In the 22nd minute of the Columbus Crew’s 3-1 loss to D.C. United on Saturday night, referee Ted Unkel made himself the center of attention, literally and figuratively. Unkel was poorly positioned and got tangled up with Luciano Acosta as the United midfielder was attempting to receive a pass in the center circle. Acosta tumbled to the ground. Crew midfielder Wil Trapp, who was also converging on the play, quickly controlled the ball and sprung the Crew on a break, which resulted in a Pedro Santos goal.



It was unfortunate for D.C. United, but these things happen. The referee, of course, is on the playing field. A youth coach once told me to “treat the referee like dirt.” (Which, I now realize, is an unfortunate way to phrase it.) What happened next, though, was far worse. Unkel went to his earpiece, and then to the VAR monitor. In a matter of seconds, he returned to the playing field and waved the goal off. After the match, the press pool reporter asked Unkel...