MLS: Bravo awarded goal in Colorado’s loss to Dallas

Upon further review by MLS officials, the Colorado Rapids’ lone goal in loss to the Dallas Burn on March 21 has now been credited to forward Paul Bravo. The play had originally been ruled as an own goal by the Burn’s Mark Santel. The play began with Bravo collecting the ball at the top of the penalty box and turning and blindly firing a shot. As the ball headed to the left of the net, it stuck the outstretched leg of Santel and deflected into an open net, past unsuspecting Dallas keeper Garth Lagerwey. The play was originally ruled an own goal, but was reviewed by the MLS office in New York and overturned. According to FIFA rules, a defender’s “intervention must be deliberate” for an own goal to be registered, and MLS today ruled that Santel was not attempting to direct the ball towards his goal.