Massachusetts selections to the 2013 Region I ODP Tournament

** FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE FROM THE MSRC ***

With special thanks to the Massachusetts State Referee Committee, and SYRA Brian Treanor, I am pleased to relay the second of three announcements appointing referees to the 2013 series of Regional tournaments for Massachusetts!

The tournament to be announced today will be the Region I ODP Tournament. The Region I ODP Tournament is part one of a two part competition that will lead to the crowning of the Region I ODP champions. The tournament will take place from June 7 through June 9. The Region I champions will advance to take part in the National ODP Championships. Referees attending the Region I ODP Tournament may be selected to work at the Region I ODP Finals which take place shortly after the round robin leg on June 7-9. A referee appointed to the Region I ODP Finals may be selected to advance to the ODP National Championships.

I am pleased to announce that this year's Massachusetts referee/assessor delegation to the 2013 Region I ODP Tournament will be:

Referees:
Anthony Brossi
Joseph Welsby
Erin Cappellucci
Emma Saporito
Jordan Cavaco
Nikolas Coelho
Nicholas Grimard
Karl Sundberg
Brad Weitzel
Fouad Madkour
Zachary Mintz 

Assessors:
Lukengu Jean-Pierre Musanda
One assessor TBA 

Alternates:
David Rodriguez
Mello Barros
Alex Fusco 

The head of delegation for the Region I ODP Tournament will be Anthony Brossi!

Congratulations to all on this significant milestone in your refereeing and assessing career!

Could This Happen To You?

Special thanks to Ken M., and JAFO for bring this one forward.

Soccer ref critically injured after attack by teen player, Utah police say

A soccer referee in Utah was critically injured after being attacked by a 17-year-old player angry about a call made during the game, police said.

Fox13Now.com reports that the 46-year-old ref was injured Saturday morning while officiating a game being played in the fields behind Eisenhower Jr. High School, which is just south of Salt Lake City. ...

See the whole story here, courtesy of Fox News.

Kicking Back Comments: As we will see tomorrow, this referee is likely on their own regarding any medical bills. 

Refereeing Legend: Angelo Bratis

U.S. Soccer Centennial Referee Interview: Angelo Bratsis

In the 100-year history of U.S. Soccer, few people have had as much of an influence on the Federation's referee program as Angelo Bratsis. In nearly 50 years of involvement in the program, Bratsis started officiating on the amateur fields of New England and worked his way all the way up to the FIFA international panel. ...

See the full story here, courtesy of US Soccer.

Kicking Back Comments: A worthy read and associated video. I have the pleasure to know Angelo and have worked with him and for him and have learned more from him than I could ever teach another. I can safely say, to this day, he is one of the very best at his craft, and has limitless passion for The Game.

He is one of US Soccer's treasures, and is only fitting they honor him in such a way, and more.

Massachusetts selections to the 2013 President's Cup

** FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE FROM THE MSRC ***

With special thanks to the Massachusetts State Referee Committee, and SYRA Brian Treanor, I am pleased to relay the first of three announcements appointing referees to the 2013 series of Regional tournaments for Massachusetts!  

The first tournament to be announced will be the Region I President's Cup Championships.  The President's Cup is a national tournament which allows teams from all across the country to compete for a national title.  All 50 states have President's Cup play in games.   Those play in games then lead to Regional President's Cup competitions and the regional winners all meet at the US Youth Soccer President's Cup National Championships.  It is a high honor for a referee to be selected to represent his or her state at these prestigious Regional events.

I am pleased to announce that this year's Massachusetts referee/assessor delegation to the 2013 Region I President's Cup Championships will be:

Erin Cappellucci

Nikolas Coelho

Nicholas Grimard

Nicholas Karnovsky

Max Perkins

Corey Samuelson

Karl Sundberg

Joseph Welsby

Alternates:

Bradley Weitzel

Fouad Madkour

Mello Barros

The Massachusetts assessor for this year's event will be Boris Senic Sr.

Congratulations to all on this significant milestone in your refereeing and assessing career!

I love HKReferee!

This title is not a gag in any way. HKRef is IMHO one of the best football referee bloggers out there today. His analytical style wrapped in thought provoking comments are always a worth read.

One of his latest, Trendsetting: Referee Shirts, is no exception and in a single article hits on several interesting  and funny points.

I would strongly recommend taking a look as it sets up what may be coming our way soon.

I have to say honestly that regarding uniform, I am a big fan of the basic black, long sleeve jersey. While I do like a flourish or two regarding them (e.g. buttoned cuffs) going too far outside of that just does not do it for me.

One of these days I will commission a study to correlate favorite referee jersey style and color to refereeing style. I think the results would be fascinating.

Eat Up!!

I have opined here several times that referees, especially youth referees, particularly in tournament settings, are endurance athletes and need to eat, drink, and train accordingly.

We are about (6) weeks away from Memorial Day tournaments ... are you ready to go for (4) days straight, doing (6) matches a day in early summer heat?

For me personally, I started training last October for an even this October, and while I likely have a bit further to go to get into form than most here, my point stands that fitness is not a fad, or an overnight thing, it is a lifestyle.

Nutrition is a huge part of an athletes lifestyle.

Take a second a look at this very worth article that speaks to soccer nutrition specifically.
It's worth it.

Sports Nutrition – A Head Fake Toward a Healthy Lifestyle

Able to leap tall buildings in a single bound ...

So the weather is getting warmer ... birds are chirping ... and spring is on the cup of springing.

Have you trained today? We are about to start the season.

An easy run ... some stretching perhaps? Have you considered doing some jumping exercises?

Why you ask ... well take a peek below from The Science of Soccer Online. Compelling stuff.

Leg Strength, Sprint Speed and Jump Performance

Soccer players typically perform around a dozen sprints during the course of a 90 minute match. In the 2010 World Cup Finals, Mexican forward Javier Hernandez reached a top speed of more than 32 km/hr (close to 20 miles per hour). There is no doubt that sprint speed is an important player characteristic that can have an important impact on performance. For example, during a breakaway, it is the faster player who either outruns his or her defender or closes down the open forward. ...

Bottom line ... are we ready to keep up if a player kicks it into overdrive?

Most of us will start refereeing next week or so (and am thankful for the extra week due to very wet fields) ... and MLS has already started.

Are YOU ready?

JAFO may have been right

The other day JAFO laid down a stinging rebuke of my GLT analysis and I came to a conclusion that I am a hypocrite.

This is not news by the way, I flop more than a freshly caught fish on the deck of a boat. I often find exceptions to exceptions especially when it comes to something like GLT.

Where I am getting caught is that I am still a traditionalist, but appreciate the technology involved.

Take a look here at Garmin's new set of toys for cyclists.


Pretty freaking cool right?

I dunno ... maybe its pride that drives me away from technology inside the pitch. Then again, as JAFO stated we are training with HR monitors and the like ... while even here I showed a GPS plot of a match I did to demonstrate just how useful the information can be.

I guess what it comes down to is how the technology is going to be used, for good, or not.

JAFO mentioned beeper flags. A good starting point.

What was not mentioned was the flurry of rotten refereeing habits that ensued after their introduction. Eye contact was at an all time low, and on more than one occasion I about had to use one as a club to get a referees attention without actually activating the beeper. This was in MLS too.

Headsets are the same. In this case information overload can come into play. There are times when a moment of silence can help more than someone crackling in your ear about what just happened.

I am still not a fan of GLT, but take JAFO's point more easily now. Where some see it as an aide to officiating, I see it an an opportunity for some to not do their job and let "technology do the work."

If that day comes, we have lost indeed.

Somehow appropriate today ...

Friends,

It is great to be back at home and "back at it" so to speak. My last month has been filled with travel to a variety of spots around the globe. It suffices to say, I am glad to be back and firmly at my keyboard.

In this season of renewal I wanted to start with something that I have written about before, but is best told through the eyes of the person most effected.

In this, the 100th year anniversary for US Soccer, they are running a series of stories called "100 Moments" which detail something extraordinary in our shared history. On a day many celebrate as a resurrection, U.S. Referee Esse Baharmast's 36 Hours of Agony, seems a fitting choice as the man went from local hero, to world villain, to global sensation.

A great story to remind us all what it takes to have the courage to do the right thing.

Good News for All

MLS, USL Pro reach deal on restructured Reserve League

It's been rumored for months, and on Wednesday afternoon MLS and USL Pro made it official: The two leagues have reached an agreement to integrate MLS Reserve League teams into the USL Pro schedule, a multi-year deal that will feature "interleague" play between MLSRL teams and the 13 USL Pro sides.

In the year ahead, that deal also includes affiliations for select teams, facilitating loans from MLS to USL Pro clubs (the third tier of the US soccer pyramid) for players who otherwise wouldn't get much playing time in the top flight. The goal is to immediately improve professional player development in the United States and Canada, providing more and better competition for young pros with big-league dreams. ...

See the whole story here, from MLS.

Kicking Back Comments: This is great news for players and referees alike. For players it is a chance to shine before getting into the big time. For referees it is a chance to see if they "have the stuff", or for that matter, even want to go on to the bigs if they get a chance.

Lower division play is not all that glamorous. In fact, it is bitter work for all involved.

It is also bitter work I would never trade away my whole life. One of these days I am going to write a book about all the crazy stuff that goes on in "the minors."

For some perspective, watch Bull Durham. It was a standard "warm up" for me before I did a D3 or A-League match somewhere.

Here is a classic clip (viewer warning on adult language):

Super Draft!!

Monday MLS Breakdown: News and notes from the SuperDraft floor in Indianapolis

INDIANAPOLIS – New England's decision to make a play for Louisville defender Andrew Farrell occurred a few days before the SuperDraft.

It may have looked like a complex choice from the outside, but it carried fewer complications than one might expect. The technical staffers in New England felt this particular crop of players presented them with two stark choices. Neither of them involved entering draft day with the number four pick. ...

See the whole article here, courtesy of Yahoo News.

Kicking Back Comments: Welcome aboard Mr. Farrell. I hope it works out for Mr. Heaps. I have to believe after last year, this is his last shot.

If he was a referee, he would be banished from MLS based on performance alone.

I Want an Oompa Loompa Now ...

... cries Carolyn Radford about her side, Mansfield Town, losing to Liverpool.

It reminds me of the clip below from the original Willy Wonka.



To see her silly demand, and even sillier statements in context, take a look here from SportsMole.

While I can appreciate nearly stealing one from Liverpool, and love for the club that she is CEO for, her knowledge of the LOTG came through when she said:

"I have enjoyed the day but it feels like it was stolen from us, whether it (a ball that hit Suarez in the hand that he subsequently finished making it 2 - 0) was deliberate or not."

She continued with statements like "We were robbed ..." and "There should be a replay ...".

This is what happens when people who don't know The Game, are in a position of power to manage, and subsequently comment on, technical aspects of The Game.

I applaud her vigor, and clear love for The Game. I just wished she kept that one to herself as it served to show just how little she knows, yet feels fit to criticize the referee.

I was actually always always amazed how little folks actually knew about the LOTG that really should know. Players, owners, league staff ... and not just the "was it a push or not" type of stuff. It was black letter laws that folks had no clue about.

It serves as a reminder that it takes all disciplines to run a business enterprise like a team. Our role, when we are inside the field, is to manage the match.

Do your job as best you can ... and let the others do theirs.

What RG3 Can Teach Us Referees

To put this in context, take a look at this story from USA today detailing the unknown peril Redskins coach Mike Shanahan caused by sticking with hobbled rookie quarterback Robert Griffin III until his sprained right knee buckled for a second and final time in the fourth quarter the wildcard game the Redskins played against Seattle the other night.

I happen to think this was a reckless act by the coach to not pull RG3, even if, and there is no evidence to suggest this, Robert wanted to stay in. The result, regardless of what it is, is just not worth it to jeopardize the health of your franchise QB, for a single win that would not amount to much more.

Now, lets face it, referees are professional athletes too, and while they are not getting knocked around like an NFL player, the training, if done right, is grueling. Heap on top of this a steady match schedule of (3)+ matches for a couple days a week, and you get a seriously fatigued body that still has to go to school/work.

One thing that a athlete, like a referee, must learn is the difference between "hurt", and "injured." This line is different for everyone and there is no proscribed formula for when one transitions from one to the other.

For example, I have spoke here about how I am training for cycling events later this year, and working with a pro cyclist and my doctor to do it (yes a bit extreme, so says Madam X). I'll be honest, I hurt all the time. I am always fatigued, and at times, really run down from being on the bike as much as I am (which is no where near where a pro would be ... I am a rank amateur by all stretches).

Why don't I stop?

Because I know it is just fatigue, and my body is adapting to the higher workload of the training. I am able, after years of training, to know the difference between just being hurt, and actually being injured ... as I have experienced both.

Being injured stinks. It is hard to heal, mentally and physically, and the record is filled with folks (like me) who challenge an injury too soon and cause a worse injury, or in extreme cases, don't return.

So what's the lesson you ask from RG3?

If you are injured, don't referee. You are doing a disservice to yourself, and The Game, all at the same time. You can do nothing more than further injure yourself, prolonging your return, and not do the job you need to.

This is not easy, believe me, and even more so during a match. There are times however, if you are injured, you must call in the 4th, or AR. It was part of my pre-game discussion for years, and while it only happened (during a game) once ... the team was ready, and we dealt with it as smooth as possible.

After all, we're only human.

The Fans Giveth, and The Fans Taketh Away

NHL fans react to tentative labor agreement

Fans have felt the brunt of NHL labor feuding with a canceled season in 2004-05 and 113 days of a lockout this season.

Fans came back in droves in 2005-06, but there is worry about a backlash after a tentative agreement has been reached.

"After the last lockout, the NHL had painted on both blue lines, 'Thank you fans,"" Philadelphia Flyers fan Lisa D'Angelo said by email. "What are they going to paint this time: 'Thank you fans again.'" ...

See the whole article here, courtesy of USA Today.

Kicking Back Comments: At the end of the day for any profession, it is the customers (i.e. the fans in this case) who make or break a league.

To dive into that just a bit, what responsibility, if any (generally), do we think referees have in this?

If you answer was "none", reconsider, if you want to work at the professional and international levels.

It's Up to the Referee?

Boateng: FIFA must do more

Kevin-Prince Boateng has insisted he will walk off the pitch again if he is racially abused and criticised FIFA for not doing more to tackle the issue.

The AC Milan midfielder walked off during a club friendly on Thursday, followed by the rest of his team, and has warned he will do it again with the backing of club president Silvio Berlusconi.

Speaking to CNN, Boateng said: "I don't care what game it is - a friendly, Serie A or Champions League match, I'd walk off the pitch again and I think everyone would support me. ...

See the whole article here, from Fox Sports.

Kicking Back Comments: I agree with Boateng. There is no place for racism at all, in The Game, or otherwise.

From the article there was some significant "buck passing" though ... and all of it was passed to the referee.

From Boateng:

"I said to him if it happens again I'm not going to play anymore. The referee said 'don't worry' but I said I do worry, it's not very nice."

and, from FIFA:

"A FIFA spokesman said: "It would be for the referee to report and the disciplinary committee would have to look into it.""

This last bit is nonsense as if it was clear such activity took place, FIFA could deal with it outside of a referee report. To say they can do nothing without a report is cowardly. Certainly an investigation is in order for such nonsense.

Makes me wonder though ... right now the LOTG speak of sending off for "foul and abusive" language. Clearly racial epithets fall into that category. What about less clear cases? What is a referee to do then?

Will we soon see "foul, abusive, and racist" in the LOTG? Possibly an IBD on point?

It is a little bit concerning as, similar to referees being used as drama critics to sniff out if a player is simulating an action or not, will we now be forced into the moral police, to try to decipher when one individual is racially attacking another, or just having fun in a way that is personal to the players themselves?

While the referee certainly bears responsibility to maintain decorum betwixt the players, at what point does a referee get into trouble for going too far and sending off someone who they thought were acting in that way?

I'm not sure, but what I do know is this is a problem that needs leadership from the top down, not everyone heaping on the referee and waiting for their match report before taking action. 

Busacca: We must give referees all they need

Busacca: We must give referees all they need

Massimo Busacca was a referee for 22 years and officiated at more than 100 top-level international matches, with the 2009 UEFA Champions League final among his most notable. The 42-year-old finished his active career this summer to become the Head of FIFA’s Referees Department. FIFA.com spoke with him about this past year and some of the hot topics in refereeing. ...

See the whole story here, from FIFA.com.

Kicking Back Comments: A good interview with one of the greats. There are some interesting tidbits throughout the article, but the best summary is his conclusion ... it is spot on, and far more fundamental than any administrative construct that FIFA hands down.

Did it really happen?

The Knowledge Christmas special: Did world war one matches really happen?

"Did the Christmas football matches between British and German troops in the first world war trenches really take place?" wonders a sceptical (sic) Sandy Brook.

As you imply in your question, Sandy, most folk raise an eyebrow nowadays at the thought of Tommy and Jerry getting together for a spot of festive soccer on a patch of no-man's land so churned it made the Baseball Ground circa 1972 look like the gardens of Tresco. It seems highly improbable, especially to modern minds conditioned by social media, that petty grudges could be set aside in the name of peace and goodwill to all men. But some contemporary reports suggest that's exactly what happened on Christmas Day 1914. ... 

See the whole story here, courtesy of The Guardian.

Kicking Back Comments: A fun twist on a classic story. Funniest part was this line:

There was no referee, and no score, no tally at all. It was simply a melee – nothing like the soccer you see on television.

I love that personally. If true, you have two countries, nay, a world at war, and you don't need a referee for the match.

A large part of me thinks that referees are horrible for football. I think we may all be surprised what players of good conscience will do when left to their own devices.

#RESPECTforRichard

Please Join The Respect for Richard Campaign

In tribute to slain Dutch referee Richard Nieuwenhuizen, referees around the world will change their avatars or profile photos to the logo of the Royal Dutch Football Association (KNVB). The tribute will be timed to coincide with a silent march in Richard’s hometown of Almere on Sunday, 9 December 2012, at 17:00 local time (16:00 UTC; 11:00 AM EST in North America). ...

See the whole request here, courtesy of @dutchreferee.

Kicking Back Comments: Kicking Back will be honored to join #RESPECTforRichard the week of the 9th.

@dutchreferee on the BBC

Jan ter Harmsel (@dutchreferee) has found himself as a focal point for many, many supportive messages from around the world.

If you have a Twitter account, take a second and message him, he will appreciate it.

He has done a good job with a story here at his blog dutchreferee.com and recently made an appearance on the BBC discussing the recent criminal act that led to the death of Richard Nieuwenhuizen.

A worthy read, both regarding this particular incident, and generally.

Dutch assistant referee killed by youth players

I am sad to report this is not a gag headline, or some clever turn on words that I am using to make a point about The Game.

This is a disgusting attack by (3) youth players, on another human, a father, a husband, a son, and assistant referee Richard Nieuwenhuizen.

Photograph via Facebook and ABC News

Serving as a volunteer assistant referee at his son's youth football match, he died after being kicked and beaten by several players. Nieuwenhuizen, 41, was shaking players’ hands when the three players, two 15-year-olds and one 16-year-old, surrounded him, pushed him to the ground, and began attacking him.

Authorities haven’t given a possible motive for the attack. The three boys accused in this case are in police custody, and will appear before a judge behind closed doors on Thursday.

Action taken was swift and included a lifetime ban from soccer in the country for the players arrested for the beating, and all upcoming Nieuw Sloten games have been canceled, the club where these criminals hail from. A number of teams, including all those based in Almere, have stated they will refuse to play any games against Nieuw Sloten.

Nieuw Sloten said in a statement on its website that it had banned the players involved and pulled its team out of the league. The statement said such incidents "do not belong on a football field". Both clubs cancelled all training scheduled for Monday.

This seems like a reasonable start.

To complete this, these boys should be thrown in jail to rot.

I am concerned about Norway's "restorative justice system" that generally is very gentile where I believe that (21) years is the maximum sentence for anything other than war crimes, or genocide.

Anyone remember Anders Breivik who only received (21) years for killing (77) people? Yep, that's about 100 days per murder.

Restorative huh.

Now from my criminal law days there are several reasons for punishment:

1. Deterrence (for others).
2. Retribution (for what they did).
3. Rehabilitation (so they won't do it again).
4. Incapacitation (so they can't do it again).

I'll be honest, I am going with 1 and 2 on this one and quickly followed up by a suit in tort for the families of each of these little murderers.

A strong message needs to be sent here, by the Dutch courts, Netherlands Football, and yes, FIFA. It needs to be stronger than what Sepp said the other day.

You want to make an impression, condemn the activity in the strongest possible terms. Be shocked, be sad, and be mad as hell that these punks did this, and promise swift and severe sanctions for all involved, the club, the league ... everyone, who takes such actions, or inactions.

It is times like this that I struggle with such barbaric actions, receiving humane treatment. It's the civilized thing to do, but I'll be honest folks, it is not coming easy for me personally on this one.