Nashville SC fans rue lack of goal-line technology in MLS after 2-2 draw | OneFootball

Nashville SC should have sealed victory before it got to this point. But as the Coyotes were forced to settle for a 2-2 draw to visiting New York City FC on Saturday night after giving back a two-goal lead, a lot of Nashville fans were wondering how on earth a league that partners with one of the world's largest technology companies still lacks goal-line technology.

Frankly, it's hard to blame them.

Yes, NYCFC goalkeeper Matt Freese reacted spectacularly well to reach Hany Mukhtar's shot in the 62nd minute, one that would've restored Nashville's two-goal advantage at 3-1.

But in real-time, it certainly looked like there was at least a chance Mukhtar's shot had crossed the line, and the replays the broadcast showed two minutes later did nothing to quell that suspicion.

More than a decade after goal-line technology was first introduced, MLS still has not adopted it.

Yes, the considerable cost to implement such a system at 30 stadiums is a reasonable point. But the fact that even a partnership with Apple TV that began in 2023 doesn't appear to have resulted in technological advances to keep pace with officiating in the top European leagues is one of the most puzzling parts of the whole project.

The state TV effect

Further, incidents like Saturday afternoon's clash are one example of what fans actually lose in the agreement with Apple TV. Because the pact stipulates that the league fronts the production costs and produces the games themselves, the result at times sure seems to be broadcasts that avoid placing the league in a bad light.

With a more experienced rights holder like ESPN, Fox or Univision (the league's previous partners), replays of the incident would've featured prominently through the remainder of the match telecast.

Instead, all we are left afterward on the MLS Season Pass website is one 20-second clip of the key play that does not show the replays that put the status of Freese's save into further question.