'It's absolutely a handball and a red card' - VAR controversy in MLS playoffs! Sporting KC boss Peter Vermes feels cheated over non-call in 1-0 loss to Houston Dynamo

In the 41st minute of the match, down 1-0, forward Daniel Salloi got into the box and fired on-frame. He beat Dynamo goalkeeper Steve Clark, but defender Erik Sviatchenko blocked it off the line. After review, the ball hit the arm of the Dane, but VAR deemed it not a clear and obvious error. For Vermes, it was not only an incorrect call, but a game-changing decision.

What say you? GOAL links the clip below, with multiple views of the incident.

“It’s not a hard decision to make when you have replay,” said Vermes. “When a player picks his arms up to make himself a little bit bigger he saves the ball with his hands. I’ve seen the replay already, there’s no doubt it’s a handball. It’s actually a handball and a red card.”

“I thought we had the better of the chances in the game,” he added. “They finished on a set piece … Outside of that, they didn’t really have much. They scored on a corner. We had the better chances. Anytime you go out of the playoffs without winning you’re frustrated obviously. Credit to Houston, they played a solid game, but like I said, I think when you look at the chances, the opportunities that we had we just didn’t finish.”

Well, Sporting KC's season is over, and that no-call Sunday evening definitely factored into it. It's a tough angle, and we have no definitive answer, but it looks as though the ball rattles the arm and the defender moved it into an unnatural position. However, when you don't do enough to win the game on your own terms, it's your own fault. The Dynamo went up 1-0 and controlled the entirety of the match, and were deserved winners based on what we saw on the pitch 11v11.

Regardless though, the decision in the past and it cannot be changed. For Peter Vermes and co. it's going to be a long offseason, and they may dip their toes into the transfer market this winter, too. With Roger Espinoza and Graham Zusi leaving, they'll have two roster spots to build on.