By Ridge Mahoney, Senior Editor
Soccer America Magazine
Earlier this year, MLS officials volunteered to experiment with goal-line cameras to determine whether or not the ball crossed the line. ''Lipstick'' cameras – so named because they are the about the size of a tube of lipstick – could be installed and operated at little cost and effort.
FIFA, which is testing a microchip-equipped ''smart ball'' at the U-17 World Cup, has so far balked at an MLS lipstick test and the league should first stump up the money to add cameras near the penalty-area lines to give producers and directors and announcers and viewers – as well as league officials – a chance to determine if a close offside decision is right or wrong.
In some MLS stadiums, seating configuration and stadium design can prevent placing cameras in these locations, but in many cases, teams simply don't want to incur the additional cost.
National as well as regional telecasts this year have been blighted by offside decisions that couldn't be evaluated because no suitable replay existed. The audience wants to know.
Also all-too-rare are looks from behind the goal, as in the case of Youri Djorkaeff's winner against the Revs last weekend and Ryan Suarez's amazing, curving shot into the top corner for Chivas USA in May against Colorado.
And the league must seriously consider insisting that starting next season, every game be produced as if for broadcast, even if only patrons of the Direct Kick Package can watch.
''MLS Wrap'' has been plagued this year by too many games that either didn't have any highlights at all or were covered only by a single camera, often shot from the sideline at field level. Weak.
''MLS Wrap'' host Mark Rogondino has done what he can to cover the deficiency by trumpeting ''exclusive coverage,'' but viewers are not fooled.
One of the best goals of the season vanished into thin air by not being televised.
In April at Spartan Stadium, Dwayne DeRosario dribbled diagonally from midfield to the top of the penalty arc and shot a roller into the net off the base of the post. That was the winning goal in a 3-2 Quakes victory, but because San Jose does not televise home games and Kansas City management decided this year to abandon regional coverage altogether, the goal never appeared as a highlight.