Heaps Stands By Players On Game-winner
- Updated: April 5, 2016
Photo credit: Kari Heistad/capturedimages.biz
Following Friday’s match, Revolution coach Jay Heaps said he’d have to look at the tape to see if his players were justified in playing through while Red Bulls defender Kemar Lawrence was on the ground with an injury. Now that he has, it’s fair to say they’re in the clear.
Despite some pointed criticisms from the Red Bulls camp about the Revolution’s alleged lack of sportsmanship on the play, Heaps stood by his players during Tuesday’s media access.
“When you look at the panoramic view that we have, which sees the whole field, at no time is it clear when (Lawrence) was down while we’re playing the ball forward,” Heaps told the media. “It’s really one of those (situations) where you’re telling your guys to play the whistle.”
Red Bulls coach Jesse Marsch called the play “shameful,” while referee Mark Geiger told the local pool reporter that Lawrence’s injury “did not appear to be serious,” and thus, play was allowed to continue.
Heaps believes that only Red Bulls goalkeeper Luis Robles was aware of Lawrence’s predicament in real time, and thus, it would’ve been difficult to stop play based on his pleas alone.
“When it’s 10 or 12 or 15 players on the field know a player’s down, that’s when you kick it out,” Heaps said. “If that ball had been stolen when Scott checked back for the ball, they would’ve taken it to goal whether a man was down or not.
“So playing on that scenario, there was not an area or a time when the ball should’ve or could’ve been kicked out, in my opinion.”
For his part, Marsch’s opinion hasn’t changed since Friday’s post-game press conference.
“I’m not going to go back,” Marsch told BigAppleSoccer.com on Monday. “I made some, I think, adamant statements after the game. I haven’t changed my mind much.”
It appears Heaps’ mind is made up, as well.
“I don’t think we’d change anything about that play,” Heaps said, “because we have guys going forward and guys trying to get in the box and the defender goes down, and the only player who knows he’s down is his goalkeeper.”
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