After hearing from fans, DC United players, Peter Nowak and now Tony's Take on the PK-inducing foul, let me reiterate that Brandon Prideaux did commit the foul on the Columbus Crew's Frankie Hejduk, and it did warrant a PK call. It didn't go down (wishfully) like this:
Brandon had his hand on the jersey of Frankie Hejduk in the box as the ball rolled toward the end line. Hejduk realized that he couldn't catch up with the ball so he belly flopped onto the turf and looked hopefully at the official Terry Vaughn. There was an unusually long pause as Hejduk was on the ground, and then the referee blew his whistle and dramatically pointed to the penalty spot. More than 18,000 fans at RFK Stadium were in shock. Shocked at the mysterious delay, shocked at the call and shocked that, after totally dominating ball possession and chances on goal, D.C. United was going home with an infuriating tie. Vaughn missed the call undoubtedly. The play was much closer to being a yellow card for diving than a penalty. It was a critical call that cost D.C. United two points in the standings. The result was an unfair one to put it mildly, but the referee is not the only one to blame.
Here's the definitive proof available for download (Updated Real Player required). Thanks to Mark Bushman's TV show (shown locally in the Fredericksburg, VA-area) This Week In Soccer, and their cameraman Luis Pacheco, we have a different camera angle of the foul that shows the following:
1. Prideaux was beaten on the play. 2. Prideaux had both hands on Frankie Hejduk and was grabbing him. 3. At the point Hejduk fell down, Prideaux had stepped on Hejduk's foot. 4. Hejduk did not "dive."
The foul that led to the PK is the second highlight on the clip--the first being Dema Kovalenko's goal and celebration. We also show Ross Paule's PK. Just as a note to the video also, there's a 9 second test pattern that leads it off.
On the Prideaux/Hejduk play, we show it in real time, and in slo-mo so you can see it one more time. Download speeds will definitely vary on that but your chances are better on a cable/broadband/DSL connection than dialup. It took me about 10-15 seconds to download the clip.
You can also hear Prideaux talk about the play, and hear takes from Earnie Stewart, Ben Olsen, Ryan Nelsen and Bryan Namoff about the play and the match, which, as you're well aware, ended in a 1-1 draw.
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