Lost in the hubbub over player-of-the-week Gregory Richardson’s nifty hat trick last Sunday was the fact that his first goal with the RailHawks, scored against the Vancouver Whitecaps July 17, was what the Brits call a “dubious goal.” The English Premier League, in fact, has a Dubious Goals Committee that is charged with reviewing goals in which the identity of the scorer is in dispute.
In the Whitecaps game, Richardson took a lay-off from John Cunliffe and juked his way to the byline before crossing. Before his ball could reach Cunliffe at the near post or Sallieu Bundu at the back, it deflected off Vancouver midfielder and captain Martin Nash and squirted through the legs of keeper Jay Nolly.
According to Tim Candon, the RailHawks were alerted after that game that Richardson might lose his goal; it’s now official. It must be said, however, that this particular goal was much easier to review for the fact that the game was broadcast by Fox Soccer Channel. Good luck getting this clear, professional coverage on USLLive.com.
By the way, the large Vancouver defender with the dreadlocks that you see at the end of the play, putting his hands on his knees? That’s Wesley Charles, a longtime Irish club pro who was in his second season with the Whitecaps. I say “was” because the club released him last week after a pattern of violent incidents, including this one (scroll to 7:25 mark):
