Make That Dos a Tres

Well then ... I was in the ball park, but underestimated the frenetic nature of the contest in the closing minutes.

There has been a bunch of commentary on this match easily "googlable" on the web ... let me add a few thoughts to the mix from a variety of perspectives:

1. While even for 45' after that is was nearly all Mexico with the run of play. Yes, the US came back in spectacular fashion, but frankly it was Mexico's night despite Jurgen saying " ... we played them even." Yes I know he said in the first half before the Jurgen lovers come at me ... but why say it at all when the US was chasing for every minute after halftime.

2. Salvadorian referee Joel Aguilar did a fine job last night. I had the pleasure of watching him work live in Foxboro when the US played Brazil in the 4-1 drumming the US received. As we saw play was frenetic and was indeed the "war" I had suggested it was going to be. He did a tremendous job in the face of that pressure and I believe did well. That said, were there things he could have changed, you bet, both ways, but for me, the US nor Mexico should have any issue with the refereeing for this match.

3. Klinesman took a swipe at one of the USs' best referees, Mark Geiger during his excuse making, "it's not my fault" post match press conference. In his comments he stated that "The Gold Cup was influenced by poor referee decisions. That's why we were here tonight." (For any not familiar with the controversy, take a look here, courtesy of Bleacher Report)

Is he serious? This is akin to saying it is the referees fault we lost today. This is our National Team Coach?!?

News flash, it would not matter who we played the other night, the US is not playing well, and more specifically is not being coached any better than previous coaches if we dive into the statistics. Is it really worth the $2.5M we (crap, I with some of my registration fee) is paying him?

Just to pour some salt in the wound, take a look at USMNT fans hate Jurgen Klinsmann because he won't stop lying from SB Nation. It would seem clear I do not stand alone in my thinking.

Tick Tock President Gulati ... now would be a great time to make a move on a coach.

My Prediction: Uno a Dos

I hate to make that prediction, but the USA MNT is just not playing well. Despite the emotion swirling around the match later today, and whenever the US plays Mexico at any level, I think the US, while playing at the Rose Bowl is essentially playing an away match.

Don't get me wrong, it may be close for a bit, but ultimately I think MEX will pull it out. If it is not even that close ... well ... that is really bad.

I'll say too ... if the US does not win today ... I think Jurgen is in some deep crap as coach. Yes I know, Sunil has said he is on board through the next World Cup, but realistically, I think the time is now if we make a move on a coach.

Uno a Dos, por Mexico.

Reaction and news on same tomorrow.

Oh it's on now Mexico ...

... and if the US plays like it did again Brazil ... we are done for.

Prepare for 120'+

Today re-taught many of us a necessary lesson ... which is you need to referee (or play) for 120'+ minuets.

During the Portugal v. USA match we saw two of the three teams remember this lesson. Portugal, who scored a great goal in the 95' and the refereeing team, who by my standards did an excellent job. Our USA team however, lost heir minds in the 95' and lapsed completely, allowing an equalizer that saw their Round of 16 berth quashed ... for now.

Some may ask me to give USA a break given their (truly) excellent play and come back from 1-0 to truly dominate 90' of the 95' of the match.

I give them the same break any referee would get if they stopped refereeing the last 5' of the match ... none at all.

If you set foot inside the pitch, be ready for the full measure. That means 90' plus extra time, overtime, and penalties.

Train and prepare for 120'+.

It may cost you a match one day.

It may cost Team USA an early exit out of this World Cup today.

Congrats to US Referees Geiger, Hurd, and Boria

Referee trios and support duos appointed for 2014 FIFA World Cup

The FIFA Referees Committee, meeting in Zurich yesterday (14 January 2014) under the chairmanship of Jim Boyce (Northern Ireland), has appointed 25 referee trios and eight support duos representing 43 different countries for the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil™.

FIFA has implemented a comprehensive programme to ensure that the referees for its flagship competition are in peak condition come 12 June. ...

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

Kicking Back Comments: While not unexpected, it is always welcomed to see a US face in a World Cup. Hearty congratulation to Mark, Mark, and Eric.

This is an accomplishment that so few will ever have. Enjoy the fruits of your hard work.

To look at the full list of referees going to Brazil is not so shocking both in geographic location, and by name. The full list of referees and alternates can be seen here (.pdf).

Overdue, or Right On Time?

Bradley era ends as U.S. stagnates

Three thoughts on the firing of U.S. men's soccer coach Bob Bradley on Thursday:

• Is it finally Klinsmann time? Two times the U.S. has come achingly close to hiring German legend Jürgen Klinsmann, and two times Klinsmann has left the Americans at the altar. Might the third time be the charm? ...

See the whole article here, from SI.com.

Kicking Back Comments: My jury is still out on this one. IMHO Bradley sadly had to go. If it is timely will depend on how quickly US Soccer announces a replacement. If they do so in the next couple of weeks, they were timely. If they delay any longer than that to communicate a decision, again IMHO, they should have waited to get the act together before tipping over the apple cart. If they really wanted to do it right, the two would have been announced simultaneously. If they really, really want to do it right, they will hire Klinsmann.


ESPN had some interesting choices, and odds, here.

USA Gets Gold in Women's World Cup

As most have seen at this point Japan bested the USA in the Women's World Cup Final, 3 kicks to 1 in kicks from the mark, to win the match 3::2.

One aspect that is not being widely reported is the success the USA referees had in the tournament. Based on the performance of Kari Seitz, Marlene Duffy, and Veronica Perez, it was clear they "ran the table" in Germany, and if it was not for the USA being in the final, may have indeed worked that match in lieu of the 3rd place match between Sweden and France (match report .pdf).

Photo courtesy usarefswwc2011

For an interesting and inside look at the tournament through their eyes, check out their blog here. It has some very interesting stuff, including the following video. Certainly worth a look to get a glimpse at the highest level in the world.

USA 2 :: Korea 0

Well the US did well in their first match as far as a result goes taking it 2::0 after the halftime. More interesting to me however was the match through the referee, and some of the crazy comments after.

For anyone interested, the referees were:
Referee: Bibiana STEINHAUS (GER)

Assistant Referee 1: Marina WOZNIAK (GER)

Assistant Referee 2: Katrin RAFALSKI (GER)

Fourth official: Gyoengyi GAAL (HUN)

This referee is interesting. She is the ONLY woman referee in German professional football, and a police officer to boot (shades of Howard Webb).

Her FIFA profile can be found here, Facebook page here, and personal (authorized) website here. You just have to love the information age.

The match itself (again from a refereeing perspective) to me was boring. A full match summary is here, and the official report is here (.pdf). Just looking at the summary (below), you can get the sense there was really not a lot going on by the way for fouls and misconduct, and this referee did not have to get too involved.

USAPRK

19	Shots	13
8	Corner kicks	4
0	Yellow cards	0
0	Second yellow card and red card	0
0	Red Cards	0
53%	Possession (%)	47%

One of the more interesting parts came after the match, where the Korea coach Kim Kwang-Min when asked about his teams (lack of) performance, came up with a doosey. Quoting the coach (source):

"When we stayed in Pyongyang during training there was an unexpected accident so our team was not capable of playing. Our players were hit by lightning during a training match. More than five were hospitalised. The match was on 8 June."

Well, at least he did not blame the referee.

More Anti-US Sentiment ... from Qatar

From the Gulf Times seen here:

“I am not interested in football at all, and believe that it is getting more world attention than it really deserves. But when the voting process put Qatar against the US, I hoped that Qatar would win,” Sheikh Qaradawi said in his Friday sermon at the Omar bin al-Khattab mosque at Khalifa South town. The US president had said that FIFA had taken a “wrong decision”. It was a very bad comment by Obama. This means that he was intervening in a decision that should be made through voting. It seems that America wants to have the monopoly on everything in the world from politics to sports,” Qaradawi said.

The rats are already leaving the ship

Well, the 2010 World Cup is over for the USA team and the news certainly reflected that. Take a look at the following headlines:
Ghana eliminates the United States in the 2010 World Cup
Ghana with the Win II: a sorry sequel
Africa soaks up Ghana's World Cup win over the USA
Ghana: Black Stars Cruise Into Q-Final, Play Uruguay Friday

What frosts my cookie is headlines like these, and the image they portrait:
Americans Have No One to Blame but Themselves
World Cup Soccer Dreams End Saturday
US needs creative touch to reach next level at World Cup

... and my personal favorite:
Loss shows US not ready for soccer's big time yet 

I mean, come on. The author of this last piece (Nancy Armour) has to be kidding. This type of vapid reporting about the game in the US is one of the issues, I believe, with the game not reaching its full potential. Take a look at her bio. Wow, she is a figure skating writer too. How much real experience does she have with the game? Or for that matter, any of the sports she writes about?

Contrast that with someone like Grant Wahl (bio) who has been around the game and, in my opinion, actually takes the time to understand what is going on. Take a look at his blog here. This is great stuff. Insightful. Hard hitting. Asks the right questions generally. In short, he and SI care about what is going on.

This is not to call out any particular reporter (it just worked out that way), but to make the point about how incredibly fickle the United States is to the game, and in particular the international game. There are a number of issues here beyond the press that include, FIFA, US Soccer, US Youth Soccer, MLS, WPS and the performance of the teams, the US press, how we are seen in the world, and yes, us as referees. Any one of these acting alone will not get the US on the world stage, and keep us there as so many of us want to be, but rather it has to be a team effort with all of these forces acting in concert, knowingly or not.

This particular rant just touches on how in general it would seem the US press are like a bunch of rats, now leaving the SS World Cup as the USA exits from the tournament. What concerns me more is those in the press who never got on the ship in the first place.

... and the winner is ...

... Viktor Kassai?

Yes. His performance in USA v. GHA was very good in my opinion. Let's take a closer look.

One of the first things I noticed in looking at the report (here) was the number of fouls ... 30 to be exact. Mind you, this was after 120 minutes of play, not the typical 90.

Also of note was that there was only 5 cautions and no send offs in the match. Again this is over the 120 minute span in a knock-out round of the biggest tournament in the world.

Here is the timeline courtesy of FIFA.com:

Each caution was very good and served a purpose. Kassai did not "throw any away". Of particular note was the caution to BOCANEGRA in the 68'. While the foul seemed fairly innocuous, and was his only one of the match, take a look at the position on the field ... it was right in front of the benches ... and KASSAI wanted to make sure that one was taken care of for sure.

Decisions on fouls were accepted by players on both sides. There was not obvious dissent ... there was discussion. Players were talking to the referee and vice versa. Many cut away scenes were of the referee talking or communicating without talking, with a stern look, or a "knock it off" gesture, to players who were accepting the decisions.

Case in point, and the referees moment of truth ... the USA penalty. There was no drama, no whining, no acting from anyone. It was a foul, they went to the spot, and everyone lined up for it. Simple, right? Right! (There is that luck is the residue of hard work thing again) Simple foul, simple call. Had KASSAI not called that one, the match was over, as was his World Cup I would opine.

KASSAI is a players referee. He talks, and works with the players to manage them through the match. He is proactive about dealing with issues (like the caution to BOCA) before they become an issue. He was fit, he was close to play, and he let them play ... can't ask for anything more than that.

Finally he protected the integrity of the game by allowing for extra time when it was being wasted by GHA. Imagine, here is a referee who gave +3 in extra time after 120+ minutes with the losing team pressing hard. GHA may not have liked it, but fans of the game did. KASSAI gave all the players a full opportunity that day.

So for all this was there anything at issue? My big picture answer is no, he was excellent. There were a couple of minor, one very minor things that caught my eye.

First, in the 63' DONOVAN and PRINCE (really BOATENG) were really going at it and in a series of back to back fouls pretty clearly kicked each other pretty freaking hard. Did the players accept it, yes. Did the referee need to get involved more than he did, no. Could it have gotten worse, I though so. This was right in front of the JAR and may have been worth a word, maybe he did. Either way, the decisions were accepted and the players dealt with it.

Second, KASSAI was in a passing lane more than a few times. Don't get me wrong, his fitness was excellent ... maybe too good as he was able to get in behind the play fairly easily. A few players had to either pass, or make a run around him to get at the ball. This seemed to happen most in the middle 1/3 as play was settling in around the 18 yard box. Not a real effect, just noted ... as did the fact that he was not hit with the ball.

Third, I would have *loved* to see KASSAI get more animated when the GHA players were slowing it down or lying around in the 2nd ET. While they likely would not have picked up the pace, and it would not have changed the amount of extra time given, a more public gesture may have gone that much further.

Finally, and I am picking nits here, why were the ARs wearing long sleeves, and the referee short? I know, I know, silly little point and certainly does not take away from anything ... it just looked weird to me and would have expected the ARs to follow the referees lead. Those guys were working hard too, figured they migh enjoy the shorter sleeve. This from a guy who always wears long.

All and all, KASSAI was very good, and I believe he secured himself a place in the 1/4 finals with that performance. While to me he has only an outside shot of doing the final for reasons I will share later, he has certainly done well to advance himself on the world's stage.

The day has come ...

United States vs. Ghana - Some prematch facts, quotes, and some more links

 by denz on Jun 26, 2010 6:55 AM MDT  0 comments

OK, I have to thank US Soccer for doing a good job during this World Cup of providing quality information on their site and via their media email updates,

lets start today with the latest from Studio 90, which features a look at how fans have been celebrating the US matches in Africa, the UK, and here in the States:

 Full article here, courtesy of rslsoapbox.com.

Just a summer romance?

The US takes the World Cup to its heart, but will this dalliance last?

The US has loved soccer before, but Landon Donovan and company hope to form a longer-lasting bond.

Full story here courtesy of guardian.co.uk.

Is Viktor Hungary for USA v. GHA?

All puns intended, our referee for the USA v. GHA match on 26-JUN is Hungarian referee Viktor Kassai. (FIFA bio here)

A FIFA referee since 2003, Kassai hails from Tatabanya and has worked the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup where he served as referee for (2) matches. Kassai also served in the 2008 Summer Olympics and was the referee for the final between Nigeria and Argentina (report here), as well as serving in UEFA Euro 2008.

Kassai does have a lucky star shining on him (some would say it is the resedue of hard work - I am among them) as in 2007 he was assigned to the U-21 Eurpoean Championship Finals in the Netherlands, but had to decline, as noted above he was also asked to attend the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup.

Kassai is a travel agent by trade and in a notable moment he was criticized for sending off Lisbon's Simon Vukcevic in a Champion's League match after Vukcevic scored the equalizer. Some circles believe that Kassai is a book referee unable to bend the book when needed.

Here is what I could find regarding statistics:

So while at the helm of 47 matches, he had 140 cautions (~3 per match) and 5 send offs (~.1 per match). Again these are just numbers, but given the match breakdown, it would to me be a strong indicator militating AWAY from the opinion he is a book referee.

Note however, he is clearly not as experienced as the USA's last referee Frank De Bleeckere, but I would opine is clearly a up and coming star on the international scene.

This next match will be an interesting test of how high that star may climb.

Just one thought ... KISS

So the USA v. ALG match is in the books and the tournament moves on. (Report here) Our summa rudis,  De Bleeckere, I personally though did very well. He was clearly able to stitch together the fabric of a very exciting match. While there may have been a couple of stitches out of place, as a whole, he produced a beautiful tapestry.

How did he do that?
I have an opinion ... the KISS principle.
Which stands for: Keep It Simple Stupid.

I would opine that one way to control a match is to work on the simple fouls first. No crazy advantages, no stretching the laws in early stages of the match. Just some plain-jane, run of the mill fouls. Get yourself in a groove, get the players into a groove. You are there, they are there, everyone is getting along, no problem.

This very much goes for ARs as well. It is always great to get a couple of out of bounds and an offiside decision under your belt early to get you "into" the match, and lets players know that you are there and are with them. Now, this is not an excuse to invent something just to get attention as a referee. It has to be there, and be real. Your credibility will plummet otherwise, so don't play make-believe ever with a decision on the pitch.

Think about it like climbing a mountain. You start at the bottom, its flat, easy terrain. Everyone is just getting started and wants to stretch their legs a bit and work on setting a pace. From there you go up a level in difficultly. Things get a little harder, and maybe a little faster. You may stop at a point to catch your breath, and take a rest, not for you, but to give others a break. Eventually to succeed you will be on a gradual pace up, but only as fast as the slowest climber, because after all you must do it as a team.

Same is true in refereeing. Start slow, let players and your refereeing team acclimatize to their surroundings. Simple fouls at first and work your way up. If players are concerned or do not feel secure in what is going on, take a few steps back and evaluate. If players are frustrated and want to climb higher and play more, you should let them, as they dictate the level of play.

When you climb a mountain you don't start at the top and run down, you have to start slow and move up. Now don't be fooled, sometimes it turns into a sprint up to the top, and if the players are up to it, you should be accommodating so long as they are climbing safely. If they are not, slow them down just enough to make the point that having everyone be secure and go from there.

De Bleeckere did this during this match, he started simple, got everyone in a grove and used only enough force  necessary to control the situation. This gave him options later down the road as he need them to control the match. Note the progression used in these cases.

Whistle ==> Quiet Word ==> Public Admonishment ==> Caution ==> Stern Word ==> Send Off

He managed the players and took them up one step at a time allowing them to dictate the match, until it was too much for the rest. They then rested for a minute (with a word, or a caution), and they went from there. It is clear that things will get elevated in a match, that is the nature of sport. To do so in a step by step fashion, in a controlled fashion and starting with simple fouls may be one of the best ways to get to the top.

USA v. ALG Needed a referee after the match ...

World Cup 2010: Saifi 'slapped female journalist'

A female journalist has claimed Algeria footballer Rafik Saifi slapped her in the face after his side were knocked out of the World Cup.

"I was waiting for the Algerian players. When Saifi came I just moved away. I felt a hit," Asma Halimi told BBC World Service.

The journalist, who works for Algerian newspaper Competition, said she had a disagreement with Saifi a year ago.

"I will make [a] complaint with Fifa and the police," she added.

The BBC World Service's Richard Connelly witnessed the incident in the mixed zone - an area where journalists and players congregate - after the match.

"Rafik Saifi slapped the face of journalist Asma Halifi," said Connelly.

"She hit him back as a reflex.

"He then threw a bottle of sports drink which missed and had to be restrained from attacking her again."

The BBC understands the altercation comes after a year of bad feelings between the pair.

"Saifi took exception to an interview that she translated and published in her newspaper," explained Connelly.

"There was a similar incident between the two last year. She's going to complain formally to Fifa and to the police later on tonight."

Halimi says that Saifi threatened that she will come to harm in Algeria.

An Algerian federation spokesman said he had no information about the incident and so could not comment.

There was nobody immediately available from Fifa.

The Algerians had just been knocked out of the World Cup after losing to an injury-time goal by Landon Donovan of the United States.

Article courtesy of the BBC (link here).

Note that the authorities indicate that it is likely that this player will be tried in a "World Cup Court" as players are apparently not exempt from the jurisdiction of these courts. As part of the study of these courts I will include any further updates to this case, at that time.

FIFA brings out the big stick

Ladies and Gentlemen, your referee for the pivotal 3rd group match between USA and Algeria, Mr. Frank De Bleeckere. A referee since 1984, and FIFA since 1998, and appointed to the 2006 World Cup. See here for his FIFA profile.

He is one of the most respected referees in Europe and has several international and international friendlies to his credit. This includes 2002 World Cup Qualification, UEFA 2004 Qualification, 2003 FIFA World Youth Championships, UEFA Euro 2004, 2006 World Cup Qualification, 2005 FIFA World Cup U-17 Championship, 2006 FIFA World Cup. UEFA Euro 2008 Qualification, UEFA Euro 2008, 2010 World Cup, and a host of international friendlies.

A complete list as well as other details can be found here.

So what kind of referee is he? Well it would seem clear that discipline is critical to him. Take the following statistics into account:

From the 2006 World Cup:

Event	Games
2006 FIFA World Cup	4	19	0	0

From European play since 2007:

Event	Games
European Play	23	95	0	6

This is an average of 4.22 cautions per match and .26 send offs per match.

Keep in mind, this is just a number. More importantly, by the respect he is given in European circles, he knows how to use the misconduct to manage the players.

What may show more is his approach to the game on Wednesday. Here is a quote from him:

“I don’t look at reputation or anything that has gone before (...) I will watch the previous games of USA and Algeria to help me understand their tactics and work on my positioning. But I will watch ‘Gladiator’ first.”

(Full article from Yahoo sports is here).

Clearly both FIFA and De Bleeckere are preparing for a Gladiator style match on Wednesday as the USA takes the grounds against Algeria. We shall see who comes to fight that day, where De Bleeckere will act as summa rudis. One shall be named victorious and awarded a palm branch, possibly even a rudis, the other, likely goes home.