Sunday, April 24, 2016

Great Article from @dutchreferee

See the whole article, "7 tips to stay focused for 90 minutes" here, at Dutch Referee Blog.

I'll add a #8 alongside the very worthy (7) points he makes.

#8 - Visualize.
In preparation for a match visualize the match and decisions you may have to make. Picture entering the field. Air is warm, sun is out, and you can smell the fresh cut grass. Visualize inspecting the teams before the match and having a nice pre-match conversation with a coach or player. Feel the thrill of that first whistle to start the match. Imagine that hand ball that a player tries to get away with on your blind side. Picture in your mind that goal by the #10 and before pointing upfield, looking to your assistant to verify it was a good goal. Go through cautioning a player for that hard challenge that has no place on this day. Finish by visualizing the final whistles and shaking hands with your teammates ... all of them ... players and referees alike who worked for 90 minutes together for a good match.

Imagine the good and the bad and how you are going to deal with it that day. Play it in your head before you walk into the field. If you find yourself waining during a match, replay that part to bolster your focus and confidence.

Then do it. 

Saturday, April 23, 2016

"I could have done more ..."

US Soccer Star Abby Wambach: 'I Could Have Done More' to Fight Pay Inequity

“Maybe I was a little too scared.”


On the soccer pitch, Abby Wambach was a leader. Now, five-and-a-half months after she retired from the game after a 30-year career, she says she’s ready to keep leading – this time in the fight for gender pay equality.

In a painfully honest speech Thursday before some 6,500 at the Watermark Conference for Women in Silicon Valley, she, in effect, apologize for not having done more to help the cause when she played on the women’s US Soccer Team. “I turned this chapter and was like, ‘Gosh, I could have done more. I should have done more,'” she said, adding, “There’s so much frustration in my bones, because I could have done more.” ...

See the whole story here, from Fortune.

Kicking Back Comments: While Abby continues on her apology tour (and I mean no disrespect there, this is a good thing for everyone) she took time to comment on the EEOC issue. Her comments seemed to be a bit scripted and had less vitriol than her former teammates. As one of the highest paid on the WNT her thoughts did ring a bit hollow, but was much more on point than her teammates. Her comments about feeling shamed about such issues I do think are powerful and throughout this matter shame, nor respect should be used as a weapon again the other party.

This is not about respect ... it's about money. Those two things do not lead to the other. I personally know a millionaire who is a truly unethical wanker and have met nearly penniless people who are people I would trust.

Beyond that, this article is crap as while it points out some facts regarding pay, it clearly continues to be a cheerleader for the WNT, regardless of what the reality is. 

Friday, April 22, 2016

Equal pay my ...

As I have bloviated about here a few times now, the whole WNT equal pay issue is a bit of a red herring (a logical fallacy) that is IMO nothing more than a way to put pressure on US Soccer regarding the upcoming case regarding the CBA for the WNT.

There was a spectacular piece in the NYT regarding an objective, and I mean truly objective, look at the comparison between the MNT and WNT pay.

You can see the whole article, Pay Disparity in U.S. Soccer? It’s Complicated, here, courtesy of the NYT.

Here are some of the highlights:

  • MNT for their history is more revenue generating than the WNT. Note this does not include sponsorships and broadcast rights. Since 2012 however the MNT has brought in a factor of 2 more revenue if we include this point. Factor of 2 folks.

  • Top (12) paid players in US Soccer are, (6) men and (6) women, all over $1M.

  • Best paid women made about $1.2M since 2008 and in some cases made MORE than the men in similar positions on the MNT.

  • It is only until you get to about the 25th position on the roster do this tip away from the women and it does dip big time.

  • Equal work? Nope. WNT qualifies in 2 weeks time when the MNT takes 2 years and many more matches.

  • What about those bonuses for the men (in general) v. the women? Well, go talk to FIFA, and guess what, they base it on revenue too.

  • Per diem and sponsorship appearance work? No question, as I have stated earlier should be equal, and in fact I think the appearance fees should be bigger for the WNT right now as they are coming off a HUGE win and have a chance at same in the Olympics. This is the one point that is correct in Carli Lloyd's horribly misinformed article in the NYT. Whoever advised her to write that should be ashamed of themselves as she is now left looking really silly.

Bottom line? I am for equal pay when there is equal business worth. [Don't get me going about human value. A cardio-thoracic surgeon makes less than Hope Solo. Equality?] Certainly equal pay when it comes to things like per diems, no question about that. But please stop the crap reporting about the "mistreatment" the WNT suffers. It is utter bull$h!t.

The media is whipped up into a lather and makes it seem like the WNT are this rag tag bunch of kids who can't feed themselves and are playing with used shoes. Enough. It is starting to be seen for what it is ... a tactic for more in the CBA.

You want equality? How about NWSL salaries? Equal work as these players are shoulder to shoulder with their WNT counterparts. Their pay you ask? A maximum of about $39K and a minimum of about $7K ... per year ... which is below the poverty line if this is all they do.

Should these women get paid the same as a WNT player? Why not? Equal work, equal pay, right?

More equality? Let's talk criminality? Imagine, just imagine if Tim Howard were accused of the things Hope Solo actually did per the court papers in her domestic violence trial, or her suspension after her husband was arrested for driving a team van while drunk. Do we think he would be on the MNT?

Not a chance.

Wednesday, April 20, 2016

MLS updates security

MLS updates security measures at all 20 stadiums
Image courtesy of Thefirsteleven.com

Major League Soccer announced on Tuesday that it will bring security measures at MLS events in line with those of other North American professional sports leagues, with new individual screening methods upon stadium entry beginning Saturday, April 23 at all Major League Soccer matches, Soccer United Marketing games, or United Soccer League matches played at MLS venues.

Under the new policy, all guests will be fully screened, either by use of a magnetic search wand or by a pat down. Each venue will make its own decisions regarding what protocols will be used at events to reach this baseline level of security. ...

See the whole announcement here, courtesy of MLS.

Kicking Back Comments: While this should have been policy from BANG! there are a couple of recent incidents that may have brought this forward. One significant one may be from DC United.

In this case as the story goes, a smoke bomb was set off in a tunnel outside the stadium. Ultimately as a result, at least one fan(atic) was suspended for a year by MLS. Now, this apparently was a fan who would drive (3) hours to see a DCU match and has substantial fan spirit to lead and take part in organized activities for DCU.

MLS has been roundly called out on this, using such images such as smoke bombs, flares, and confetti streamers thrown into the pitch to advertise how "global" the US game is. The above article and those linked do an excellent job of spelling out how hypocritical MLS is with respect to its advertising. There is even an open letter to MLS citing how capricious and arbitrary (my words) such bans are.

I can see this one both ways. You can't reasonably do something that can endanger another (e.g. ignite a smoke bomb in a tunnel) but at the same time MLS can't stand on the backs of these folks they are suspending to forward their marketing campaign to make MLS look more like the global game.

This is the US ... The Game may never have that type of flair in my lifetime .. sadly.

Here is the DCU updated security notice.

Monday, April 18, 2016

From Humble Beginnings

Good News for SA Soccer: Major League Soccer Commissioner Officially Confirms Expansion to 28 Teams

As San Antonio's new pro soccer team starts to grind through its inaugural United Soccer League season (San Antonio FC is undefeated through three games, by the way), the looming potential of Major League Soccer coming to town is the backdrop.

Those big-league dreams got a little boost yesterday, when MLS Commissioner Don Garber officially confirmed that the league will expand to 28 teams at some point in the future. ...

See the whole article here, from the SA Current.

Kicking Back Comments: Hard to believe we started with 12 teams in 1995 and we're still going now. I for one did not think this league would last this long (shame on me) and kudos to the visionaries who have been keeping it going and growing (source). When these new teams come on line in 2020, MLS will be 25 years old ... amazing.

Sunday, April 17, 2016

IFAB announce law changes

IFAB announce law changes ahead of new season as they soften punishment for fouls inside the box and trial video technology
  • The International Football Association Board has unveiled some new laws 
  • From next season the 'triple-punishment' penalty box rule will be banished 
  • Trials of a VAR (Video Assistant Referees) system will take place in Italy
  • The ball will be able to move in any direction from kick-off, not just forward
A two-year video technology trial is one of a number of significant rule changes being introduced by the International Football Association Board (IFAB) for next season.

The Zurich-based body, which determines the laws of the game, has approved a trial period of video technology to aid referees.

The trial will take place in Italy and will be utilized in four cases: to determine if a goal has been scored, red cards, penalties and mistaken identity. ... 

See the whole story here, courtesy of Mail Online.

There is a great synopsis of the changes here, from IFAB. You can also get the 2016/17 LOTG here from IFAB.

Kicking Back Comments: While here in the US we do not have to implement these changes now (anyone recall why?) we must continue to deal with the fallout from the new "recommendation" from US Soccer regarding 10 year olds heading the ball.

Kudos to IFAB for trying to make this easier for referees. The LOTG went from about 22K words to 12K words and the format seems to be much cleaner from the version I have from IFAB.

I personally am not crazy about the softening of the "triple punishment" rule as when players start meddling with the fabric of the game (i.e. goals being scored) I think the punishment was appropriate.

Other "changes" are not really changes at all, but verbalization of practices that have existed for some time but have not been put into the text of the LOTG. Generally they make their way into publications like "advise to referees" or other "guidance" type documents.

All and all, for me, a big step forward for HOW the LOTG are presented. Some of the particular law changes (like triple punishment changes and VAR's) ... meh.

Saturday, April 16, 2016

Hope Solo decides to play in Rio Olympics despite Zika virus

Hope Solo decides to play in Rio Olympics despite Zika virus

Hope Solo is among the most outspoken athletes against the Rio Olympics after the outbreak of the Zika virus. But after doing "a lot of research," the U.S. goalkeeper decided to travel and participate in the Games.

"It's clear there are still so many unknowns and risks involved with going to the Games, but I will compete in Rio and take the necessary precautions to protect myself as best I can," Solo said in a statement to Sports Illustrated. ...

See the whole story here, courtesy of Sporting News.

Kicking Back Comments: I am interested if she will get the opportunity to exercise this decision. Between a possible work action over wages and her yet to be determined court date regarding domestic abuse (how about some equality there folks!) we may not see Hope, or for that matter the whole team in the Olympics.

She certainly has a developing image issue as well however as she recently joked on the WNT Instagram account about "have(ing) a good attorney on speed dial" and was roundly roasted for it.

Not sure if she really wants to be in the spotlight right now ...


Friday, April 15, 2016

At least they did not blame the referee

MLS chief Don Garber condemns De Jong tackle: 'There's no place for that'

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- MLS Commissioner Don Garber made his first public comments about the tackle from LA Galaxy midfielder Nigel de Jong that injured Portland Timbers midfielder Darlington Nagbe, and took aim at comments made by Galaxy manager Bruce Arena, calling them "absurd and irresponsible."

Nagbe was injured in the second half of Sunday's 1-1 tie between the two teams, with many fans and media taking the position that De Jong -- who only received a yellow card for the foul -- should incur supplemental discipline.

Garber, speaking to reporters following an event hosted by USL side and expansion hopeful the Sacramento Republic, agreed. ...

See the whole article here, courtesy of ESPN.

Kicking Back Comments: I agree with the decision and appreciated that the referee was left out of the mix on this one. Not too much has been made about only a caution being served up in this case.

That said, there was a comment that did catch my eye:














Reminds me of the old NASL ... and why the league went bankrupt.

I think MLS has a plan for that, but sorry to say I agree with the position of European geriatrics. Damn fine players, but certainly past their "sell by" date.

Monday, April 11, 2016

OWN(ing) IT

'I've been embarrassed and ashamed': Former soccer star Abby Wambach speaks out after her DUI arrest

Retired World Cup soccer champion Abby Wambach addressed her arrest for driving under the influence on Saturday.

Wambach, 35, made the remarks to CBS's Norah O'Donnell while at Georgetown University's 2016 OWN IT Summit.

The former soccer player said: 'This last week obviously has been pretty tough for me.

'I've been embarrassed and ashamed. And you know, the thing about it, is life is tricky and it's not easy.' ...

See the whole story here, courtesy of Daily Mail.

Kicking Back Comments:

You can also see the full video of the interview here at http://www.ownitsummit.com/. Abby gets on stage about 1:37. It is worth the time to watch.

For my nickel, Abby is acting like the leader she is with her no nonsense, no excuses approach to her recent DUI arrest. Kudos to her for owning it and moving on. She is certainly on the path to turn this into a "teachable moment" for so many.

Thursday, April 7, 2016

The scene behind the scene

The IFAB: How it works

The IFAB is the universal decision-making body for the Laws of the Game (LoG) of association football. Its objectives are to safeguard, compile and amend the LoG as they apply within the scope of world football as organized by FIFA, which includes ensuring that the LoG are uniformly applied worldwide and monitored accordingly, and that organized football is practiced consistently.

While the IFAB is made up of the four British football associations (England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland) and FIFA, any football association or confederation can suggest amendments to the LoG through one of The IFAB members. ...

See the whole story here, courtesy of FIFA.

Kicking Back Comments: All my prattling aside about FIFA and corruption this is compulsory reading for anyone truly interested in The Game. It details the underpinnings and shows the deep history The Game has. A worthy read and a significant tease to the new site they are launching net month www.theifab.com.

Stay tuned for that!

Tuesday, April 5, 2016

While the hole gets deeper ... she is earning some respect

Soccer: Abby Wambach admitted trying cocaine and marijuana in past, according to court documents

Retired soccer star Abby Wambach admitted to once trying cocaine and smoking marijuana some 10 years ago, according to court documents connected to her arrest on a misdemeanor charge of driving under the influence of intoxicants.

Wambach, who won a World Cup with the U.S. national team last summer, was arraigned on Tuesday in Multnomah County Circuit Court. She was not present, but her attorney entered a plea of not guilty on her behalf.

The documents said Wambach has no prior arrest record. In the documents, officers wrote that she first used marijuana at age 24 and her last use was at 25. It also states: "The defendant tried cocaine at age 25." ...

See the whole story here, courtesy of The Salt Lake Tribune.

Kicking Back Comments: All credit to her, she is owning it completely, and says as much online.
This is true probably against advise of council honestly as it lends evidence to her actually committing the acts she is charged for.

For me, I like it and with it she is on a path earning back the respect she summarily lost with the DUI act and subsequent arrest.

There is another active member of the USWNT that should take a page out of Abby's book.

Interesting couple of weeks for the pair of US National Teams eh?

Been a tough week for both the Men's and Women's National Teams in the US this week.

First we spoke about the EEOC complaint the WNT filed about the discrepancy in salaries between the WNT and the MNT, which most certainly exists. Only problem is, the WNT makes far less in revenue than the MNT does and while the WNT are certainly do for a raise, their desire to get paid the same as the MNT is just not realistic.

We have former MNT star Landon Donovan coming out in favor of "fair treatment" of the WNT players. Only problem is, some news reports are citing this as being "in favor" of the WNT ... well ... depends how you look at it. He states that the WNT should be paid the same based on their ability to derive revenue for US Soccer which is far, far less than what the MNT generates.

I happen to agree with LD and each National Team pay structure should be the same, or substantially similar based on that. Like I stated earlier, it is about the market, not the person. All people are fundamentally equal. Their business worth is not.

A bunch of stupid articles like this one from SI about how Nike is sexist for only selling WNT jerseys to women, or this one from Forbes, that get the facts so wrong it is staggering have come up in between. Oh, and a comment from Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders on the topic. Pretty sure Hill will get the same pay as Obama when she takes office so not really sure what she is on about ...

But wait ... there is so much more.

Enter (or exit) Abby Wambach, who was arrested on a DUI charge the other night in Portland. I do have to say though, I give her great props and while being colossally stupid for doing this in the first place, she owned it right away and vowed to do whatever she needed to make it up.

This hurts on a number of levels. Not only in the loss of her credibility to be a real voice for women's soccer ... they may need one with this whole wage thing ... but also for the kids. There may be a silver lining in here though as she could become a very powerful voice for drunk driving. Might not be for the reasons she wanted, but there it is.

It hurts also as apparently one of her sponsors, Mini, is pissed. From their statement I'm not 100% sure why. It may indeed be because she was arrested for DUI, but from their comments it may also be because she was arrested for DUI when driving a Range Rover. How screwed up is that? Sure get all liquored up ... but when you drive home, do it in a Mini??? Wow.

Finally and not to be outdone a couple of MNT players showing just how graceful they are, mocked Wambach about her situation on Twitter. While one was clearly taking aim at a past controversial comment from Wambach about players points of origin, the other was a swat at Hope (don't you know who I am) Solo when she was reportedly a passenger in a team van driven by her drunk husband.

While I chuckled at the second one from Altidore honestly, and can appreciate the first from Bedoya, now is not the time boys. Think it but keep it to yourself. You all wear the same crest on your jersey and represent the US when you play. What do we think would happen if a referee did something like this?

So yeah, a banner week for the National teams here in the US ... I can't wait until things really get going.

Monday, April 4, 2016

Proof that the FA's Respect! Campaign is not working

First, a big hat tip to HK Referee for his post pointing us to an article from The Telegraph,
Exclusive: Referees live in fear as grass-roots game spirals out of control.

For those who remember, the FA started their Respect campaign in 2011 with this video.
It is shockingly accurate to what actually happens across the fields today.



You would think with such a dramatic effort and the backing of one of the legendary football associations in history it would be better after 5 years. Right?

Maybe not, from the article, a survey of over 2000 referees was performed, and below are the results.


First a note on the sample ... these are their grassroots referees or basically the future pool they need to draw from. About 1/3 think the National system is not doing enough for them, and about 1/4 think the local system is not doing enough for them by way of support.

That's pretty scary right there. I also have to say looking to measure this is a brave strep in the right direction as if the refereeing organization I am a part of were to do this, we may get similar results.

From there it gets really depressing though as about 1/4 take verbal abuse every match and about 1/5 have been physically abused. That is truly sad.

I would strongly encourage reading the full article as it paints a very bleak picture that I believe is mirrored in other parts of the world.

While there seems to be evidence the campaign is not working ... my operative question is why?
We'll explore that later this week, along with the US version of "Respect!" that I also think has failed horribly.


Friday, April 1, 2016

Before I wade in ...

... please review my thoughts from August 4th, 2015.

Please, before you start shooting the messenger with regard to the latest suit the WNT has brought (funny timing huh - given the CBA suit going on) I in my heart of hearts believe all people are equal. Man, woman, child, red, blue, green, purple ... who cares.

Also, I believe that people doing the same job, for the same business, with the same effectivity, should be paid the same. Period.

I recognize this is not always the case and many times women are paid far less for the same job men are doing. That's not right and should stop.

For folks however who are in a business that does not make money and expect a salary like a business that does is just not realistic. You could be the best <> and be recognized internationally for it, but if there is no market ... sorry. Even if this job is in a parallel market. [Editor note ... there is no analogy I can make here that ends well for me ... so I stopped]

I'll comment fully in the days ahead as I think ultimately it will turn out well for the WNT. Not MNT pay, but better. Honestly it is deserved to a degree based on notoriety the WNTR has given the US alone.

Three peeves I will share now though ...

1. Alex Morgan being a spokesperson for this issues makes sense to a point. But, her reported US National Team salary was recently reported at about $275K in 2013 - look at the 2013 Form 990 (source). While her salary is currently report about $70K (source) there is a total compensation piece here that just can't be ignored as her endorsements are reported as over $1M per year (source).

2. I don't see how Hope Solo is helping here. I don't mean from a salary perspective either. She is about to go back on trial for her domestic violence (source). Yes, she is in the effected class, but, is this a good PR strategy? Why is she still representing young girls from across the country?

3. Lets all recall that there is a CBA that has set these terms. There is always another choice if the desired terms are not met ... don't play. Yes it may end a dream for some ... yes it might curtail some of the very best players in the world from developing ... but we all make choices. If you want to be upset, blame the negotiator you hired.

One group of people who you do not hear are referees who would literally pay money to do these games. I get the passion from these players believe me ... but you want a class who has to train hard, be available, and gets almost nothing for it ... look no further.

More to come.

April Fool?