Referee who worked Sunday's Sounders FC game is now under review

TUKWILA — Tim Weyland, the head referee whose decisions were called into question by Sounders FC players and coach Sigi Schmid following a 1-1 draw with the Los Angeles Galaxy on Sunday, is having his performance reviewed this week by the U.S. Soccer Federation.

Weyland could receive a failing grade for the match, but apparently won't immediately be suspended or penalized for his performance.

The USSF assigns officials to all Major League Soccer games, and referees are graded on their performance after every match. There is a chance that after the review, which includes a report from Sounders FC, Weyland will not work another Seattle match this season.

Weyland is one of 21 referees from the U.S. that the federation uses for MLS games. He is not one of the league's four full-time referees, but he is in his 10th season as an MLS official and refereed 11 games last season. If he receives three failing grades — based on USSF review with MLS input — he is removed from officiating MLS games.

"He is an experienced referee who didn't have his best day," MLS executive vice president Todd Durbin said of Weyland in a statement. "As we saw in the recent UEFA Champions League semifinals [a controversial draw between Chelsea and Barcelona], referees in soccer will always come under scrutiny because their decisions can have significant impact on the game. But that is a function of the sport, not our league. It happens throughout the world."

Durbin added: "If a referee is not performing well, U.S. Soccer has, and will, remove that official from future MLS matches."

Weyland allowed play to continue after Seattle forward Nate Jaqua was brought down in the penalty area in the first half of Sunday's match, opting not to call for a penalty kick that potentially could have given Seattle a 2-1 lead.

He later gave a caution to Sounders FC defender James Riley after a second-half scrum that involved two Galaxy players, one who also was cautioned after the scuffle. Weyland changed Riley's yellow card to a red after conferring with an assistant official, Riley was ejected, and Sounders FC had to play with just 10 men from the 58th minute on.

From that point, fouls and cautions were more frequent than scoring chances. Fans booed Weyland and the officials after the final whistle, and Schmid gave Weyland a piece of his mind on the field after the game. Then the coach accused the officials of inequities and said he was "disappointed in the refereeing."

Schmid will learn whether he'll be fined for his comments by the league by Thursday. "I know it's a tough job. I know the abuse that they take," he said. "But you also have to have a feel for it."

On Monday he said: "After having watched the game a couple of times already, my opinion has become more firm."

Sounders FC general manager Adrian Hanauer expressed his support of Schmid's comments from Sunday.

"I feel like we were taken for a couple of points and probably should have come away with the win and that the referee played a role in that," Hanauer said.

"My bigger concern is that we are working hard here in Seattle ... to get fans into the building, and we owe a good experience to our fans. And that means referees that maintain control of the game, referees that keep the flow of the game going, referees that don't become the center of attention, referees that keep the players on the field because quite frankly, the fans are there to see the players, not the referees."

José Miguel Romero: 206-464-2409 or jromero@seattletimes.com