First ‘daylight offside’ goal allowed in Canadian Premier League

A goal scored under soccer’s experimental “daylight” offside rule was allowed for the first time in a ​professional match on Saturday, with Pacific FC forward ‌Alejandro Diaz on target in a 2-2 draw with Halifax Wanderers in the Canadian Premier League.

The strike would have been ​ruled out under the standard International Football Association ​Board Laws of the Game, but stood under ⁠the CPL’s ongoing trial conducted in cooperation with FIFA.

The ​Canadian league is testing the rule this season as ​part of efforts to reduce marginal offside decisions and encourage attacking play.

Under the system, an attacker is only deemed offside if ​there is clear “daylight” between them and the second-last ​defender, rather than being penalised for narrowly being ahead.

The concept, long ‌advocated ⁠by former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger in his role as FIFA’s head of global football development, is being assessed in Canada as a potential change to the ​offside law.

Diaz’s goal ​marked the ⁠first in-game application of the interpretation, which resulted directly in a goal, offering a ​glimpse of how the rule could alter ​attacking patterns ⁠and defensive positioning.

The CPL, which launched the trial earlier this month, has provided FIFA with a professional testing ⁠ground ​for the proposal as soccer’s world ​governing body evaluates whether to expand its use more broadly.

Reuters

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