To hear the arguments against instant replay in soccer is to hear talk of the free-flowing nature of the game. "Instant replay has really slowed up a couple of other sports," Crew SC captain Michael Parkhurst said. "The nice thing about soccer is that it just keeps going."

To hear the arguments against instant replay in soccer is to hear talk of the free-flowing nature of the game.

�Instant replay has really slowed up a couple of other sports,� Crew SC captain Michael Parkhurst said. �The nice thing about soccer is that it just keeps going.�

But getting calls correct � goals, penalties, offsides and balls out of bounds � takes priority for coach and sporting director Gregg Berhalter.

�It can be done in an instant,� Berhalter said. �I mean, you can get all this stuff right. So why not?�

Berhalter is a staunch supporter of using instant replay and line technology in Major League Soccer, and it is no surprise he spoke at length when asked about the subject three days after referee Ted Unkel presided over a late-game debacle in a 3-2 Crew win over New York City FC at Mapfre Stadium.

Unkel called a foul on Crew defender Tyson Wahl in the penalty area in the 85th minute, leading to a penalty-kick goal by David Villa that cut the lead to 3-2. Unkel deemed that Wahl�s foul was worthy of a red card because it denied an obvious goal-scoring opportunity to Kwadwo Poku, though Unkel mistakenly issued the red and its accompanying one-game suspension to Parkhurst.

The red card and suspension were retroactively issued to Wahl on Monday. The Crew is appealing, arguing that Wahl�s challenge was not a foul because the contact occurred after he knocked the ball away. The Crew is also arguing that even if Wahl�s contact was deemed a foul, it did not constitute an obvious denial of a scoring opportunity because Poku would have lost control of the ball on his next touch, and goalkeeper Steve Clark was nearby.

�Hopefully, nobody has a red card by the end of the week,� Parkhurst said. �I saw the strongest guy on the field go down pretty easily.�

Parkhurst said he is �torn� over instant replay but allowed that it could have easily prevented the case of mistaken identity. But Professional Referee Organization general manager Peter Walton said it would have prevented what was a �perfect storm� of mistakes that led to the wrong player being ejected.

�That�s an example of a wrong decision that would be righted straight away without anybody realizing it,� Walton said.

Goal-line technology is in use in several leagues around the world, but instant replay is not. MLS commissioner Don Garber has indicated that instant replay is likely to be tested in the United Soccer League, which includes teams operated by or affiliated with every MLS team. But Walton told ESPNFC.com that might not happen until next season.

The sooner the better, Berhalter said.

�If we want to be a progressive league and be on the forefront of what�s happening in soccer, then let�s do it,� he said. �Let�s be the first. I think we have the technology, the know-how and the mindset to do it.�

smitchell@dispatch.com

@smitchcd