A somewhat-vigorous defence of MLS referees

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Let's face it: Every season of every sports league needs a good narrative. It's a handy way for fans and pundits to weave together the significance of a collection of discrete games that really have nothing to do with one another beyond being played under the same jurisdiction.

A month into the 2011 MLS campaign, a well-worn narrative has emerged: "The refereeing is shit." It's familiar, it's easy and it's something that nearly everyone can agree on. But simple repetition does not empirical evidence make.

So, all things considered, is the refereeing on display in MLS egregiously and unforgivably worse than the officiating one would find elsewhere? It isn't, and here's why.

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What's important to remember is that referees, like goalkeepers, can have an otherwise perfect performance spoiled by one critical flashpoint. A dozen remarkable saves are forgotten after a 90th-minute howler, the same way that 89 minutes of solid, fair officiating mean nothing in the eyes of fans if one crucial, game-altering call is (in the fans' eyes) missed.

This is not to absolve referees whose mistakes fundamentally alter the outcome of games. L.A. Galaxy fans were rightly outraged after their team was deprived of the full three points against D.C. United over the weekend, when referee Abbey Okulaja bit on a dive by Charlie Davies and awarded him a penalty kick right at the death.

The validity of that call notwithstanding, it would take supreme naivete or ignorance for anyone to tell me that diving doesn't trick referees elsewhere in the world. There are entire leagues, entire countries, entire confederations where "simulating" is seen not as dishonourable, but as a cheeky (even celebrated) manner of acquiring an advantage for one's team.

So if Davies's deception of Okulaja is the strongest case you've got against MLS, then you may want to reconsider your stance.

Now, David Beckham was likely still cheesed off at that decision on Wednesday night when he lamented that the refs were wrongly "becoming the stars of the MLS". That Beckham was facing a suspension after racking up five yellows in less than five weeks

Toronto fans had their own moment of rage earlier in the season, when Mikael Yourassowsky was sent off by Silviu Petrescu in a situation that was, in many's eyes, an overly strict application of the Laws of the Game. The fact that Petrescu had a solid game overall was lost on those who felt the urge to curse his name in the aftermath of the match.

The "referees are shit!" narrative caused an explosion of reaction during Thursday's showdown between Portland and Chicago, with plenty of invective hurled at Ricardo Salazar after Kenny Cooper's goal was disallowed on what most assumed was a phantom foul. Later, folks came to realize the goal had been disallowed because the ball had gone out of play -- and, again, Salazar turned in a solid performance under some difficult circumstances. But the damage was already done, the mental connection already made: "Salazar = bad call = bad ref".

Which brings me, of course, to Baldomero Toledo. Even if you just started following the league this year, chances are you've already become aware of his well-earned reputation. During his MLS tenure, he's thrown out red cards at a pace of about one every two games and, truth be told, a good number of them have been of a pretty dubious nature. The point made by my colleague Ben Rycroft on multiple occasions has been that once Toledo hands out his first yellow, the game quickly spirals out of control, and a sending-off becomes inevitable.

That's the other complaint lodged against refs: That games are allowed to spin out of control. Paul Ward lost the plot somewhat in a matchup between L.A. and Philadelphia earlier this season

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