Should MLS invest in goal-line technology? Charlotte FC's Dean Smith says yes if they want to be a "big league"
By Andrew Crowell
In European leagues such as the Premier League in England and the Bundesliga in Germany, goal-line technology determines whether the ball crosses the goal line. So why not MLS?
"One thing I believe, if we want to become a better league and be looked upon as one of the big leagues, one thing we have to improve on is to have goal-line technology...for me, there's no gray area," said Charlotte FC's Dean Smith in a recent press conference.
While Smith declares that there is no gray area, the technology is still relatively new, and it has glitched in the past to Smith's benefit. While Smith was coaching Aston Villa, Sheffield United appeared to have scored a goal against them but the goal was never counted because of a glitch in the goal-line technology.
The unfortunate answer is the cost compared to how often the technology is used. MLS Commissioner Don Garber declared in 2013 that MLS would not invest in goal-line technology since it is only relevant in certain moments. "Our view has been that we're going to wait and see how it works out. We certainly don't need to be the first league that has it," Garber said at the time.
According to top referee Jan Wegereef, there were five situations in the 2014/15 Eredivisie season where there was doubt about a goal or no goal. Based on this data, clubs need the technology in their stadium around once every 60 games. That does not factor in that the likelihood of the situation being a match-deciding goal is 30%, or that there is a good chance the match-deciding goal is in a less relevant situation (e.g., when seeds 10 and 11 face each other).
The way MLS seasons and their playoffs are structured there are more relevant situations as lower-seeded teams can still have more important matches more often because of the number of teams that qualify for the playoffs. But, the structure also allows for each specific situation to be valued less because of how often and how short a winning streak is required to have a chance to qualify for a playoff spot and to climb the table.
How does goal-line technology work exactly? In soccer stadiums and arenas around the world, there are cameras installed to focus on the goal line to assist in rendering a 3-D image that shows whether the ball has crossed the line or not. If the ball crosses the line, the referees are signaled on their watches so they can make a quick call on the field signaling a goal versus no goal. This technology has been around for over ten years at this point, as it was first implemented in 2014.
The Premier League made the change almost immediately in 2014, and cost around $300,000 to install the technology in each of the league’s stadiums. The cost per game would run at about $3,900, which would cost around $2 million per year for every club in MLS to have the technology. In 2023, MLS brought in an aggregate $2.03 billion in revenue. Averaging around $70 million per franchise at the time. This means that the roughly $9 million that it would cost to install goal-line technology in MLS stadiums represents only a portion of the revenue MLS brings in during a single fiscal year, as the league's revenue streams have increased since then.
MLS is growing rapidly, especially with the arrival of more world-renowned players such as Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez. Many decisions will need to be discussed and actions taken during this time. Goal-line technology is one that many coaches, pundits, and fans in MLS will bang on the drum for as the league continues to expand its reach.
