'Dos a Cero' (R)

U.S. Soccer is trying to trademark 'Dos a Cero'

A rallying cry forged by fans could soon be owned by U.S. soccer. A trademark filing from late June shows that "Dos a Cero" has been registered as a trademark, which could limit how much the phrase is used in the future. ...

See the whole story here courtesy of SB Nation.

Kicking Back Comments: I can see it now, US Soccer jerseys with "Dos a Cero" on them. While being mildly sarcastic I am glad to see US Soccer IP rights are worth protecting. A casual search of TESS shows quite a few US Soccer and Major League Soccer related marks.

While it may not be "sexy" it is certainly an indiction of a willingness to spend money to protect what some would see as a future revenue stream.

U.S. National Team Ties Venezuela

TORONTO (Aug. 10, 2015) – The U.S. Paralympic National Team came back to tie Venezuela 1-1 at the Parapan Am Fields in Toronto at the 2015 Parapan American Games.

The U.S. went down in the 41st minute when Asdrubal Olivares Mora capitalized on a penalty kick.

"We went into this game firmly focused on getting a win and therefore a draw was far from the desired result," said U.S. PNT head coach Stuart Sharp. "The game had no rhythm to it with the Venezuela players constantly using delay and some unsavory tactics throughout the match. No excuses though, we once again could not finish the multiple chances we had to win the game and got drawn into a scrappy encounter that was below our standard of play. We are now faced with two very difficult games that will see goal difference come into play if we want to make it into the Bronze medal match later in the week." ...

See the whole story here, from US Soccer.

Kicking Back Comments: I think we sometimes forget (sadly I know I do) we have three senior National Teams. USMNT, USWNT, and USPNT.  A few player interviews are below ... truly inspirational. Of particular note are the referees for these matches who are National or better and have substantial professional league experience.

You would expect nothing else for a senior National Team match.

I for one hope she stays ...

What's next for U.S. soccer superstar Abby Wambach

NEW YORK — After two Olympic gold medals and years of being the face of women's soccer, Abby Wambach is finally a World Cup champion.

At 36 years old, Wambach is still deciding if she will participate in next summer's Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. "In my mind, I have to believe that if I'm asked to be on the team, I don't know if I can say no," Wambach told media members before a Citi Kids event at Citi Field in New York last Thursday. "But I also know that a lot's got to happen between now and then." ...

See the whole story here, courtesy of Mashable.

Kicking Back Comments: I hope she stays through the Olympics frankly. She is a charismatic leader that is doing worlds for The Game (gender neutral) and The Womens' Game in particular. I also give her big props for her moves against FIFA for the nonsense they created by not allowing the WWC to be played on grass. While I would have liked to see the players continue their suit, I certainly understand why they ended it.

While I personally don't see her moving to the analyst chair for TV, I can only hope she finds herself involved with US Soccer in a coaching or advisory position.

Integrity Indeed

How 14 Indicted FIFA Officials Currently Stand

Updating the legal status of the 14 soccer and sports marketing officials charged in the FIFA corruption case.

Charged in the United States

Jeffrey Webb, President of Concacaf, one of the six regional confederations that compose FIFA, and a vice president of FIFA.

Webb, 50, pleaded not guilty on July 18 at an arraignment in United States District Court in Brooklyn to charges that he had solicited bribes to parcel out lucrative soccer media and marketing deals. Webb, who was arrested in Switzerland in May, was released on a $10 million bond secured by a mix of real estate holdings owned by him, his wife and other relatives; bank accounts; cars; and expensive watches and jewelry. He has been provisionally banned from all soccer-related activities by FIFA’s ethics committee. ...

See where the other 13 indicted folks are here, courtesy of The NY Times.

Kicking Back Comments: I'll save full comment about the topic regarding the "Integrity of The Game" later in the week as I expect the "Deflategate" scandal to come to a crescendo, but it is safe to say I am happy to see the wheels of justice starting to roll over these folks even understanding that it will take years to sort this all out ... and le grand fromage is still walking around Switzerland looking for his long lost Nobel Peace Prize.    

How would you like to referee this one?

Gaza, West Bank teams face off for first match in years

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) Divided politically and geographically, Palestinians made strides toward unity with the first football match between a West Bank club and a Gaza Strip team in 15 years on Thursday.

Gaza's Shijaiyah United played Hebron's Al-Ahly to raucous cheers in a packed stadium. The match ended 0-0.

Israel restricts the movement of Palestinians in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, and the local league's teams were under the same limits, meaning teams from the Palestinian territories hadn't faced off for years. Israel approved Al-Ahly's entrance into Gaza following a request, according to Cogat, the Israeli defense body that handles civilian issues with the Palestinians. ...

See the whole story here, courtesy of Fox Sports.

Kicking Back Comments: Can you imagine the pressure on this refereeing team? I've "played some tough houses" but when the venue is war torn and the number of riot police is a substantial percentage of the spectators, it give me pause ... great pause.

Kudos to this officiating team for seeing this historic match take place. Kudos also to the Israelis for allowing the movement through Gaza to make this happen. 

You are now free to have a ball.

Photo courtesy of Skift

Southwest Turns Discarded Leather Seats Into Soccer Balls

Remember those relatively cushy leather seats on Southwest Airlines’ 737-700 aircraft that gave way to slim-line seats, enabling the airline to pack an additional six seats into the cabin?

The new seats, which also can be found in some of Southwest’s 737-300 aircraft, are said to be lighter and made out of eco-friendly products. ...

See the whole article here, courtesy of Skift.

Kicking Back Comments: Good on Southwest Air for doing this. A very neat idea and a very worthy cause.

Support us or get left behind?

This is the title of a recent piece by Sporting News, Wambach to sponsors: Support us or get left behind. This article, while interesting, does not tell the whole story regarding the disparity between women and men soccer players in the US.

Let me start by being very clear, a disparity exists, and it's a big one.

Let me equally clear, this is not because US Soccer or FIFA does not like the women's game. They play an attractive brand of football as do the men. This disparity is caused by a fairly simple reality.

The modern women's game does not make the type of money to allow such pay.

I admire Wambach frankly. She is a tremendous footballer and represents her country with respect and pride and as I have witnessed personally, she is particularly great with young fans. She earns every penny of her salary (reported between $190K - $300K) and fees for speaking engagements ($30K - $60K for a 2 hour appearance) and is a vocal leader for the women's game today. 

It is just simply not enough.

By the numbers the German National Team won $35M for their 2014 victory as compared to $2M for the US for their 2015 win. About a 17.5% discrepancy.

Looking at the revenue for the 2014 World Cup, it took in an estimated $4.8B (with a B). By comparison the 2011 World Cup (the '15 numbers are not ready yet) took in an estimated $75M (with an M ... and I am rounding up). This is a 64% discrepancy.

Some may say that is not a fair comparison as the revenue for the 2010 World Cup is smaller ... It is, but at $3.7B (again with a B).

So to get apples to apples, lets assume the same growth in the WWC, making an estimated 2015 number about 25% higher. This puts us with some serious rounding at about $100M (with a M) or the Men's WC earning about 50x that of the WWC.

50x folks ... Just for Sepp, here is a 20 CHF note at 50x:

Check out this article for these and other numbers, such as the fact as a percentage the women make more than men do in recent World Cup play.

Now I don't go so far as to say this is because "... men invented sports ..." (even tongue in cheek as I hope this author did), nor do I think the US Women's team is not treated like humans as one "social justice activist" did embedded in this article. Give me a break. (Abby didn't help her case either by saying she had to fly commercial sometimes #firstworldproblems and Alex Morgan from US Soccer alone makes ~$250K (source) never mind her endorsement deals).

If the WWC made the money the WC did, you can bet sponsors would be clawing their way to support these teams. It is sadly that simple. It is not about gender, it is not about race, it is not about nationality.

It is about money, and women's football does not make enough of it to be truly relevant to big business.

So now what, that's it? Go home?

Not by a long shot.

In 1999 names like Hamm, Chastain, and Foudy to name a few, pioneered sport when they took the world by storm with what they did. A new professional league was born out of their success and while the WUSA folded after just (3) seasons (and losses of ~$100M) the seeds were sewn.

(Nota Bene the decade long gap with no women's professional league or WWC win)

Today we have the NWSL and a new crop of heroines to continue to fight for the sport we all love. Will the women's game "make it big" someday? Yeah, I think so and agree with Abby that sponsors should get on board before they do.

It's just not yet.

Take a look how long it took for the men's game to get where it is today. MLS is in year 20(!) and there are an awful lot of players with low salaries. Recall that years 1 - 10 most players were making on the order of $11K, many had part time jobs, and flew coach, just like the referees. I know because I had many a flight with an MLS team ... another story later but before the match is ok ... after is horrible.

Compare this to the NWSL which is in year 3. It ain't easy, there is no doubt, but it takes time to build, and requires effort and patience.

Not the message folks want to hear I know ... but is I am afraid, the sad economic fact.

"I Don't Give A F*** About FIFA"

Well then, that seems to be clear.

Just like me with "deflategate," Ronaldo may be tired of hearing about FIFA's issues as they have been going on for sooooooo long.

In his case however, I would think if he had an opinion he would want to share, as one of the potential future presidents of FIFA would see an (8) team increase of participants at the World Cup.

There are a few other proposals Mr. Platini would likely make too that will alter the fabric of the business of football. Check out this article from Forbes too see them all. Some of which I would think Ronaldo would certainly have some thoughts about ... beyond the singular thought he shared.

WWE meets FIFA

This hilarious FIFA 15 glitch has given us an idea for an awesome new game

Somebody has really trolled the game's designers here - but it could be the start of something wonderful.

Image courtesy of EA Sports

There's no doubting that that the FIFA series has got more and more sophisticated over the years.

Shooting, crossing and passing have all become more realistic, while the game physics are more lifelike with every edition. No wonder, then, that each one feels like a more satisfying gaming experience than the last. ...

See the whole story (and video!) here, courtesy of Mirror.

Kicking Back Comments: Where was the referee in all of this? Also, that foul is so violent I think it turns into VC not SFP!! =)

Incredible article from SI on the early days ... with one exception ...

The Birth of a League

A 10-team organization with zero soccer-specific stadiums at the start, Major League Soccer now has 20 franchises, 13 of them playing in homes of their own, with payrolls that have tripled. As the league plays its 20th season, key figures recall the kickoff campaign


Reporting by Grant Wahl and Brian Straus
Compiled by Alexander Abnos

See the whole article here, courtesy of SI.

Kicking Back Comments: This is a spectacular article from many on the ground floor of MLS. It is a worthy read and in fact I may even put this one into "essential."

There is a critical aspect missing in it however ... the referees and the efforts it took to get a group of referees together for these matches. There are heroes that should have been heard from here like Dr. Joe Machnik and Dr. Herb Silva to name a couple. 

You think it was a wild time for the owners and players, I can assure you it was an even wilder ride for us referees in the early days. As one of the referees who worked in MLS from day 1 (I was truly lucky to be the 4th official on the home opener for NE), the above story is incomplete without that view.

Imagine the challenge of getting a group of referees together with experience ranging from FIFA (like Esse Baharmast) all the way through to backyard, barely State referee kids (like me) who were really just starting out. It is a series of experiences I will never forget ... and (in general) should be part of the fabric of the beginning of MLS, as believe me, we were involved ... at times more than we should have been.

We need *more* crying in baseball

My comment is from looking at video of Wilmer Flores here, where he became understandably upset, to the point of tears, when he learned (or thought he did) he was going to be traded. Lets face it, the Mets are an organization he has been with since he was (16) years old and to be forced to up and move from what you knew since you were (literally) a kid is traumatic.

I for one was heartened to see this as far too often we see professional athletes taking their "fame" for granted and not seemingly giving a care to the very thing they are supposed to love. It is clear Flores does.

This goes for referees (of all sports) too. I wish people would take the time and emote as officials. Show you are human and share how you feel (within some bounds) to the players and spectators. Empathy, happiness, anger, even sadness ... it's all fair game.

Try it some time, you may be pleasantly surprised at the reactions you get.

All that said, the scene from A League of Their Own is classic. It also is not lost on me the umpire tried to help the manager there ... to which he was rebuked most ... hilariously. Explicit language warning. =)

... and good riddance Herr Bach.

As we saw the other day, Boston firmly rejected the USOC and in turn the IOC's opportunity to host the 2022 Summer Olympics. As I wrote earlier, I was thrilled to see this as frankly, the cost overruns would be put on the backs of the citizens of Boston and Massachusetts. Real kudos to No Boston Olympics who lead the charge despite being maligned by one politician as #10peopleontwitter. Secondary kudos to Boston Mayor Marty Walsh and Governor Charlie Baker for having the courage (in Marty's case) and the forethought to investigate (in Charlie's case) before getting squeezed by the USOC and IOC. As I stated earlier, neither give two hoots about Boston. They are here for the cash and leave a wake of trash behind.

Don't believe me? Take a trip to Atlanta and visit the sites of the 1996 Olympics. They are dormant and weed filled in some cases.

Even better were some of the demands from the IOC. You have to read them to believe them but they included:

• Separate lanes should be created on all roads where IOC members will travel, which are not to be used by regular people or public transportation.
• The IOC president shall be welcomed ceremoniously on the runway when he arrives.
• IOC members shall be greeted with a smile when arriving at their hotel.
• Meeting rooms shall be kept at exactly 20 degrees Celsius at all times.
• The hot food offered in the lounges at venues should be replaced at regular intervals, as IOC members might “risk” having to eat several meals at the same lounge during the Olympics.

This is truly pathetic. It reminds me too of one of my very first professional matches. Here I was, a kid at 19 years old as an AR on a 3rd division match. It was a small, cramped locker room, but was fine. In a generous display the home team manager felt bad for the cramped quarters and took the time to lay out warm bottles of water and some chewing gum on a paper plate.

It was awesome.

It was clear these guys did not have much money but did what they could to make us feel as welcome as possible.

It was the best chewing gum I ever had to this day.

I read stuff like separate lanes or this other nonsense and just reflect on what a bunch of self indulging t*atwa##les (n. An elitist; someone unaware of their own limitations and highly critical of others.) these folks are.

Good riddance Herr Bach, you may say it is Boston's fault, but honestly, we're happy to see you go.

I can't believe my earballs

Image Courtesy of FX

For any who do not understand the reference, this is a regular line from a character named Cheryl Tunt from the FX series Archer. Cheryl has a brother Cecil who are the only two surviving members of the Tunt family. She is voiced by Judy Greer and frankly is a bit of a ditz.

I understood what she meant though when I heard Vladimir Putin state Sepp Blatter deserves Nobel Prize for his FIFA work. I'm serious, just take a look here.

Twitter reacted to the nonsense as I expected they would, with a series of clever and demeaning messages for the incident. My personal favorite was a photoshop of Putin and Sepp, joined on stage by the Sith Lord, Sauron, and Lord Voldemort. You can see this and the other images here.

One bright spot in the actual draw was the relative ease the US should qualify ... that is if they get their current act together and play like many believe they can. Let's face it, the Gold Cup was a huge disappointment for them and some soul searching may be in order to get back to business.

That said, I for one have faith the US will qualify for 2018. Once we get there however, I am concerned what we may find. As I have said before however, one teams early exit is another teams good fortune. Should the US exit early, it makes it far easier for a US refereeing crew to progress on. After the stellar performance Mark Geiger put in last year I look forward to another fabulous showing from a US refereeing team.

Good Riddence

A final blow to Boston’s Olympic bid

WHAT CAN YOU say about a $5 billion plan that died? The collapse of the city’s Olympic dream on Monday, less than seven months after the United States Olympic Committee picked Boston as its bid city, comes as a bitter blow to the many people who devoted their energy and time to advocate for the Games. Despite months of effort, the plan fell apart after Mayor Walsh refused to guarantee that taxpayers would cover any cost overruns. The USOC is reportedly seeking to cobble together a last-minute plan with Los Angeles or another city to bid for the 2024 Games. Although the process started vital, far-reaching discussions about the city’s future, ultimately the people of Massachusetts never got a fair chance to weigh in by voting in a referendum. ...

See the whole story here, courtesy of the Boston Globe.

Kicking Back Comments:

I for one, and as a resident of Massachusetts, am glad to see this fail. While as the article states and I agree, it is a great starting point for some conversations about how to continue to remake Boston, which is truly an amazing city. Given the realities about hosting an Olympics in the US, which with one exception has been a massive money loss that city, state, and federal tax payers hold the bag for, I don't want anything to do with it.

A reality is as well, the IOC does not give two hoots about the host country, like FIFA, it is a corrupt organization that bilks money from various countries and leaves waste in its path.

What remains so sad is that sport, true sport, is spectacular when acted out by the best in the world. It is a joy to watch. What is so foul however, are the corrupt beggars that put themselves first and sport second.

Good riddance IOC. I am happy to see the bid fail but remain sorry to think of the next country that will be fleeced for bribes and left with nothing when it is done.

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'Nuff Said

Photo Courtesy of Sky Cycling

Legal Week Finale: Swiss v. Brodkin - So totally worth it!

Simon Brodkin reveals cash he threw at FIFA President Sepp Blatter was $600 of his own money... and police gave all of it back

• Comedian Simon Brodkin showered Sepp Blatter in cash in prank
• Brodkin evaded security to gain access to FIFA press conference in Zurich
• He threw $600 bundle of dollars over Blatter before security removed him
• Brodkin was charged by Swiss authorities with trespassing
• He revealed the cash was his own and he is taking the charges 'seriously' 

Comedian Simon Brodkin has revealed the money he showered over FIFA President Sepp Blatter was $600 of his own money - and that he received all of it back from the police.

Brodkin, best known for his comedy alter egos Lee Nelson and Jason Bent, evaded security to storm a press conference at FIFA headquarters in Zurich on Monday and throw the dollar bills at Blatter.

He was arrested and charged with trespassing by the Swiss authorities on Tuesday before being released to return to the UK. ...

See the whole story here, courtesy of Mail Online.

Kicking Back Comments: OMG, this was fabulous. If there is a legal defense fund, I'll be down for some!! Great prank that I can only hope FIFA does not intent to press charges on. They have much bigger fish to fry.

Legal Week Day 5: The Extradition of Jack Warner

On July 27, 2015 Jack Warner is scheduled to appear in a New York court to face his portion of the indictment (from Legal Week Day 4). There is only one problem ... Trinidad & Tobago won't let him go.

Unlike Henry Webb who did not fight extradition (and I think smartly as the first ones in get the deals), Warner has dug in his proverbial heels and is fight it. Garvin Nicholas, T&T's AG is reviewing the matter now and some experts have stated it could take up to 5 years (!) for this to happen (source).

The US and T&T do have extradition treaties with each other and can be viewed here (the Trinidad version).

Here too is where fugitives have to be careful as if the Feds want you, really want you, they are going to get you and have unlimited resources and time to do it. Take a look at Barry Bonds, who the Feds have chased for over 10 years now, and have just decided to stop prosecuting after ten's of millions of dollars spent. Mr. Warner is in for a long ride.

I dunno, I would think that he would do well to come to the States with his "mountain of documentation" and blow every other FIFA criminal out of the water ... then as for witness protection.

Get ready Somewhere USA, that slick talking elderly guy that *really* likes soccer who just moved in named "Jack Warren" may not be who you think it is.

I see a screen play ... this FIFA move keeps getting better in my head.

Legal Week Day 4: US DOJ v. Jeffery Webb et al

If I ever forget, anyone out there please remind be never to tick off the US DOJ.

For all interested the DOJ has posted their indictment publicly here. It is 164 pages of really, really, dense, largely technical details of just how deep the rabbit hole goes, so to speak.

I'm not going to go through the indictment other than to say the (14) folks, Jeffery Webb especially as he is here in the US as our guest, are certainly feeling the heat. Also, and this became clear to me when Sepp and Gerome refused (not failed) to come to Canada to present the Women's World Cup trophy, everyone else is hearing footsteps in the evening as folks are afraid to set foot in countries friendly to extradition with the US.

In a supreme act of cowardice however, Issa Hayatou, who while not on the indictment, has been under investigation for corruption charges, was essentially made a canary in a coal mine and pushed out to present the trophy to the US Women's team (under a shower of BOOs) and was no doubt watched by Sepp from his Swiss lair to see if our friends to the north were willing to arrest the man on the spot.

It will not end well for these folks as Webb has had to ransom off his riches to make bail and pay for his own private security when he is awaiting trial. I expect similar fates for the others on the DOJ's list. The NYT has a nice chart here. It's on my wall with a few "X's" through it now.

I actually think the DOJ is playing this well and at the end of the day, we will see Sepp here for a visit as well. Unless he goes all rogue or something ... THAT would be a plot for a real movie from FIFA. Not the $1310 BOMB it just made which is now being called the worst movie in history. I can almost see Sepp in this one ... as the bad guy, little FIFA ring and all.

Let's face it ... it is only a matter of time for Sepp and company now. There is a price to pay however. Has anyone asked why Dan Flynn was on the Hill the other day in front of the Senate and not Sunil Gulati?

Yeah, it may be because he knew in advance what Andrew Jennings was going to say, calling for his resignation. I would hate to think it was because he did not want anything on the record.

Stay tuned.

Legal Week Day 3: Gregory and Mary Ellias, Administrators of the Estate of Hayden Ellias, deceased vs. Porter Athletic Equipment Company, et. al.

While the particular case is tragic and long settled, this story is heartbreaking and when I first reported on it has continued to captured my thoughts and feelings on the topic to this very day.

Sadly, unsecured goals are a very serious and continuing problem world wide. To date, in the US and Canada since 1979 there have been a minimum of (39) deaths and (57) injuries (source).

Not interesting nor surprising is when I last wrote about this about a year ago, the title of my article was, 38 Dead Children; 56 More Injured.

Notice something?

Yes ... there have been more deaths and reported injuries from just a year ago.

Recall Law I where goals must be securely anchored to the ground.

No excuses folks, just do it. It's quick, it's easy, and will save a life.

Consider the alternative. In additional to a lifetime of regret and emotional trauma knowing you may have stopped a life from being lost or forever altered, there is little doubt in my mind in addition to that emotional burden, you will almost certainly be looking at being named as a co-defendant in a civil suit where you as a referee have an *affirmative duty* to make sure the field is safe and goals are safely anchored.

Save a life.

Save yourself the hassle.

Check the nets and don't play unless they are safe.