Minnesota United laments targeting of playmaker Darwin Quintero

Check out my gamer here from Minnesota United's 3-2 victory against the Portland Timbers on Saturday at TCF Bank Stadium.

And now let's talk about the refs because who doesn't just love commentary on officiating?

As you know if you read my gamer, United's defensive midfielder Fernando saw a straight red for a challenge in the last minute of regulation. The broadcast team seemed to think it was very soft. Here's what some of the Loons thought:

"I'll have to see it," coach Adrian Heath said. "He thinks he's protecting his space. We'll see."

Team captain Francisco Calvo also said he'd have to watch it back to fully asses.

"In my position on the field, for me, it wasn't a red card," Calvo said. "But I don't know what the referee saw. ... The referee makes the decision, and we have to respect that. We can't do anything about the referees."

Calvo also alleged that Portland defender Liam Ridgewell kicked Darwin Quintero in the face but saw no repercussion. Fellow center back Michael Boxall also brought up Quintero's plight.

Heath has commented several time on his perceived unfair treatment of Quintero, who he thinks is fouled more often than others but rarely ever compensated for it.

"I say it every week. I watch every game in the MLS, and I watch every No.10 in the league. The [Sebastian] Giovincos and [Miguel] Almirons, whoever it is, who are top players. You get near them, it's a foul," Heath said. "He very rarely gets anything. Very rarely. And it's happened now every week. Regularly. And it's not one guy doing it, it's consistently different people. And they know it's quality. And if we can all see it, I'm sure the officials should be able to see it."

Heath also wasn't too pleased with how the officials handled a late-game substitution he made, putting Collen Warner on the field for Quintero after the red card.

"It's the first time I've ever known a referee to let the free kick be taken as the guy is coming off the field," Heath said. "You're nearly equivalent to nine men down. Because if that would have stayed in play, we would have been even another man short. So, I would like to say. No, I'm not going to say anything about the referee."

Rewatch my Facebook Live below or click here. There's also a video from Heath's postgame presser below.