President's Cup Match Report Day 2

So ends another day of refereeing this wild and crazy tournament.  Well, not too crazy, overall it has gone well and the tournament organizers have mostly good things to say!

Today I was privileged to be the Senior Assistant Referee on a competitive Girls U16 semifinal match.  The two teams, one from New Hampshire and the other from Massachusetts (Yes I was allowed to be on that match since I was not the center).  My partners were a referee from Pennsylvania and one from NH.  I quickly bonded with these gentlemen over lunch prior to our game and we developed a strong rapport, which aided us greatly during the match.  Communication was spot on -- and it was needed, because the game was close, ending in a 2-2 draw after regulation and extra time.  And so we entered the dreaded (well, not for us) kicks from the penalty mark (see! I used the right lingo!  I'd probably be kicked off this blog if I called it a penalty shootout).  In a tense shootout, the NH team advanced to the final, and my crew came out unscathed with glowing remarks from the assessor.  A strong shout out to the Pennsylvania East representative in the middle, who put in a stellar performance.

Like the last couple of days, we wrapped up the evening with dinner and a large referee meeting.  There, they announced the referees that would be going to the National President's Cup, and also the referees for the various finals to be held tomorrow.  Massachusetts has 1 representative going, and 4 officials (or 40% of our referees) in final matches.  Unfortunately I was not selected :-( but the silver lining is that the other referees not selected and myself will be able to watch the games our friends are in.

I'll also be able to take some pictures, so I encourage you to follow the #MassRegionalRefs and #MassTourneyRefs hashtags on instagram and twitter for more updates.  Also check the Massachusetts State Referee Committee page for more up to date news about the event.


Catch you next time!

Saw this one coming ... but not the crazy tweet!

Klinsmann defends Donovan World Cup snub

USA coach Jurgen Klinsmann defended his decision to keep all-time American top scorer Landon Donovan out of his FIFA World Cup™ squad, saying the 32-year-old striker simply was not good enough.

"The other strikers we see that inch ahead of him," Klinsmann said. "We feel those guys are a little step ahead of Landon in certain areas. That's why we made that decision."

Former German star international and coach Klinsmann noted how Donovan's game has evolved as he has grown older with fewer one-on-one attacks and charges into the penalty area. He reflected how players gain experience as they get older but "maybe physically they lose a little bit of an edge". ...

See the whole article here, courtesy of FIFA.

Kicking Back Comments: Still not buying it and in fact feel even more strongly based on Jurgen's comments. I'll add to it too with Jurgen's punk 17 year old son maligning LD in a tweet following the announcement. You can see it, and some of the reaction here.

Now, I'm not getting all conspiracy theory and genuinely believe that Jurgen was short cited for many of the right reasons, and the thing with his son was just a classless act by a 17 year old. That said, I think the damage was done with the announcement when even the veterans on the team were surprised.

In the long haul I don't think this bodes well of Jurgen, who has a contract through 2018. There are enough questions swirling around to make things very uncomfortable from now through the early exit the US will have in Brazil.

Today's Match Report

Like in other tournaments and online, making sure the match report is filled out and delivered to the proper authorities is number one.

Like number one.

As in, if you break a leg, before you call the ambulance, make sure you drop off your match report number one (OK not really but you get the idea).

So while I want to conk out into a coma before starting again tomorrow, here is a brief summary of today's antics events.

While some start at 8 AM, I was fortunate to have my first game at 9:45AM, allowing me to have a leisurely breakfast with my referee crew - and as a result a bit of an extended pregame.  My crew consisted of 2 very nice, professional and skilled referees from the Eastern Pennsylvania and Eastern New York state associations.  One of my favorite things about these tournaments is the opportunity to meet new people and hear about the little things leagues do in various places.  But we couldn't chat forever as we had a tough (or so we anticipated) 3 game set of U16 games to take care of.

The first game was also important since it was my center and I was being assessed by John Paine, a former FIFA referee and current USSF National Assessor.  It was great to have him give me constructive criticism on a match, as he pointed out some of my habits and techniques that needed to be worked upon.  The match unfortunately wasn't very difficult.  To quote Mr. Paine "Easy Game.... and you kept it easy!"  So while I performed well, I wasn't particularly challenged.  Perhaps tomorrow will be different!

After that, I was the Assistant Referee for my 2 partners, and we all had relatively easy games.  Our hopes are that the performances we put in will put us in consideration for some semifinals and finals in the upcoming couple of days!

At the end of the game, the local state referee association catered a lovely BBQ dinner where refs from the different associations were able to mingle and trade war stories.  I heard something about a 3 straight red card slugfest, easy blowouts, and a world-class bicycle kick from a U12 player.

So all in a day's work :-).

Catch you tomorrow!  I'm going to track down some of the Mass referees during my break tomorrow and see if I can take some good photos.  Make sure to follow the #MassRegionalRefs and #MassTourneyRefs hashtags on instagram and twitter!

#Cannes2014 #UnitedPassions #LooksAwful

... But please, you be the judge.

Comments on YouTube however are #Priceless. Here's one:

US Youth Soccer Regional Tournament Reporting!

Hi all!  My name is Marc and you can find me taking over the Kicking Back blog over the next couple of days whilst I blog about the shenanigans experiences of the Massachusetts Referee Delegation at the US Youth Soccer Region 1 President's Cup.  Perhaps you'll learn something or be mildly amused by reading this (hopefully both!).

For those of you who don’t know, the President's Cup was created by US Youth Soccer as a “mid-level competition for those looking to play against teams of similar abilities for a National Championship Title" Don’t be fooled by ‘mid-level’ though, it’s a big deal!  At least so I’m told...  We'll find out!

Full disclosure, this will be my first regional event, so I’m definitely new at this, I intend to share my experiences and observations, however entertaining/dull/boring/fascinating they may be. :-)

The crew this morning met at Boston Logan bright and early.  I’m not certain whose idea it was to take the 6:30 AM flight, but nevertheless we all made it on time and had no hiccups through security or at check in.  Upon arrival in Pittsburgh, we stopped by Pittsburgh's famous "Luca's Diner" for a hearty breakfast.  After all, you cannot referee on an empty stomach!

After a short drive north, we ended up at Slippery Rock, PA and checked into our dorm rooms at the aptly named Slippy Rock University.  While we are relaxing now prior to dinner and our evening meetings, you can definitely feel a positive buzz of excitement amongst the delegation.  All 10 referees (and our Head of Delegation and Assessor) are ready to hit the ground running tomorrow.  Hopefully we'll have many great stories to report!

I intend to keep you updated on what is going throughout the weekend, but in addition to that some of the referees and myself will be tweeting and instagramming about the event using the hashtags #MassTourneyRefs and #MassRegionalRefs.  Also make sure to follow @MA_Referees over on Twitter throughout the tournament season! 

No LD?!?!?! Big Mistake

U.S. announces final World Cup roster; Donovan excluded

The player widely regarded as the greatest in American soccer history will be watching the World Cup from home. Landon Donovan was among the seven players cut from the United States' 23-player World Cup roster on Thursday. It was expected to be his fourth and final World Cup.

Though Jurgen Klinsmann had been clear about his expectations for Donovan, few expected Donovan to be left off the roster entirely. As a result, expect the team's success or failure to be judged through the prism of Klinsmann's decision. ...

See the whole story here, courtesy of USA Today.

Kicking Back Comments: I think this is Jurgen's first huge mistake as the US Coach. Let's face it kids, the US is out after the 1st round short of a miracle. (You can see the group here) I suppose you could also have something like what Jens Voigt described in cycling parlance below:

So with this in mind, and in Jurgen's own words there is only a "little" difference between LD and the rest of the team he was competing with ... give LD the nod. He has done more for the US Game than many others at that level ... tip the cap, give him the honor. He has earned it.

Our team is going nowhere this year in Brazil, and while Jurgen may be thinking about experience for these guys for 2018, I think a single spot can be for one who has done what LD has done ... and also has performed at or near the same level as others. If that is Jurgen's actual thinking I find it a bit too rigid and frankly a mistake.

If his reasoning is other, like LD's walkabout recently, or that Jurgen just does not like him, then own the decision to exclude him on that basis. Please don't pretend to exclude a pre-legend like LD on the basis he is ... not ... quite ... there.

Don't believe me? How about this from Jerry Hinnen on CBS Sports which says:

"The bottom line is that the friction between Klinsmann and Donovan was an open secret -- has been an open secret for a while -- and it's not easy to find reasons other than that friction for the selection of Davis, in particular, at Donovan's expense. The belief here is that Donovan isn't being left at home because he's out of form; being out of form merely gave Klinsmann enough of an excuse to that he could leave Donovan at home. Ultimately, it's not a soccer decision, though even Klinsmann may be telling himself it is."

Big mistake Jurgen. Put your bias away and do the right thing for the US Game ... and LD who helped form it in this generation.

A Tale of Two Matches

I went to the local park this past Sunday to take in some soccer. After the cold, snow and rain of the previous six months, it was great to finally get to watch a game without having to wear an overcoat. Beautiful skies with scattered puffy clouds and the temperature dancing around 68 degrees with a whisper of a breeze to give life to the budding trees in the background. Short sleeves all around.

The game in progress upon arrival was an adult women's game. This was obviously a lower division of play, and had a recreational atmosphere to it. Uniform requirements were a little lax, with many players wearing T-shirts of a proximate color, and in some cases simple scrimmage vests instead of jerseys. Players joked a bit with opponents about missing open chances and apologized for accidental collisions, occasionally joking with the referee as well. There were a few husbands sunning themselves on a blanket or reading a paperback book in a lawn chair. I never could figure out who was rooting for which team. We applauded good play regardless.

My neighboring spectator soon struck up a conversation with me. He was originally from Mubai and now lives near the field, On this day he was out for a walk and decided to stop to watch the game. He said he used to play when he was younger, and explained that soccer is big in his country. After a bit he continued on his way.

I reflected about how perfect this day was. Perfect weather, perfect game, perfect atmosphere. There was no place on this earth I would have rather been at that moment.

Later that by same day, I stopped at another field and watched a children's game. The level of play was 5-6 years old, and this was their introductory season of organized soccer. There were about six players on the field for each team, although at times it was hard to count since they all clustered together. Each team did look sharp in matching uniforms right down to the socks. They were assisted in their learning by several adult "coaches" that joined them on the field, and helped steer the herd toward some mysterious goal. 

In this game, the atmosphere was completely different. There was a cacophony of shouts from the on-field coaches as well as the assembled parents. "Go Johnny, kick it up the field!" "Now run and get it Sarah!" "This way, this way!" The pressure was palpable. The little tykes tried to do something to gain the approval of the adults, although it seemed most had no idea how to actually achieve that mission. 

What a contrast between those two games! I found myself wondering why the atmosphere that flourished in the adult game was not allowed to grow in the children's match. Does anyone really believe the experience of those 5-year-olds to be of any lasting value for a child of that age? Are those entry level leagues doing more harm than good?

On my drive home, I wondered how many people went to that children's game and thought to themselves that there was no place else in the world they would rather be at that moment. Sadly, I doubt anybody had that feeling.

Mon Depardieu!

Sepp Blatter launches FIFA movie at Cannes film festival after spending £16million on production costs

FIFA president Sepp Blatter has caused yet another storm by committing the world football body to the multi-million-pound funding of a film that is regarded as little more than a giant vanity project.

United Passions, which was launched with Blatter in attendance at the Cannes film festival yesterday, tells the history of FIFA through founder Jules Rimet, played by Gerard Depardieu, Joao Havelange and Blatter himself — who is depicted by Tim Roth. ...

See the whole story here, from Mail Online.

Kicking Back Comments: Ohhhhhhhhh I gotta see this one. I can see why it is being called a vanity project as sources have FIFA bankrolling about 84% if the total cost of the film ... which is not getting great reviews.

Ah well, at least I'm sure I'll get a laugh when I see it. Watch for the full review here!

Oops

Award of World Cup to Qatar ‘a mistake’, admits Sepp Blatter

French and German government officials went through the motions yesterday of rejecting Sepp Blatter’s suggestion that it had been the interest of big business in their two countries that had been a key factor in Qatar being awarded the 2022 World Cup.

Neither, though, bothered to question the Fifa president’s assertion that choosing the middle-eastern emirate had been “a mistake”.

See the whole story here, courtesy of The Irish Times.

Kicking Back Comments: Gee Sepp, ya think it was a screw up? 

What is astounding to me is that it should not have been a mystery about how hot it was in Qatar during the time for the World Cup (June/July). If you look at any technical report (example of the 1984 Olympic Games is here) it's pretty clear this was a detail that was not missed, but rather ignored ... and without a mention of changing the dates of the tournament (I believe) for the 1st time in history.

Sepp's "apology" is not worth the breath he used to speak it. Like his leadership, it rang hollow and was plainly dishonest based on the economic reality of who stands to make millions it this tragic wake of a decision.

I always appreciate it when folks say "I screwed up ... and I'm sorry" ... so long as they actually mean it. For me, I don't believe for a New York minute Sepp did.

US 2022 "Dream Team" with FIFA's Dear Leader

You make the call: 4th Official Version

As I prepare this evening to address a group of referees regarding some thoughts on the 4th official, I recalled the below incident in the Bruins v. Montreal series where Shawn Thorton gave PK Subban a "carwash" during the last minute of Game 5. This incident is below, take a peek:



Now, my question is, if you were the 4th Official, standing in the shoes of Pierre McGuire (seen just to the right of the incident) what would you do, and how would you do it?

My thoughts in a few days ...

38 Dead Children; 56 More Injured

Do I have your attention now?

I hope so, as these are the latest statistics detailed by Anchored for Safety, a non-profit group to raise awareness for goal safety, after the tragic death of Zach Tran who was killed in October of 2003 by a portable goal.

I was reminded of this again by NRAH author, Paul Levy, in his recent post "My personal bit of intolerance" and I certainly re-visited my post "That's netting to joke about."

Zach's heartbreaking story can be seen below, and at the linked sites.

As a referee, as a parent, a spectator ... any reason if you are walking by a portable goal, check to make sure its anchored. If its not, please fix it or get help to do so immediately.

Your actions will save a life.

When in Doubt, Blame Brazil

World Cup 2014: Brazil putting FIFA ‘through hell,’ official says

With the 2014 FIFA World Cup only five weeks away, one might expect soccer’s global governing organization to be in a festive mood. But that isn’t stopping high-level FIFA officials from complaining about the tournament’s host country.

Jerome Valcke, FIFA’s general secretary, said on Tuesday that FIFA is supporting Brazil to ensure the success of its premier event — the World Cup — but that the road leading up to the World Cup has been rocky, according to an AFP report. ...

See the whole story here, from SI Wire.

Kicking Back Comments: Aside from the whining, the funniest part of the article was Valcke stating that Russia will not be granted such leniency.

That's pretty funny. Russia will take what it wants from FIFA and they will like it.

Another part that struck me was the assertion (with conviction) that 2022 was going to be played in the winter. Did I miss a vote somewhere? How about an announcement from some TV sponsor about how this was going to work?

It continues to amaze me how much FIFA believes their own BS.

Another Legend has Left Us

Looking back in history I always find it fascinating to understand the trendsetters, the trailblazers. It is with sadness I have learned of the passing of referee legend and trendsetter, Frank Hasek at the age of 91.

Frank played professionally in Europe and began his refereeing career there, ultimately aspiring to FIFA referee in 1964, the very first from Massachusetts. A man who put us on the map as a refereeing community. 

In my experience however he was one of the most humble men about achieving such an accomplishment. His wisdom would come through in his long and at times very long stories, and would always have a fabulous point to them as they concluded.

He has helped so many in their career and I was among them.

So many great stories to tell, so much more to learn. 

Arrangements for Frank can be found on the MSRC website.

Officers from Portuguese Sports, John Medeiros, Frank Scarsella, Anthony Martone and Frank Hasek at MASS HOF Awards Ceremony

Are you Ready for Some World Cup?

Words are not enough

It was a sad day indeed when I saw this article from Paul Levy at Not Running a Hospital:

"In memoriam: Frank Scarcella"

My words can not adequately express the loss of such an amazing human being who has touched me so deeply. I am proud to say I was one of his students, and learned so much from him.

Details on his arrangements can be found at www.massref.net.

Brilliant Analysis from A Legend

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: Welcome to the Finger-Wagging Olympics

It's time to look at ourselves — and our collective moral outrage — in the mirror, says former NBA player Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

Moral outrage is exhausting. And dangerous. The whole country has gotten a severe case of carpal tunnel syndrome from the newest popular sport of Extreme Finger Wagging. Not to mention the neck strain from Olympic tryouts for Morally Superior Head Shaking. All over the latest in a long line of rich white celebrities to come out of the racist closet. (Was it only a couple days ago that Cliven Bundy said blacks would be better off picking cotton as slaves? And only last June Paula Deen admitted using the “N” word?) ...

See the whole article here, courtesy of Time.

Kicking Back Comments: Brilliant analysis from one of the games legends. It for me was also a stark reminder that many of these folks are more than the one dimension they are best known for. Then again, this situation has also reminded me that there are some that are no good at the one thing they are supposed to be doing.

The former is an important lesson to remember as people are multi-dimensional and while they may be known for one thing, likely have many other skills to back that up. The latter unfortunately is that some (not just Senator Reid which I cited) will use any misfortune to their own advantage or gain.

This is after all the variety that we could describe as the spice of life.

 

A Tale of Two Sports Orginizations

After a bit of traveling, I am back in the States and firmly at my keyboard. I have to say too, that I could not have returned at a better time to make this comparison.

Recently we have been witness to two separate incidents of racism, and each organizing authorities action to them over this last week.

First, we have the NBA Clippers' owner Donald Sterling whose private conversation was surreptitiously recorded (in abrogation of CA law) making racist comments in the presence of his girlfriend. As a result, the NBA commissioner, upon a very brief deliberation period, suspended Sterling for life.

Now this is not to debate if it was too long, too short, or just right a suspension. Nor is it an invitation to debate the legality of the action. You can bet this will be taken to the courts and debated there, Donald is going to sue everybody over this one.

It is however meant to serve as a juxtaposition to the recent comments by FIFA president Sepp Blatter who stated after a contemporary event of racism with Dani Alves, where fans threw him a banana at a corner kick that, "... FIFA will not tolerate racism at this summer's World Cup."

What? Sepp, what about the incident that JUST HAPPENED!?!?!

As usual, it was a gutless response from FIFA to a serious issue.

Just for a second put the two next to each other:

NBA - Life Ban. Near instant trust restored in the league.

FIFA - Nothing. Except another promise to do more soon. Trust chasm widens even more (if possible).

Sounds about what I am expecting from FIFA in regard to governance ... nothing.

That said, Dani and compatriots reaction was simply brilliant in the face of such stupidity. Take a peek at the article. It was a unified and clever response to something vile.

Boobs, FIFA "Mafia," and a Cool Journalist

So I was looking at how the protests are staring to pick up again in Brazil as we close in on starting FIFA 2014 ... and it does not look pretty.

Nor should it honestly as billions (with a "b") pour into the country and almost none will be seen by its citizens.

In kicking around the inter-web-super-highway, I came across  Topless FEMEN protesters storm German football TV show, and it piqued my interest on many levels.

First, was certainly the nature of the protest to storm onto a live TV set half naked. How do you hide that, and why did the very stylishly dressed bodyguards take so long in getting to the stage?

Second, while the visual aspect of the protest was great, their vocal message, "Boycott FIFA Mafia" was somewhat dull and just repeating it over and over did nothing for me. I don't think they expected to get that far.

Third, was the very cool host that instead of just whisking these folks away, he actually stopped and ask one of them what they were protesting ... and they answered candidly and politely. It was actually quite refreshing.

Finally, was the fact that we are already seeing organized protests over the Qatar decision. While I don't expect ANY in country, I believe we will continue to see the same outside of Qatar and Russia in the days to come protesting what FIFA is doing to the workers of these countries.

You can bet these protesters will be looking at Brazil to see just how far FIFA will let them go.

Speak Against Instant Replay and Get Suspended: Torre

MLB to fine Red Sox manager John Farrell for instant replay remarks

As if John’s Farrell’s weekend in New York wasn’t lousy enough, the Red Sox manager will get a not-so-pleasant parting gift from MLB.

Joe Torre, MLB’s executive VP of baseball operations, told the Daily News on Monday that Farrell would be fined for his critical remarks about baseball’s new replay system following Boston’s 3-2 loss Sunday night.

The comments, which included Farrell saying “it’s hard to have any faith in the (replay) system,” came after instant replay decisions went against the Sox in losses on Saturday and Sunday.

Perhaps the only thing keeping Farrell from a suspension is the fact Torre, the former Yankees skipper, knows how pressure-packed a Bombers-Red Sox series can be.

“I’m not going to suspend him. It will be a fine,” Torre said of Farrell. ...

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

Kicking Back Comments: While on the surface Mr. Torre seems to be the benevolent dictator only fining Farrell, and not suspending him as Torre foreshadowed, if not for the heated atmosphere that is the Red Sox v. Yankees, I think the reason is far more simpler ...

MLB blew their first Instant Replay call and are deeply embarrassed.

Torre for his part picked the very same line out of the Farrell tirade that I did regarding losing faith in a system that is brand new. He (and MLB) clearly did not like that.

Even funnier was that Torre in defending the system said it will take "three years to roll out."

Hold on here ... there are 2430 games in a MLB season ... and it is going to take 3 of these ... a unbelievable 7290 games to get instant replay right!??!

Are you &*#&ing kidding me?? Three years to "get it right?" What a joke.

A wrong camera angle was to blame for the error that did not get to the umpires "until after they decided." Again, what a joke.

MLB should have just turned on the cable coverage and seen it clear as day.

So Farrell get a fine for the screw up of the league, awesome.

Torre "spares" Farrell a suspension, I think, to save himself the embarrassment of a system gone horribly wrong ... and this was one of the first times it was used.

Can you see this in Game 7 of a World Series? Oops ... sorry guys ... our fault.

No worries Joe, we know you'll get it right ... in 2017.

Yeah, it will go just like that.

Just leave it to the guys in blue ... please ... just leave it to them.

How's replay working for us now?

Sox skipper Farrell ejected for arguing replay ruling

NEW YORK -- Red Sox manager John Farrell boiled over with frustration on Sunday night after a replay call was challenged and overturned, leading to the Yankees scoring what ended up being the deciding run in the series finale. Farrell was ejected, as managers have been instructed not to argue plays under review.

The play happened in the bottom of the fourth inning, when Francisco Cervelli hit a grounder to third, with the Red Sox attempting a 5-4-3 double play.

Cervelli, who was injured on the play, was originally ruled out at first. But Yankees manager Joe Girardi challenged it, and the call was overturned. ...

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

Kicking Back Comments: "But we need replay to correct these mistakes," the masses shouted. Guess what ... the masses were wrong.

I'm not at all surprised of course, just hate to see it to one of the nice guys of the game John Farrell.

I could go into a frenzy about how poorly replay was used in this case, or how managers are instructed not to argue after the replay decision is made (which is why Farrell was ejected), and how MLB after the game said they screwed up and got the replay call wrong which was directly causal to the Red Sox losing that game.

Nope, I won't. I'll just leave you with Farrell's telling comment about replay that now hangs on the MLB:

"On the heels of yesterday, it's hard to have any faith in the system, to be honest with you."

We're 8 games into the season and have already lost faith on the 2014 crowning jewel of officiating, the instant replay ...

... I'm surprised it took this long.