Coincidence huh ...

Former USWNT GK coach: Departure had 'nothing to do with Hope Solo'

With just four months to go before the Women’s World Cup, the U.S. goalkeeper situation was already up in the air with starter Hope Solo’s 30-day suspension by U.S. Soccer after her recent incident in which her husband was charged with a DUI while driving her in a U.S. Soccer team van in Los Angeles.

So the timing of this news on Wednesday night raised some eyebrows: Paul Rogers, the U.S. goalkeepers coach since 2009, abruptly left his position with the team to take a job as the goalkeepers coach with the Houston Dynamo. ...

See the whole article from Grant Wahl here, courtesy of SI.com.

Kicking Back Comments:

The lady doth protest too much, methinks. At least Hamlet did ...

Yeah this is a bit too close in time for me to blow it off as coincidence. If (Paul) Rogers really saw another World Cup win in his very near future and hope (snicker) beyond the recent string of incidents with Solo, I find it hard to believe he would have left so abruptly, even for a MLS team.

This to me is another nail in the USWNT coffin and what we may come to expect in June in Canada.

Either way with US Soccer and Rogers saying that this was planned and there is nothing to see here leads me to be all that more suspicious there is not more here.

Superbowl Officiating Observations

With Superbowl XLIX behind us and finished in dramatic fashion, commentary regarding the officiating was generally very good. There were several things I noted, but turned to Football Zebras for a pro look.

Here are the top six points they came up with. One was right in front of our collective faces and I was stunned when I read it (it's point #6).

For me the largest point was the entire crew allowed the teams to play without any undue interference.

Yes there were a couple of calls (literally two) that I think they missed (roughing the kicker against the Seahawks and PI on Butler against the Pats when he stumbled and with a hand tripped the receiver). Beyond that they lets the boys play ... and play they did. There were wars going on in the front and while exceptionally physical, it was tolerated both ways.

There was also a very serious injury the team dealt well with on the Lane interception and ensuing runback. WARNING: VERY GRAPHIC PHOTO. Stuff like this takes a toll on a referee and crew and in addition to the natural tendency to be concerned about a player, equally as natural are the questions of "did I miss a call?"

We also had all the nonsense about "deflategate" swirling around, and the additional pressure (ahem) the referees were under, not because they had to do anything different, and in fact it is easier in the Superbowl (and has been in the past due to a neutral equipment manager) but all the extra eyes that were on the footballs was likely a PIA. I am sure the recording sheet that Walt Anderson did not turn in regarding ball pressure was done in triplicate and faxed into the league office 2h before the start of the game. I'm actually surprised that we have not seen it yet from the media. We did however have this crap from Seattle during the game.

Also, and finally, keep in mind none of these guys work together during the season (you can see the regular crew assignments here). So the NFL has basically put seven guys together, who never worked together before, in the biggest single annual sporting event on the planet earth and expect each to perform as flawlessly as possible.

Yes they do ... and yes they did.

Hat Tip - Sunil Gulati

U.S., England support Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein for FIFA presidency

FIFA vice president Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein says the United States was among the national associations to nominate him to stand against Sepp Blatter for the top job in world football.

The Jordanian also disclosed he was endorsed by his home federation, Belarus, Malta and Georgia. The English FA had already announced it was backing him.

The vote to decide the presidency will be held at the FIFA Congress in May. ...

See the whole story here, courtesy of ESPN FC.

Kicking Back Comments: Kudos to Sunil for taking a stand against FIFA, or more precisely Sepp's re-election. To be sure there were shades of Gulati's character not long ago regarding such graft when he, along with (2) other FIFA EXCO members were "gifted" $25,000 watches ... and he (I'm sure politely) refused.

Anyone know the other (2) EXCO members? Al Hussein was one.

Now in the last go round, the US voted for Blatter and as I have stated publicly I did not understand why. It may however be something as simple as the desire to bring the World Cup back to the US in 2022, recognizing the Swiss Prince would oversee the whole sorted affair.

We know how that turned out for us.

Now with years and years to go before we decide on the next World Cup, and quite possibly outside Sepp's lifetime (I'm not foreshadowing anything, he's currently 78 years old) it would seem he would not have the ability to shut the US out again. 

Maybe with nothing to lose at this point in not supporting his reelection, we are making a positive statement that the US supports a non-corrupt FIFA.

It could also be for the very good reason of supporting an individual that is not corrupt and can begin to take The Game out of the sewer that it is in right now.

Maybe eventually with a leader at the helm who started such a movement.

Are we seeing the beginning of a future campaign for FIFA president from Gulati?

Would not be a bad choice in my opinion ... unfortunately for the same reasons why we will never see an American referee a men's World Cup final, we will also likely never see an American running FIFA. It's sad frankly, but that is the bias we have to shoulder.

I wonder if I can file a discrimination suit of some type??

Nah ... it would get tossed ... even the WNT knows that =/

NO GRASS FOR YOU!!!

Back in November I shared with you all the case being brought against FIFA for the use of a synthetic surface for the 2015 WWC in Canada. For any interested it can be found here.

As I opined then, and was recently confirmed, the case was dismissed for lack of merit. In a contorted statement from council representing the players, Hampton Dellinger stated, "So after a lot of effort to reach a compromise - the players need to start their training and need to know what surface they'll be be playing on - they have decided to put soccer first and put the lawsuit behind them."

In other words ... they got nuthin' ... legally speaking.

There is an important point in that last statement too as I believe that FIFA and the CSA got it wrong and the WWC should be played on grass. That last statement however is a far cry from what the case itself and how is was processed should determine as a victor.

Take a look at "Of Privilege and Preference ..." by Elizabeth Cotignola which in part calls Wambach et. al. v. Canadian Soccer Association, nothing more than a temper tantrum to which these players feel they are entitled.

I agree with her, as well as how the case was brought both in form and in venue, but at the same time, I think the women are entitled to the same surface as the men. Not because they are women, but because they are playing at the highest level of The Game, and the game itself deserves that respect.

Believe me, that surface changes the game, I have the experience to know this personally. What should scare the crap out of FIFA however was not this lawsuit, nor should it be the fear of a boycott from these players or fans, it should be the fact that Canada was the only country to complete the bidding process for the 2015 Cup.

Let me write that again ... Canada was the only country to ask to host the World Cup.

Gee, ya think FIFA has bigger issues to deal with regarding the womens' game?

Richard Farley put it best in his article at Soccer Gods:

"Rather than spending so much time pursuing an inane court case, the players and their representatives should’ve been pressing the fact that this isn’t about the law. It’s about something deeper, something more fundamental. Once you break through the mire of FIFA standards, single-country bids, and the state of modern turf, this is basic, common sense stuff: Why us and not them?"

He is 100% correct.

Well done men ... you let the teams decide today

Photo Credit:Ben Liebenberg/NFL (via Football Zebras)

Congratulation to the entire Superbowl crew on a job well done:

Bill Vinovich, Bill Schuster, Dana McKenzie, Mark Perlman, Bob Waggoner, Tom Hill, Terrence Miles, Carl Cheffers, Fred Bryan, Rusty Baynes, Barry Anderson, Todd Prukop

Best (Gridiron) Football Referee Analysis

Superbowl is here again and (for me) is a particular thrill as it again includes the New England Patriots. For those who have been following deflategate I will comment on that later ... and as I previously predicted, the referees are (at least in part) going to be blamed.

This year however instead of a discussion of the number of chicken wings that will be consumed (it's in the billions) or other millions of pounds of snack foods (source), best and worst commercial (my best vote is below ... worst is a toss up between T-Mobile and Esurance), lets talk the increased scrutiny the referees are under this year.

Lets face it, it has been a very rough year for the NFL in general and the referees have has their share of issues, at least perceived ones.

Working backwards, we of course have #deflategate where Walt Anderson is coming under some scrutiny for his handling of footballs prior to the AFC Championship game, Tony Corrente heard a little as well regarding the formation on the on-side kick that sealed the deal of the Seahawks. Of course this later "issue" is not one at all as debunked several times over, and was the subject of a tweet from @DeanBlandinio (folks should follow him!).

Heck, if you want to get all "grassy knoll" take a look at TheFixIsIn.net. They have a section on the 2014 referee controversies and some honestly are not bad analysis ... some of course are crap.

Finally, if you want to get a good look at NFL officials, other than following Dean, take a look at FootballZebras.com. Excellent articles and insight into anther sports referees.

A worthy read for anyone who enjoys referees in sport.

Do you play it safe?

So I was doing some research for SuperBowl commercials and came across this one from Nike ... the whole series is frankly hilarious. My personal favorite is here. This one is pretty good too.

While the focus was obviously about playing, it did lead me intellectually down the path of referees, and who would be more successful ... a perfect, by the book referee, or one who is willing to "flex" the Laws, have some fun, and take some risks.

If the former, how do you manage the very difficult situation?

If the latter, how far do you let things go, and what if you can't get it back?

A more perplexing question is how do we teach our younger referees in this regard? Punish the creative for not always being correct, or praise the consistent and see if they can adapt.

I have my answer ... what is yours?

No Hope for FIFA?

FIFA Election 2015: The presidential race that's not a presidential race

There's an election coming up. Well, to call the process of anointing (or re-anointing) a FIFA president an election would be to legitimize the sort of electoral shenanigans that go on in North Korea, Syria, Zimbabwe and Cuba. It isn't really an election.

In May, Sepp Blatter will stand for a fifth term as the grand poobah of FIFA, world soccer's Perpetual Crisis Machine which mass-produces controversy. Blatter, who joined FIFA in 1975 and rose to president in 1998, has been the engine of those crises and controversies. The pint-sized president has ruled with an iron (albeit tiny) fist. Any man to cross him soon feels the wrath of his immense, crooked power, but so long as you play ball with him, anything goes. Under Blatter's unwatchful eye, there have been endless scandals of corruption and graft during decades of hijinks and tomfoolery, culminating in the naked selling of the 2018 and 2022 World Cups to Russia and Qatar, respectively. ...

See the whole (excellent) story here, from FC Yahoo.

Kicking Back Comments: This is a great article and really lays out what has gone on for terms past and takes an excellent stab at what may happen in the next election.

One fact that did bother me was the US actively voted for this guy. I would have hoped they would have at least not voted at all. In a case like this when there is only one candidate, and lets face it the US really does not have anything to gain, why support this lunacy. 

That's Five ... But Who's Counting?

FIFA sheds sponsors as it heads into a dangerous decade

The news that three major sponsors have ceased their partnership with FIFA could potentially damage its reputation, and more importantly, its finances. Reports on Friday revealed that Castrol, Continental and Johnson & Johnson were no longer corporate sponsors of football’s international governing body. All three failed to renew their sponsorship contracts when they expired last year. This followed a similar situation with Sony and Emirates last year. ...

See the whole story here, courtesy of theconversation.com.

Kicking Back Comments: While I have no hope for Adidas to sever their relationship, and Visa essentially sold their corporate soul to get this (I have a couple posts of the dishonesty they were called out on, along with FIFA in the dealings with Master Card), I would like to see Coke grow a set and drop them like a hot rock.

Maybe with the FBI hanging around Chuck's place there might be some material to ... persuade them?

We'll see.

The Comments Say It All

HOPE SOLO'S WORLD CUP STATUS IN DOUBT

U.S. Soccer president Sunil Gulati said on Monday it's possible that goalkeeper Hope Solo will not be on the team for this summer's 2015 Women's World Cup.

Last week, the 33-year-old keeper was suspended by U.S. Soccer for 30 days after her husband, Jerramy Stevens, was pulled over for DUI while driving the team van. Solo was a passenger in the vehicle.

The incident came just one week after a Seattle judge dismissed domestic violence charges against Solo. ...

See the whole story here, courtesy of ESPNW.

Kicking Back Comments:

This is a good article and comments from Julie Foudy. While the other day I was critical of Fagan for her "complex" comments regarding Solo, this article had no such bias.

I support the tack that US Soccer is taking, Solo has certainly earned the "right of redemption" given her service. I do hope however, this is it, no more nonsense from Solo or our she goes.

In reading the comments from the article, I am clearly not alone in my thinking that she should not be representing US Soccer if she can't act the part off the field.

Just as a brief comparison, Jose Carlos Rivero was the MLS referee arrested on multiple felony counts of fraud. He continued to referee matches until PRO found out about it, at which time he was suspended immediately. I was then, and remain still, of the opinion he should lose his refereeing job forever when discussing the matter earlier. Lets face it though, MLS referees are far more fungible than WNT goalkeepers ... and don't make US Soccer any money. That said, the punishment for bringing the game into disrepute should be exactly the same no matter what your role is in The Game.

HOPE-LESS

My obvious play on words relates to the 30 day suspension of US WNT Keeper Hope Solo. I do however personally believe that short of an epic meltdown by Solo during this period, she will be reinstated by Jill Ellis (with Sunil Gulati's influence) to the WNT just in time for the World Cup.

This suspension comes not from her domestic violence issue with her now husband back in 2012, nor domestic violence issue with sister and nephew in June 2014, which was recently dismissed, nor her recent nude photos that were made available after her phone was allegedly hacked ...

... it was Solo's husband, who was reported to be drunk, and driving a US Soccer vehicle with a reported hammered and belligerent Hope Solo in the passenger seat, that finally gave US Soccer pause.

I am surprised it took the DUI for Solo's husband to suspend her given the sensitivity surrounding domestic violence with the Ray Rice, Adrian Peterson and Kurt Busch incidents. This is particularly true given the attorney in Solo's recent case that should be thanking his lucky stars no one testified (weird huh), instead of doing a victory lap and making comments that case should never have been brought. 

Photo Credit: NY Times

That did not stop US Soccer from playing her however, despite the position of other leagues and a congressional inquiry for NASCAR on the same topic.

Let's face it, there is something amiss here and US Soccer is tinkering with a fragile image. Not sure what is more important to them, a possible 2015 World Cup victory, or a good wholesome image for US Women's soccer. With Solo on the team, I'm not sure the Federation can have both. Just look at the image during her arrest ... is that the one US Soccer wants 10 - 18 year old players to admire ... come on.

And please ... please ... don't make this about gender as Kate Fagan did in her recent article in ESPNW, describing Solo's behavior as "complex." Her behavior is boorish at best and criminal at worst. In either case, not worthy of representing the US in any way.

I hope US Soccer takes the long view on this one and dismisses Solo for the 2015 WC. If she can get her act together after that, and I genuinely hope she does, I would love to see her play again given her skill at the position.

On a lighter note before anyone accuses me of just letting off some pressure because of "deflate-gate", you are sadly wrong as I believe in a day or two we are going to hear that this was really all the fault of the NFL refereeing crew at that game and no fault of the Patriots at all.

Really ... I think we are going there next.

See Rule #95: Never Lift Your Bike Over Your Head

My reference today is to the fantastic site Velominati - Keepers of the Cog. This site, among other things, has a set of "rules" that each cyclist must follow.

In a recent recertification for Massachusetts soccer referees, I made the analogy between this rule for cyclists and for referees.

In my analogy referees should never "lift their bike over their head" as a form of public celebration ... the results can be disastrous.

It is my opinion referees should not openly celebrate their decisions as (a) it is a form of hubris no one wants to see as fans are there for the players, not the referee, and (b) these celebrations can be misinterpreted, badly.

Right on cue we have an incident last Sunday between the Bills and Broncos, where line judge John Hussey and umpire Carl Paganelli "fist bumped" each other after a Denver touchdown (video here).

Well as you can imagine this came closer to breaking the internet than other recent events as fans went wild with conspiracy theories about how the officials were openly celebrating the Denver score. (My personal favorite comment was "ILLUMINATI CONFIRMED")

Mike Pereira has a good analysis explaining what had happened.



Even the NFL’s vice president of communications, Michael Signora, had to make a statement telling the Associated Press that the fist bump was “an acknowledgment of good mechanics between the two officials involved in making the call.”

So where does this leave us?

If you make a good decision, don't do a happy dance right there. After the match celebrate with your other referees and family taking pride that you made a good, tough call. To do otherwise invites speculation that no one needs.

It was a damn fine bit of officiating, no doubt about it. It was also (sadly) wasted on the vast majority who saw the reaction, not the action.

As a lifelong Sox fan ...

... all I have to say is, go Cubs.

Some Sanity from IFAB

IFAB puts video challenges on hold, but rolls on with subs changes

November 27 - FIFA president Sepp Blatter's idea of bringing in video replays and permitting coaches to be allowed tennis-style challenges against refereeing decisions appears unlikely to be implemented in the near future.

Blatter first made the suggestion during FIFA's annual congress in Sao Paulo in June, raising eyebrows among delegates since he had hitherto been opposed to any video aids other than goal-line technology. The idea was discussed earlier this week at the annual business meeting of the International FA Board, which consists of FIFA and the four British associations and which was aided, for the first time, by two newly established advisory panels of experts given a platform to directly voice their views on the laws of the game. ...

See the whole article here from Inside World Football.

Kicking Back Comments: I am happy for this moment of sanity as I personally think challenges as Sepp envisions them will be disastrous to football. I can almost see a coach throwing a "red flag" or similar silly signal into the field to stop the match.

Recall the disaster that is challenges in MLB? Even the NFL is changing the way they are used. Somehow this is a good idea for one of the most fluid games on the planet?

If they MUST meddle, please for the love of Bobby Orr, look sat the NHL. It may be one of the best implementations of the use to modern sports.

At least they are not the Celtics ...

Revolution Returns to MLS Cup in a New Era of U.S. Soccer Fandom

The New England Revolution is still a clear No. 5 on the popularity power ranking of the region’s pro sports teams.

But the Revs will also become the only local pro team to play in a league championship game in 2014 (has it really been that long already, since Koji struck out Matt Carpenter?), when they take on U.S. soccer icon Landon Donovan and the Los Angeles Galaxy in the MLS Cup final on Sunday at 3 p.m.

You know what that means: get the bandwagon ready. ...

See the whole article here, from Boston.com.

Kicking Back Comments: Bandwagons indeed. It's too bad too as the boys have played well this year, especially Nguyen and deserve more than a casual glance. It will be my prediction that this match will be on screens across New England this Sunday and not the Celtics.

After that however, I expect, New England sports to get back to "normal" and folks will tune in the Celtics ... as horrible as they are .... again.

US Soccer Grades and Path Forward

Kicking Back Comments:

With some of the recent changes to grades, this is a nice video that details both grades and advancement paths from US Soccer.

さようなら

Photo Credit: Reuters

For any who know Japanese, the translation for the title is "Sayōnara", or as an English translation, "goodbye."

This is exactly what Sony said to FIFA recently as the Japanese electronics company is dropping its $280M contract with FIFA it has had over the last 8 years. (source)

Let's face it, FIFA would not even need Sony given its reserve funds of ~$1.5B (source) and willingness of other companies to take their place.

I will say though that the optics look lousy. Of the (6) "Partners" FIFA has, as listed here, 33% of them want nothing to do with FIFA due to their corruption.

Graphic Credit: FIFA

To make matters worse, Coca-Cola may be next recently lashing out at FIFA. Yet in the face of all of these issues, Adidas has extended their sponsorship until 2030.

I have to believe they got  a good deal on this as at the rate they are going, they may be the only one left for a time.

Don't get me wrong, these guys likely get their money's worth and then some with this sponsorship. They wouldn't do it otherwise. All you have to do is check out FIFA's marketing organization to get a flavor of just how good they are.

The calculus that these companies are likely doing now is, can our brand take a loyalty hit due to FIFA's corruption.

Check out this video from WSJ that gives some insight on the topic.

No Doubt There

Mark Geiger named MLS Referee of the Year; Paul Scott voted Assistant Referee of the Year

Major League Soccer announced on Tuesday that Mark Geiger has been voted 2014 Referee of the Year, his second such honor, while Paul Scott was voted 2014 Assistant Referee of the Year.

Geiger had a standout year, participating in the 2014 World Cup in Brazil in addition to his domestic duties. Geiger served as head referee in the Group C opener between Colombia and Greece, as well as a group-stage game featuring Spain and Chile. ...

See the whole story here, courtesy of MLSSoccer.com.

Kicking Back Comments:

Based on the scoring alone in the article there was no doubt.

What was hilarious were some of the comments to the article. They ranged from speculation that the only reason Mark got it was due to his World Cup performance, to it should have been given to the referee who was recently arrested for filing false claims, to openly wondering if is given in the most sarcastic manner.

Funny stuff and continues to give me hope that the vast majority of fans out there are exactly that, fanatics.

Congrats to Mark and Paul. In my learned opinion both men are well deserving.

MLS v. US Soccer - Round 1

Jurgen Klinsmann firm on young player advice as MLS frustration grows

On Oct. 15, Major League Soccer commissioner Don Garber took issue with U.S. national team manager Jurgen Klinsmann for comments that were deemed "detrimental" to MLS.

Garber objected to Klinsmann saying it would be "very difficult" for U.S. internationals Michael Bradley and Clint Dempsey to maintain their best form after the duo returned to play in MLS after extended spells in Europe.

Now it appears there was more to Garber's ire than met the eye. Seattle Sounders minority owner Adrian Hanauer, Philadelphia Union CEO and operating partner Nick Sakiewicz, and several other sources have told ESPN FC that there is growing frustration within the league over the advice Klinsmann and U.S. soccer staff are giving to youth national team and MLS academy players. ...

See the whole story here, courtesy of ESPN.

Kicking Back Comments:

Now when this matter first came up publicly abound mid-October seemed kind bad ... but honestly after thinking abut it from the larger perspective it is great for US players and still bad for US referees.

On the player side, why shouldn't a player who is good enough, and having a coach who has the connections, look at a chance to play in Europe? I would think the relative test is what is in the best interest of the player, right? 

I hate to say it, but European soccer is better than MLS and if the commish is looking to strong-arm the US Soccer coaching staff in not recommending looking abroad, same on MLS. Now, if that same staff is ONLY recommending playing abroad, that is another matter entirely. There seems to be no outward indication of this however.

For referees, the news remains bleak. Although there is an exchange program that is going on now within MLS (and has been for some time - remember 1997 when Japanese referee Toru Kamikawa officiated numerous MLS matches and American referee Tim Weyland officiated J-League matches?) I will be a believer when one of these guys comes over here for MLS, and one of these guys does a match on the other side of the pond.

Until then, or when the league gains more international acclaim (I think it has some now) referees in this country will continue to be discriminated against without regard to being very, very skilled in the art as Mark Geiger showed the world earlier this year.

FIFA: Hell to host 2026 World Cup

Breaking news: Fifa say Hell will host 2026 World Cup

Fifa dismiss concerns over soaring temperatures and lack of football culture in Hell as bid leader Lucifer pays tribute to 'role model' Sepp Blatter

Hell will host the 2026 football World Cup after a Fifa report found “no reason” to overturn the controversial underworld destination’s successful bid.

A 666-page report seen by The Telegraph concluded that Fifa had acted ethically in awarding its showpiece tournament, and suggested Lucifer be compensated with “a really nice wristwatch, one with diamonds and everything” for having been put through an “unnecessary and upsetting” grilling. ...

See the whole "damned" story here, courtesy of The Telegraph.

Kicking Back Comments: ROTF LMAO!!