Peter Walton, the general manager of the Professional Referee Organization that manages and administers referee assignments in North America, refused to back down in the face of criticism that MLS referees have been too harsh this season.
So far in the current campaign, 16 red cards have been handed out, which is a record pace for the league, up slightly from last year's mark of 14 at this point in the season. There have been numerous complaints from players and coaches that some of the ejections should have been yellow cards.
But on a conference call with reporters, Walton indicated that MLS referees had identified and correctly punished 85 percent of the incidents that it deemed to be red cards this season -- up from an accuracy of 72 percent last season -- and that PRO and MLS referees wouldn't alter their view of what constitutes serious foul play.