For the second match in a row, the referees drew the ire of Toronto FC head coach Robin Fraser on Saturday, with head official Allen Chapman the target of his frustration following a 3-1 defeat to Charlotte FC.

Chapman made three major decisions that influenced the outcome of the match, first calling off Jackson Gilman’s first MLS goal after Jonathan Osorio was judged to have fouled Idan Toklomati on the cross into the box that Gilman headed into the net.

The goal would have given Toronto a 2-1 lead less than ten minutes after they went down a goal, but instead it kept the game at 1-1. Minutes later David Schnegg scored a great goal to give Charlotte the lead that they would not relinquish for a second time.

“When I come in and I get five texts from random people around the country, and the first thing they say is, ‘What do the referees have against TFC?’ I don’t really know,” Fraser said after the match, frustrated. “You go back and you look at this, Jackson scores a great goal and I cannot believe, I cannot believe, that Oso is called for a foul on it. He didn’t even lean into the player, he just stood there. The player ran into him, that goes to VAR, and the referee looks at it, and he decides it.

“It just doesn’t make sense to me. If Oso does anything, if he leans into him, if he pushes him, then that’s one thing. He literally stood there.”

Fraser said he felt bad for Gilman in particular, as his goal would have given Toronto FC a 2-1 lead in a very strong MLS debut for the young centre-back.

Derrick Etienne Jr. scored a fantastic goal to tie the game a few minutes earlier from outside the box, which Fraser half-jokingly said gratefully that “there was no way I guess that could be taken back” like Gilman’s.

“Jackson was excellent, he was a centre-back in college, and he’s played centre-back more than he’s played anything else,” Fraser said. “I knew he was going to be fine, and I thought he was really solid, did himself nothing but good. Scored a fantastic goal. I just feel bad for him, because what a debut that is, score a great goal to take the lead, and magically and mystically it’s taken away from him.”

Fraser also added that “it’s extremely, extremely frustrating when the team plays with that sort of effort, and things are just out of their control.”

Courtesy: Toronto FC

Late in the game as Toronto was pushing for an equalizer, Chapman called a weak foul on Osorio, sending Pep Biel to the penalty spot where he made it 3-1 to put the game out of reach.

Fraser was also incensed about a non-call earlier in the second half when Kobe Franklin seemed to get taken down in the penalty area, but Chapman that time didn’t point to the spot, or even go to the monitor himself to review it.

“Somehow Kobe is breaking into the box as the ball’s being crossed, their defender pushes him in the back with his hand, knocks him over, no call,” Fraser recapped. “I just don’t understand it, I really don’t understand it.

“The penalty on Oso, the ball’s five yards out of bounds, the guy flops. I just don’t really understand.”

Last weekend at BMO Field it was Victor Rivas that Fraser thought didn’t want to upset Inter Miami’s star players with calls against Lionel Messi and co. Chapman was in the middle for CF Montreal’s draw with the Portland Timbers midweek, where he made a couple of major decisions including a big non-call on a handball in the box.

Toronto FC are now winless in seven games, likely adding to the frustration from their head coach when he felt that things should have played out differently.

Toronto FC have one more game before the summer World Cup break, visiting the Chicago Fire next Saturday.