A full rundown of the IFAB rule changes can be found here. Details on the new points of emphasis are below:
Holding and pushing in the penalty area
Walton said that MLS referees will be paying closer attention to holding and pushing in the penalty area on set pieces, and that theyve been instructed to detect and punish offenders that are clearly impeding the opponent without making an effort at playing the ball.
Bracketing or jockeying players is all part of the game and is an accepted part of the game, as far as Im concerned," Walton said. "But the overt pulling and pushing that happens where the defender or the attacker just doesnt have their eyes on the ball and is clearly impeding the opponent, those are the sorts of ones that we want detected and indeed punished."
Acts of visual dissent
MLS officials will be cracking down on what Walton called acts of visual dissent in 2017. According to Walton, referees wont condone players or coaches who react to calls with arms thrown in the air or by racing after an official to berate them. Dissent can be punished by a yellow card caution.
Delayed restarts
Walton said that MLS officials will have less patience this year for players who kick a ball away or stand over a free kick to make sure that it cant be taken quickly. He said that hell look for officials to be aware of teams or players who deliberately try to delay an opponent on a restart, and to caution blatant offenders with a yellow card.
A lot of teams in Major League Soccer now play good pass and movement games, possession games and as part of that tactic theyd like to see the ball being put back into play quickly. And thats something again that opponents are picking up on that and denying them that opportunity, he said. Whats required from our referees is that they must be aware of when players are trying to deliberately delay restarting the game and punish accordingly.
Persistent infringement
The fourth and final point of emphasis for MLS officials in 2017 is on persistent infringement. Walton wants referees to be cognizant of the small, petty fouls that dont rise to a yellow card nature in isolation, but break the rhythm of the game and upset opponents. He said that all four officials will be charged to detect areas of persistent infringement, but wouldnt put a number of how many fouls would merit a yellow card, instead relying on officials to manage their individual games appropriately.