If we've learned anything from the soccer world in recent days it is this: the time is nigh for soccer to utilize video review to assist referees. I would argue the time was nigh a quarter century ago, but even great ideas sometimes take awhile to reach critical mass. Well, surely the masses are finding the situation pretty darn critical now. Just ask Barcelona fans about Wednesday's Champs League quarterfinal second leg versus Atletico Madrid, or New England Revolution fans about last Saturday's draw versus Toronto. Those are just a couple examples from the last week alone. How many more grievous "hand[s] of Gaul" will it take to rattle awake the soccer establishment that for big, game-changing referee decisions, justice can usually be served with minimal video review help.

Let's pause to address the soccer "purists" among us (if you're not one of those, does that make you a soccer "impurist"?) who generally don't favor allowing video review in the sport. How is being okay with match results based on erroneous refereeing decisions the purist view? Over the last several years I've heard pundits, like one of my favorites, Alexi Lalas (I actually do really enjoy his punditry, unlike seemingly the entire internet), opine that video review would mess up soccer's beautiful human error, drama and controversy. I love human error, drama, and tons of controversy if I'm playing charades at a family reunion - not with my favorite soccer team when bazillions of dollars, titles, glory and stuff are at stake.

Soccer purists needn't be afraid of a little technology. Goal-line tech has gone very well in the EPL for example (what are you waiting for MLS?). I'm certainly no techie eager to jump on the latest gadget bandwagon. Heck, I'm still trying to figure out Twitter. But if a tradition-bound sport like tennis can adopt shot-spotting technology, surely soccer can allow a little video review. I have a difficult time believing reasonable video review would intrude on the sport any more than a number of developments over the years. We certainly don't seem to have a problem with advances in equipment technology. We no longer play with medicine balls that look like volleyballs, or wear burlap boots with nails for cleats, or use woolen jerseys, or wear pieces of shiplap* for shin guards.

*(shiplap shin guards weren't really a thing and the only reason I even know what "shiplap" means is because my wife is a Fixer Upper devotee.)

Okay, Mr. Smarty Pants, how then would you use said video review? I'm not advocating Amazon-sponsored computer drone referees to replace human refs. Where would be the fun in players yelling at a drone? The idea isn't to use video review as referee replacement, but referee enhancement. It would simply be available as backup for the most pivotal decisions of a match: red cards, penalty kicks, offsides (only those in the box, or when a goal is scored), dives, Luis Suarez Dracula impressions, etc. For those occasions when video evidence is inconclusive, the referee's original decision would stand.

But what about non-calls in the box you say, or Nigel de Jong yellow cards that should've been red? Simple - assistant referees could be allowed to wave their flag and request video review if they deem it to be a potential game-altering non-call. Or, perhaps managers could be allowed one challenge per half, a la the NFL. When the opportunity exists to get a call right, why wouldn't we seize it?

One more purist objection to address: that video review would ruin the flow of the game. Really? More than theatrical writhing and faux on-field treatment sessions? Did you see that U.S. vs. Colombia U23 game in Frisco? The bulk of video reviews would take no longer than substitutions or your standard medic consultation. Longer reviews would be rare and last no longer than your standard cops chasing down an on-field streaker situation. Even if reviews did take a little time, wouldn't making accurate decisions be worth it? For expediency, the fourth official could hold the iPad at field level and operate the review, which would also give them something else to do besides holding up the substitution board. Speaking of, that's another example of tech innovation in soccer - it wasn't long ago we were using number flip charts. Or how 'bout this... substitution boards that also double as video review screens? You heard it here first; I invented that.

Why am I getting so worked up when the IFAB (International Football Association Board) recently approved a testing phase for video review, and even the NCAA just approved video review for college soccer? One: the response is too slow from IFAB. We have the technology to do this now. Anybody with half a smart phone can instantly see what the actual decision should be, so unjust match results stand and exist in some twilight zone false reality while everyone in the real world knows what actually happened. Two: some of the suggested ways video review might be employed are frustratingly insufficient. For example, the NCAA-approved rules will only allow video review to determine whether a goal has been scored, to identify players for disciplinary matters, or to determine whether a fight occurred and identify the participants - all good things, but aside from the goal-scoring bit, these rules omit the most crucial game-altering decisions that video review would be most useful in getting right. This is even more frustrating, that games will still be lost via wrong penalty kick or offside calls because the video review rules won't apply to those situations. Don't even bother if your video review isn't going to include penalty kicks.

In many ways, MLS has always been a bit of a renegade league on the world soccer stage, so why stop now? The league should pioneer a simple, limited, but effective video review system to assist referees and prove to the rest of the world that there is nothing to fear with video review. What is to fear is your team missing out on a trip to the World Cup because of an incorrect call. It's happened before and it could happen again, but it doesn't have to.

Nathan Nipper is the author of the award-winning book Dallas 'Til I Cry: Learning to Love Major League Soccer.