Why penalty kick Video Reviews in Week 16 and Week 17 shouldn’t have occurred

In the latest edition of PRO’s weekly Inside Video Review series, PRO manager of video review operations Greg Barkey goes inside some of the most controversial moments of Week 16 and Week 17 of the MLS season, including an explanation of why two penalty kicks shouldn’t have gone to Video Review.

Those decisions were in a Week 16 matchup between Columbus Crew SC and the Montreal Impact and a Week 17 showdown between FC Cincinnati and Toronto FC.

In both situations the call on the field was changed following Video Review — the Impact were awarded a penalty, while FC Cincinnati’s PK was taken away.

"Since there were considerations that supported the original on-field decision, in PRO’s opinion, the line of intervention for clear and obvious error was not reached and the recommendation for review should not have been made since the original decision was not clearly wrong,” Barkey said.

Three decisions in the latest Texas Derby between the Houston Dynamo and FC Dallas were also reviewed in detail — Mauro Manotas’ sending off, a PK decision involving Bryan Reynolds and a Bressan red cad that was rescinded.