THIS IS soccer's version of the conundrum of not intentionally fouling when you have a three-point lead in the final seconds of a basketball game.
You can't lose if a guy shoots two free throws, but coaches wouldn't be coaches if they didn't fear that an opponent could get three free throws or complete a four-point play if fouled while attempting a three-pointer.
Most coaches won't do it.
On Sunday night in Vancouver, the Union were defending a corner kick against the Whitecaps in their 2017 Major League Soccer opener.
It seems like a smart security blanket for a team to put a defender on the goal line at the near post but traditionally that defender is a yard or two off of the line.