A big red button sitting in front of four computer screens looked like it belonged in a cartoon, the tool of an evil villain glowing in a small, dark room at Toyota Park.
“You’ll notice what looks like a missile launch button here,” said James Japhet, a representative responsible for explaining the technology. “It isn’t. That is for the VAR to actually indicate the play is something he would actually like to look at. It’s a physical move in order to start the review or start the check process.”
VAR stands for Video Assistant Referee, a concept heavily debated since its inception but that will launch in Major League Soccer on Saturday — the day Orlando City plays the Montreal Impact.