinhas is a key player but maybe not for the refs,” he said.
Including the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Luquinhas has been fouled a team-high 47 times this season.
“Maybe they have to speak one time together, that he’s a No. 10, that was the player with special skills,” Struber said. “Maybe they can protect him.”
In one of the most confounding fouls you will ever see, Cincy’s Allan Cruz was slapped with his second yellow card of the match for a hard foul on Luquinhas on the sideline and the Brazilian midfielder tumbled into Struber in the 58th minute.
“For Luquinhas and also for every other player, I think it’s very important that we have in the end, the clear red line for some action,” Struber said. “When you see the first two actions, I feel we have to protect him and also the situation and the rolling out on my on my legs, it was, was a clear yellow.”
Struber indicated things could get worse if not sanctions are handled out for physical play.
“Situations like that, we should do it earlier that we have in the end, not always a rolling stone that is going bigger and bigger with fouls against key players, especially Luquinhas; I think in every game in the spotlight about that.”
After the final whistle, Struber received a yellow card after talking to the game officials.
“I go to the to the ref and ask him why in the overtime situation with so [many] breaks, he didn’t use the [stoppage] time,” he said. “This was my question. Maybe my speech was a little bit too enforced for him. He gave me the yellow card.”
Struber was talking about the red card than Cruz incurred for a head butt on Red Bulls deep into second-half stoppage. After starting play, Mendoza whistled the game over and did not add any extra minutes
