A walk in the Garden(er)

The other day I ran across Paul Gardner's articles in Soccer America regarding refereeing in MLS and the points of emphasis for the 2011 season. Both are worth a read and are noted here:

Will refs respond to Garber's sensible request?

MLS: No change, despite Garber's Plea

While I would disagree about Mr. Gardner's characterization of referees in several points he makes (e.g. referees are slow to change ... quite an analysis after one whole week in the 2011 season) there is an excellent point that shines through, albeit not directly.

That point is how symbiotic the relationship is between the referees and the success of THE game in the US. Now one relationship that was not explored, and in fact dismissed outright is the relationship between the referee and the players. From the article:

If there's one thing that MLS referees could be told not to do, it is to administer these little disciplinary chats, complete with the exaggerated arm gestures intended to make a feeble referee look tough. If it’s a foul, call it. If it’s a yellow card, give it. The same with a red. There is no need for explanations or any words at all. The players know the rules ... or they are supposed to. If they don’t, that is their problem.

There are a couple of assumptions in here that are just wrong headed IMHO. First, is that players understand the LOTG. They don't. They do not spend the time understanding them to the level we as referees do, if at all. They are players, not referees, and to actually think that most players understand, even at the MLS level, understand the nuances of THE game is just silly. I can tell you from direct experience, many, if not most, do not.

Second, to just "steamroll" over players and stop talking or just issue cautions and send offs is also wrong headed. Matches need to be managed, especially at this level, not just fouls whistled and misconduct issued. Can you imagine the frustration level of the players if that occurred? It is a very basic desire to understand why something has occurred.

Now, for where Mr. Gardner goes wrong, he also goes right. There is recognition that the onus is on the players, and also on Mr. Garber. He also correctly recognized that the players and referees and outside the reach of the Commish as well. This presents the fundamental challenge for MLS and it is the same as it has always been in the US ...

How do you make THE game more attractive for the US audience. This is complicated as Mr. Garber has no direct "levers to pull" to accomplish this. Any change is through influence only. Case in point is the MLS memo to referees about points of emphasis for 2011.

Let's face it, that memo is stuff that FIFA has been working on for years. Yes, the referees are a large part of that and need to enforce these points. It is not only their burden however, it is the players as well.

On that point Mr. Gardner and I strongly agree.

No Snood Says FIFA

Matt Reis 26-MAR-2011 v. DC United
Check out the snood

Special thanks to Dr. Rice for sending some of these links along.

So back in February of this year, I opined about "snoods" and why FIFA may be banning them.

Well FIFA has come through and is officially banning the snood as reported here from ESPN on a litany of matters IFAB is currently tinkering with.

Apparently this topic is so emotional that Sepp has hearkened back to his days as a player stating that:

I was a player in both winter and summer weather and I never wore a snood.

He continues on to say that snoods can be dangerous, and are not "part of the equipment" for playing. I agree on both fronts there. Law 4 is very clear on that point, and snoods can create a genuine danger, and should be banned.

Sepp does continue saying "We must pay attention to the Laws of the Game." Well frankly, its not a law yet, and is one that will not be "on the books" as it were until July 1, 2011 when the new law changes are published and given effect internationally. However the timing is funny as a commentator from The Soccer Insiders put it:

By the way, as proof that Sepp likes to make meaningless gestures, the ban doesn't take effect until July 1st of 2011. Yeah, that's right. The middle of summer.

Not intentional, but certainly ironic.

I would be surprised if MLS does not take immediate action themselves and not allow such garments, even absent authorization, or possibly with permission, from FIFA.

While this is good in protecting players safety, what about banning neck chains and the like? These too send the wrong message to the youth players who weekend after weekend try to wear such articles and often cite "... but I saw (MLS player X) wearing that ... ."

While not realistic I know, I would love to see consistency like this for all levels of THE game.

Joseph will meet with MLS to discuss arrest

FOXBOROUGH — Revolution midfielder Shalrie Joseph hopes to avoid disciplinary action by Major League Soccer following his arrest for trespassing at the team hotel in Florida during training camp.

During a post-practice interview yesterday, Joseph also said he is hoping to be offered a new contract and hopes to finish his career with the Revolution. ...

See the whole story here, courtesy of Boston.Com

Kicking Back Comments: I am not interested in the arrest personally. It is a simple trespass beef and frankly boys will be boys ... even at 32. MLS seemed to have a similar take only fining him $1000 (source).

What is interesting to me are (2) aspects the article touches on.

First is that MLS has denied transfers to Joseph on a couple of occasions as detailed by the story, but yet has been denied a long term contract. Transfers are not unheard of in MLS, just take a look here. While the majority are free, there are some transfers from MLS to foreign clubs, and if for money are "undisclosed." One would figure it would be a good thing to get an MLS player playing abroad, and if they do well, bring some stature to the league.

Second is Joseph's salary. He came to the league in 2003 earning the minimum of about $34000 (source), then after a stellar year signed a four deal (2004 - 2008) worth about $60000 annually. From there he has been earning $400000 on another 4 year deal (2008-2012) and is now looking for a contract.

Lets face it folks MLS is just not on par with the other major sports now as far as salary goes. The other day I opined about how to some MLS is taking the #4 spot from the NHL in so far as popularity goes ... just take a look at these salary numbers (source).

Major League Baseball: $3,297,828 (9.3% growth since 1989, CBS Sports)
National Basketball Association: $5,000,000 (estimate, Forbes)
National Football League: $1,870,000 (estimate, USA Today)
National Hockey League: $2,400,000 (estimate; Forbes)

Major League Soccer: $173,491 (Business of Soccer)

To be sure, $173K on average is nothing to sneeze at, but the gap between the marque players (all 8 of them - only one from the US) and the rest of the bunch is staggering. Credit is due however to the MLS players union for making all of this transparent in their salary reports.

Now, one thing that gets me a bit is the discrepancy between even the MLS league minimum and a referees salary. Here are some recent MLS per match salary figures for a referee:

Level 4 = $850
Level 3 = $750
Level 2 = $650
Level 1 = $550

So even assuming a referee is in tier 4, and does a game a week and a couple of playoff matches at $1000 a piece, we are not even talking about $30000 a good $10K less than an entry level player in MLS. (By the way, NO ONE is doing that many matches in MLS)

So while I believe MLS players generally are not paid enough ... the referees are certainly a far cry from even that. Now granted, most MLS referees have "day jobs" where players obviously don't, but with the "outcry" for better refereeing ... is it worth it to MLS to make more referees "professional" as a couple are currently today? Will we soon see a MLS referee union to negotiate for such things as the players currently have?

Should have kept his day job ...

Photo courtesy of Fox Sports

Reports from the training camp that Ochocinco is attending are pretty clear. This quote from the AP says a lot.

Locked out of his day job, Ochocinco opened a four-day tryout with Sporting Kansas City on Wednesday and by the end of his first day with the Major League Soccer team the star receiver for the Cincinnati Bengals was panting for breath.

He said himself he did not expect to be "Superman" ... but many, I think, expected more than what he has shown.

I for one give him credit for a couple of things. First, he clearly underestimated the fitness level required and kudos to him for going through the paces with an MLS team. He said himself he ate some "humble pie." I personally have taken that ride and I am with him ... it hurts.

Second, childhood fantasy or media stunt, he is making the effort, not just showing up and taking pictures. In a particularly vivid moment when asked if he would play for free, he quickly said,  "Yes. Can I do that?"

So at the end of the day while I believe there is no place in KC's lineup for Ochocinco, there seems to be a genuine part of him that loves THE game ... and would play, if he could, for free.

I doubt however that Peter Vermes is going to give him that chance.

Bye Bye NHL? MLS to take the #4 Spot in US Sports?

Major League Soccer is Poised to Overtake the NHL as the 4th Most Popular Professional Sports League in the U.S.

As data from the 2010 Census emerges, the cultural demographic of the U.S. population is shifting. It’s only a matter of time until our sports landscape catches up.

For the better part of half a century, U.S. professional sports have been dominated by the four major professional sports leagues: the National Football League, the National Basketball Association, Major League Baseball and the National Hockey League. ...

See the full story here, courtesy of Fox News Latino.

Kicking Back Comments: An interesting article but not really an apples to apples comparison. It would appear Ms. Ortiz conclusions are based largely on the 2010 census data. There are some key points she left out.

First while she compared head to head average game attendance with MLS and NHL, she neglects to account for at least two variables. First, each NHL team plays about twice as many games as an MLS team. Second, there are about twice as many NHL teams as MLS teams. If you account for both of these factors, NHL average per game attendance would be 4x MLS average attendance.

That aside, the individual market numbers are interesting and are more apples to apples as are the general trends of increasing attendance for MLS, and decreasing attendance for the NHL.

All and all this is a feel good piece for MLS which continues to expand in its 16th year, and a feel good piece for Latinos who themselves saw growth as a demographic in the 2010 census.

Both are great things for THE game.

Will kick for food ...

NFL star Ochocinco to try out with Sporting Kansas City

It’s a gimmick. It has to be.

That was the first reaction most had to the news that NFL star Chad Ochocinco would be trying out for MLS side Sporting Kansas City. With a labor battle putting his day job on hold, here was Ochocinco, master of the media circus, delving into a new hobby.

That seemed like the most logical explanation for why Ochocinco, he of the Dancing With the Stars appearance, reality show and engagement to a fellow reality show star, would try to be a pro at a sport he hadn’t played on any organized level in nearly two decades. ...

See the full story here, courtesy of Fox Sports.

Kicking Back Comments: I hope KC and Ocho enjoy the fame for the (4) day training camp. If the past is any indication, Ocho is going to get summarily cut before he even sees a practice match. Anyone remember Sunil Chetri?

MLS: Year 16

MLS heads into 2011 season bullish over its future

Just nine years ago, MLS commissioner Don Garber made the difficult decision of eliminating two of the league’s 12 teams. Major League Soccer was on shaky ground, with the future of the six-year-old league looking very much in doubt.

Fast forward to today. MLS is set to begin its 16th season with 18 teams, two of which will be making their debuts in the Pacific Northwest. Where there was once just one soccer-specific stadium in MLS, now there are stadiums across the country and another will open in the Kansas City market this summer. ...

See the full story here, courtesy of Fox Sports.

Kicking Back Comments: An interesting article to be sure. I'll be honest with you, the first year the league came to be when I was working in it, I though, and actually said out loud to some, that I expected MLS to last 10 years tops and then collapse under its own financial weight. I am glad I was wrong.

While I believe THE professional and international game is still stagnating in the US, it is not without significant effort on the part of MLS and its owners to keep a professional league going for this amount of time. Previous to this was the NASL of 'ole which survived 17 years (source), a far cry from the other professional leagues of the modern day, such as the A-League, or WUSA.

Without these business leaders and owners, I would opine, we as referees would be ill equipped and likely not even considered for participating on the world's stage. I'll be one of the first to say that there are some facets of the business side of sport that are unseemly to me, but the bottom line is we could not be successful without these business aspects. We as referees need at the very least, to acknowledge that fact ... and to be successful at the professional level, embrace it.

No female referees in MLS: a referee assessor speaks

Kicking Back comments: For some time now I have been following LE's work at the Examiner and have enjoyed her articles. The other week the Examiner caught up with me and I shared a few candid thoughts about women referees in todays professional and international game as well as some thoughts about MLS refereeing and the use of technology.

As the interview is intended to demonstrate, I very clearly believe that women referees are just as capable as men. Success in any referee depends on their ability to manage a match both through the laws and through their personality. Anyone who is able to do so will succeed in such a role.

While there are very few women currently employed in (men's) professional league matches, and I can not think of any in recent (men's) international matches, I opine that doing so, and therefore challenging the thinking of everyone involved, may not be such a bad thing. I do recognize however that doing so may run against social constructs and in result, may decrease the entertainment value of THE game for some.

Just one persons opinion ... but please read on and comment away ...

All comments are welcome, and I will answer them all.

No female referees in MLS: a referee assessor speaks

As part of an interview with former MLS referee and current state assessor Peter Kokolski about officiating in MLS in 2011, we discussed the absence of women officials in the North American league. Kokolski refereed in MLS for eight years. Kokolski is not affiliated with U.S. Soccer and his opinions are his alone based on many years working with U.S. Soccer. He regularly shares information and thoughts about officiating in his blog Kicking Back. In a separate story, Kokolski explains MLS referee directives to manage with personality in 2011. ...

See the full story here from LE courtesy of the National Soccer Examiner.

To bead, or not to bead, that was the question

Take a look at the video clip below, with specific emphasis on the GK (in yellow).

szólj hozzá: Wc 0-2 In [matchhighlight.com]

See anything?
How about his hair?

Would you as a referee allow a player to play with those beads in their hair?

How about this?

... and this?

Should these be allowed as well?

My answer for these players, at these levels, is yes. My answer is also yes for players at any level with a bona fide religious belief that requires a head covering or medical condition that requires a bracelet for such.

Should a referee allow a player to have beads in their hair, or for that matter anything ornamental at any other level?

My answer is no, and it is backed up by the LOTG and Ask A Referee here.

So why allow professional and international players to do so?

Keep in mind that at these levels the LOTG will flex as much as the players want to play, and the referee allows. This is after all for the entertainment value of the game itself for those who are watching. As I have said many times here, it is a business, and one that the referees are a part of protecting. Asking Zenga to remove his hat, or Sutter to remove his head covering would put the referee in a bad spot as it would intrude on the "branding" that player is engaging in. Also it would no doubt bring about a poor reaction for the player themselves.

To remedy this in MLS there were specific memos that came from the staff to note that such accoutrements were allowed and the referee will allow them during play. As neither of these were outwardly dangerous it made some sense.

In all cases, a referee must draw the line when an article can put another player into peril. I don't believe that FIFA, MLS, or anyone else would have issues with that. The trick of course is what is "dangerous" varies at different levels. For those upper levels, there has to be real danger as just adornments need not be removed. At any lower levels however, it should all come off.

I agree, its not fair ... and is one of the many ways that the professional and international game sets a very bad example for younger players and referees.

I guess it's not a rumor ...

JAFO previously posted that Paul Tamberino was taking a position with MLS. Well based on some news reports, it looks like it is true.

From BigAppleSoccer.com:

December 27, 2010
WELCOME ABOARD
Ex-ref Tamberino joins MLS

Former soccer referees don't retire from the sport. They become administrators.

Major League Soccer Monday announced that Paul Tamberino has joined the league’s competition department as a director.

Tamberino will serve as the primary liaison to all U.S. Soccer and Canadian Soccer Association officiating committees and assist in the planning and implementation of strategies to enhance quality of play in MLS. ...

See the whole release here. I was not able to find anything on MLS.com, and still waiting to see who is going to direct officials for US Soccer.

Tamborino to take position with MLS?

An unsubstantiated story has surfaced that former USSF Director of Officials Paul Tamberino will assume a position with Major League Soccer as a Director in the "Competition Department." Supposedly the job involves serving as liaison to both the USSF and Canadian officials for the purpose of training and development of the league's cadre of referees. Do not be surprised if this includes assigning the referees, which he did in his previous position.

So, to a casual observer, this seems like a newly created position to do just what he was doing before, but under the direct auspices of MLS. Stay tuned for further details.....

NFL to take a play out of the MLS playbook

I am shocked ... and this is not sarcastic play.
I am genuinely shocked.

The NFL just now is deciding to have a weekly conference call with its officials to discuss points of emphasis, as reported here by ESPN.

My very first reaction was, "you mean these guys were not doing this already?"

My very next though was how reactive this was given the several incidents that occurred in the last couple of weeks on the grid iron. My thoughts went then to the above though that I was surprised it has not been done before.

Wash - rinse - repeat.

Since MLS was around, referees, and in some cases ARs, have a weekly call to discuss the previous week, and to hear any additional points of emphasis for the following week.

It was not uncommon for an individual referee to have to explain an incident to the whole of the call as to what happened and the "behind the scenes" and why.

These were excellent calls, and I can speak from experience they were very humbling when it was my turn (yes I was indeed called on the carpet once) to stand up and explain how I screwed up and how it could be done better for the next referee.

Let me repeat, I am shocked the NFL is not doing this.

While I am at times critical of US Soccer, this is an area in which they shine ... and outshine the NFL. Instructional material.

For those who have not done so, visit the Week In Review, and poke around. Now THAT is instructional information. Paul, Herb, and the National Staff do an excellent job of preparing this information for general consumption.

So what compares for the NFL?

A simple recitation of the rules, no interpretation, no outreach, no nothing that I can see.

With the tens of billions of dollars that the NFL is worth, I am glad to see they putting some of that money to good use, and holding a weekly conference call for their referees ... now. Something the much less funded US Soccer and MLS has done over ten years ago, and continue to do today.

Better late the never I guess. I do wonder however what else the NFL can learn from MLS?

Did you hear that Sound(ers)?

AP Photo/Ted S. Warren

Congratulations to the 2010 Open Cup Champion Seattle Sounders who repeated as Open Cup champion with a 2-1 victory in front of about 32,000 fans at Qwest Field in Seattle.

Congratulations also for the refereeing team who did quite an excellent job to see this tournament to a fitting conclusion; Michael Kennedy, Tom Supple, Paul Scott, and Ricardo Salazar.

See one account here, courtesy of ESPN.

Credit Where Credit Is Due

Kicking Back Comments:
There are times after I have had to send off a player when I have the very conscious thought of, "... what were they thinking ... ." Well the following article gets into the head of Ben Olsen a little, and to his credit, in his comments show he accepts personal responsibility for some of his past transgressions that led to some of his send offs.

While I note that these "mea culpas" do not include the present incident, and I don't entirely buy the "newness" he claims, it to me is of little consequence as he clearly knows when he has gone off the reservation. His comments are illustrative.

The former tenacious midfielder continued: "I have done things in this league that I have deserved red cards. I have raised my hand and said, 'Yup, I know what a red card is, I know what a suspension is, and I should've gotten one.' I am being fined for comments I made [to the officials] after I was thrown out, and I absolutely deserve that fine for my reaction. I've got to watch my mouth. I'm new to this."

A good quick read here, courtesy of the Washington Post.

Gamer Alert Part Deux!

Photo courtesy Columbus Crew

FIFA 2011 XBOX Challenge

The Columbus Crew is set to host the FIFA 2011 Xbox Challenge on Saturday, October 23rd at noon. All gamers will meet in the newly renovated Upper 90 Club at Crew Stadium for the chance to compete for cash prizes, Columbus Crew memorabilia, and bragging rights over participating Crew fans. ...

Read the whole story here, courtesy of the Crew.

Tamberino stepping down from U.S. Soccer

Referee director Tamberino stepping down from U.S. Soccer

Craig Stouffer

It's got to be a bit ironic that a bit of non-D.C. United news that recently landed on my desk given the events of the D.C. United/Houston match earlier this evening. Nevertheless, here goes: U.S. Soccer director of referee development Paul Tamberino informed his colleagues this week via email that he will resign effective Dec. 1. An email to Tamberino seeking comment was not immediately answered. ...

See the blog post here, courtesy of the Washington Examiner.

Kicking Back Comments:
While I have not dipped into this story too much yet, this would qualify as a fairly significant shake up to MLS and US Soccer from a refereeing perspective. While no program is run by one man, Paul has been one of the familiar faces for some time.


More on this one to come as we close out this era. Early signs show caution in many for what is to come in 2011.

It's Official, MLS Does Not Care About Your Vote for GOTW

Kicking Back Editorial:

Once again MLS Rumors is at the fore when it comes to breaking some domestic news as once again the Goal Of The Weak Week (GOTW) has been tampered with.

It would also appear that MLS just does not care about it. Well, maybe they do just a little as they seem to be looking for a few professionals in the area as indicated by their jobs postings.

Take a look here for the story from MLS Rumors.

I know we are just talking about GOTW, but it would be such a simple thing to correct with CAPTCHA or something similar.

In the mean time ... I will refrain from voting as it clearly does not mean anything to them.

Corruption week continues

I think MLS Rumors is turning into one of my favorite sites for some local flavor and fun stories. While not corruption per se, it somewhat seemed to fit. I caught this one the other day, how a faction of Seattle fans are upset about officiating in the league and are planning a protest on Thursday to demonstrate their displeasure.

Apparently this group runs a blog called the 12th Minute blog and has done a podcast to talk about how just how bad the officiating is in MLS. I could only get through the first few minutes, but will listen to the whole thing, I promise. Audio can be found on MLS Rumors and on the 12th Minute blog itself.

I have formed an opinion. I leave it to each of you to form your own.

THE quote however came form a comment to the story which stated:

Sounders FC Says:

Posted on September 7, 2010 at 2:58 pm

I love all these people saying something needs to be done. What do you think they can do ?? Do you think there are better quality referees who are sitting at home waiting to get the call or do you think we are going to somehow persuade the better referees from around the world to come and referee in MLS ? Despite all the training in the world there is always going to be an element of mistakes in soccer refereeing – it’s actually part of the charm of the game (although I agree it’s very annoying when it goes against you). There really isn’t much they can do in the short term. You could all help by not yelling obscenities at the 14 year old kid refereeing your childs rec game at the weekend as he/she may grow up to be part of the solution if you don’t put them off

Pure genius, and one who is clearly thinking beyond MLS to understand what it will take to get referees advanced in this country.

Well played Sounders FC, well played!

MLS *REALLY* losing control now!

Kicking Back Comments:
Following is an excellent editorial piece from MLS Rumors as a follow up to their post the other day regarding the Goal Of The Weak Week (GOTW) fixing incident. It's funny too as what I have queued up for today was discussion about a FIFA corruption incident ... in fact there are a pair. One older news, one new.


I guess it is turning into corruption week here at Kicking Back, and happily, none have to do with referees. While sad in a way that there is corruption in THE Game, it makes me slightly happier that it is coming from a source that is not a referee. We get blamed enough for everything else after all =)


As the article indicated, Commissioner Garber is on Extra-Time this Tuesday, and we will see what he has to say, if anything, about the MLS response to the incident.


EDITORIAL: Why Would AT&T Want to Be Associated With Flawed System? MLS Censorship, Secrecy and Soccer in The USA

Stories disappearing, comments removed at will. It seems all in a days work at MLSSoccer. It is indicative of  a league hasn’t learned how to properly deal both “Web 2.0″ and social media and a league which has never learned how to properly deal with bad P.R.

We saw it for the very plainly last week when Columbus Crew fans upset with comments from MLSSoccer.com writer Simon Borg last week commented on the power rankings he posted and had their Facebook comments removed. Matchfit USA ran a good story on that incident but in a nutshell: ...

Full editorial continues here, courtesy of MLS Rumors.

MLS losing control?

If you are asking about their web site, the answer to some is a resounding YES!

Kudos to MLS Rumors who broke this story about how the MLS Goal Of The Week (GOTW) has been tampered with by some (very) knowledgeable fans, and assisted by a seemingly very poor quality web site from MLS.

Also, if you read the comments posted, this apparently is not new to most avid MLS'ers. Go figure. One particularly humerous comment stated:

wait. are you telling me that something about the wonderful league website mlssoccer.com is screwed up, amateurish, or down right stupid? i am shocked. shocked i say. and in other news: water is wet, the sun is very hot and the sky is up.

Ouch.

Now I am not going to go all grassy knoll, but it is worth asking the question if MLS has known about this ... or is participating condoning the acts? Just a question, and not a statement or accusation. (MLS legal please take note.)

For now apparently the page for this weeks GOTW is down and MLS may be rethinking its technology choices to avoid such obvious tampering in the future.

I highly recommend reading the full article here, courtesy of MLS Rumors.