USSF Soccer Referees

From Grade 8 to FIFA

2012-01-06T05:19:00.000-08:00

There are always exceptions to most anything, but from what I've gathered, here's the typical road one takes from an entry level Grade 8 referee clinic to becoming a FIFA Grade 1 Referee or FIFA Grade 2 Assistant Referee

Grade 8 - At 14 years old or younger

Grade 6 (State Referee) - By early 20s or sooner

Grade 4 (National Referee) - By mid 20s to late 20s

Grade 2/1 (FIFA) - By early to mid 30s

Mandatory Retirement age for FIFA - 45 years old

Again, I've heard of a few referees starting late (former players) who then get onto a "fast track" and eventually become FIFA. Their road would look very different from the one above.

Personally, I started refereeing after playing and coaching at the age of 25. Sporadically refereed the first 4 years b/c of constantly moving, a bout with cancer, etc. Thus, I didn't seriously start refereeing until I was 29 - very late start. I'm at Grade 6 now. My dream of becoming FIFA...well, it's quickly fading, but becoming a National seems to be realistic enough. At 31 now I have a 5 year plan to get to the National level. As one National referee wisely encouraged me, I'm going to enough the ride - build friendships, help people along the way, "stop and smell the roses", love and care for my fellow referees, my fellow comrades. Definitely one lesson I've learned thus far, never ever ever shoot down another referee, no matter how "bad" they may seem to be. We're all in this together, it's like a brotherhood, and we have to be united...first and foremost we must be united by helping one another, not bickering and fighting and trying to "one up" each other. Unity and love and mutual respect is the key.

2011 - State Upgrade Clinic

2012-01-06T04:59:00.000-08:00

State Exam:

Missed 3 questions:
-If a player is sent-off before the beginning of the game, the player may be replaced by a named substitute, the team thus plays with the full 11 players, and the team does not lose one of their allowed substitutions for the game (professional - 3 subs) (misread the question)

-The position of the AR on a penalty kick during the course of play - where the penalty area and goal line come together (read this one too quickly)

-Caution to a goal keeper for persistent infringement if during a penalty kick they come off the goal line too soon having already been warned about this (I missed it b/c the question stated the goal was scored despite the keeper coming off the goal line before the kick was taken - in reality, I'd never caution this for the spirit of the game, yet I should of known better for based strictly on the laws, it's a caution - science vs art)

Case in point - there's another question that talks about someone on the bench who's annoyed with some fan behind them, the person turns around and just goes off on this person (offensive, abusive language), right away it's obvious based on these "key words" that the substitute on the bench is to be sent-off and shown a red card, yet in reality I doubt I'd ever send them off (I'd probably be just as annoyed by this spectator as the player and I'd probably just give the sub a warning while getting the spectator removed via the proper authorities at the event...totally depends on the level of play, the atmosphere, the "laws of the land" for that given game - you might go through the coach, you might go through security at the field, you might go through some field marshal, you might just ignore the whole thing completely and let others deal with it all - remember spectators are outside the authority of the referee...as for the sub, within the referees authority, you'd probably tell them just to leave it alone and let others deal with "the problem", however, the sub might be asking for it or need a send-off depending on exactly what they said and how it was said and how public it was and all that - like most everything else in refereeing it's situational and depending on the specific circumstances leading up to and at that moment)

The Qualities a Referee Needs by Former FIFA Assistant Tom Bobadilla

2011-11-11T20:06:00.000-08:00

In my opinion, Bobadilla gives outstanding advice in this short but precise answer. It would be wise to work on these areas:

In your opinion, what are the key attributes that a modern-day referee must have to be successful domestically and internationally?
- Regardless of the level of officiating referres need to be good at connecting with people so they can be seen by players and coaches as a partner who will help have a safe, fair and fun game; fit to be able to keep up with play and have a good chance of influencing good behavior with presence; ability to read the game in terms of technical, physical and mental skills of the players in order to apply the appropriate level of foul recognition; and the wits to help resolve conflict before it becomes ugly to the game.

http://www.usrefereeconnection.com/interviews#!__interviews/thomas-bobadilla

Refereeing when sick and worn down

2011-11-08T13:31:00.000-08:00

Most of the time I don't realize how much mental and physical energy goes into being a quality referee. And yet, when I referee when I'm not feeling "100%", it's crystal clear.

Case in point - this past weekend I went down with 11 other WI referees to the SLSG Girls College Showcase in St Louis. Because it's a college showcase, teams just play 3 group games, no semis or finals, so they play full length games (U17 and up is 45 minute halves). Anyway, I wasn't feeling the greatest going down (body aching all over, soar throat, not a ton of energy, and I knew it was going to be a challenge (physically). But, unfortunately, I did not do a good enough job mentally preparing myself for the challenges ahead with my body feeling so "down in the dumps". In the end, I could of been much more professional with a number of scenarios dealing with coaches, parents, and at times players, although most of the time players at the youth level are actually quite respectful, especially when they know college coaches are watching them. Well, I realized, a bit too late, that much of this was due to my not feeling well.

Yes, comments and attitudes from coaches, parents, and players can at times be a bit annoying and rude, but when you, as a referee, are feeling pretty good it's pretty easy to just deflect these things, not let them get to you, or deal with them in a professional manner. When you're not feeling well, these types of things seem to be magnified 10 fold and if you don't mentally prepare yourself before hand, it can get pretty bad.

In the future, I see myself doing the following: Especially when I know it's going to be a long day, possibly 5-6 full length games in blistering heat or freezing temps, and my body isn't feeling the greatest, to prepare for the worst (both physically and mentally). Know things are going to be really tough, know little annoying comments are going to have that much more of an affect on me than usual, just know it's going to be pretty ugly. That way, when it is ugly, it's no big deal, you expected it. The worst thing you can do, which I fall into at times, is thinking all will go smoothly. Or thinking, "people will recognize how serious I take this and that I know what I'm doing and will thus be able to remain calm and enjoy the game"...ya, I know, dream on, wake up to reality. :)

Now, that's not to say everyone reacts the same when they don't feel well. Perhaps other referees actually find it easier to referee when sick b/c they're less on edge and more relaxed and are somehow able to block even more out. I don't know, I doubt it, but you never know. For me, it's clear, my mind is less sharp, it's hard to keep track of simple things, even who committed what foul and keeping track of foul counts and numbers and things like that. It takes an extra effort to get these things right. It's also letting your assistant referees know how you might be feeling so they can step it up a little bit and help you keep track of some of these things, just in case you do have a mental lapse.

After reflecting about all this, it reminded me a lot of what takes place when I'm with my daughter (2 and a half) when I'm not feeling the greatest. If I were to tell you the couple of times so far in our time together when I've had the toughest days with her, they'd all include days I wasn't feeling well or I "had my guard down" and wasn't expecting anything bad to happen or was far too relaxed. I find this to be true with many stories I hear from people who tell me some of their most challenging times in life, usually it includes them or all those around them being sick.

Again, when sick, remind yourself it's going to be really hard and mentally prepare for the worst, at least for me, this should help me simmer out and cool down when "the worst" takes place. Plus, it'll help me realize that what I think is "the worst" is probably just normal stuff that takes place and I'm better able to deal with it all, but b/c I'm sick it feels like "the worst" is happening.

Plus, as I mentioned, expectations are huge. Just because it's the youth, don't expect great conduct from everyone. I do some adult games as well, and here, I expect the worst...in fact, I have no expectations and thus nothing that happens ever surprises me b/c I basically expect anything to happen. But, I don't always have this mental attitude when I step into the youth levels because most of the time the coaches, players, and spectators really do act first class and are very respectful toward the referees. Well, we all know that's not always the case, usually one or two ruin it for everyone, so it's important for me to constantly remind myself to not have unrealistic expectations and really step into any game, no matter what the level, with no expectations so I'm not disappointed or upset with anyone over really just little things.

Comments

2011-09-26T12:08:00.000-07:00

No more anonymous comments.

If you want to leave a comment, tell me something about yourself. What's your real name, where do you live, do you know me, have you ever refereed? Don't be shy. If we can't have an ongoing conversation then please don't post.

Krill

Assessment - June 30, 2011

2011-07-01T01:32:00.000-07:00

Points made:

-Check the entire field as a full crew, good time to do pre-game speech

-We started the game on time, but a good reminder to never start a game late - be punctual throughout the game (start on time, correct time allotted at the end of the halves, be sure to inform both AR's of time added, proper time given for halftime, start second half on time, etc.)

-make sure players off the field (substitutes) are wearing vests/pinnies so my AR on the far touch line can clearly distinguish the players on and off the field for making an offside call and keeping with the 2nd to last opponent.

-whistle, use a fox 40 and there will be no complaints (I find some people can't stand the tornado)

-speak to players, let them know what is okay and not okay (just as an AR would speak to players as play gets into their quadrant)

-be sharper and louder with advantage so everyone (players, benches, spectators) know exactly what's going on

-get wider! on the opposite touch line as my AR, get out wider so I don't miss potential fouls and what's happening near the corner flags opposite the field of my AR's

-hand signals continue to be an issue…clean it up (figure out what the assessors want…I keep hearing different things about how to signal throw-ins, goal kicks, corner kicks, penalty kicks…figure out what's correct and practice it)

-when players are tangled up and rolling on the ground on top of one another, get over there quickly and make my presence known and be more verbal so as to deter any mass confrontation from potentially occurring

-figure out the balance between when I need to be heard on the field and when I can just "hide away" and people forget I'm even there…I don't want to bring the "spot light" onto myself and away from the players and the game at hand, but at specific times I do need to step in to prevent things from escalating and to manage the game better

-positioning…keep anticipating where play will go next and get out of the way of space players want and get into better positions to see the next play, to see where battles and challenges will take place…smart running, not just running all over

-ceremonial restarts…wait a couple of seconds for a quick restart, if it's obvious there will be no quick restart then step in blow the whistle a couple of times, indicate that the game will restart on a whistle (point to the whistle), back up the wall, and blow the whistle for the restart

-don't depend too much on my AR's for fouls inside the penalty area…get in those better positions to see it for myself

-as an AR on goal kicks, if a player other than the goalkeeper is taking the kick, first check to see the ball is properly placed in the goal area, then move up to the top of the penalty area…don't sag back and stay even with that second to last opponent..move up so you're already in position to see if the ball clearly leaves the penalty area or not

A lot of little things to clean things up, polish things, make it more professional for that next level

Ackerman's Field - West Bend - U23 Men's game between Washington County (WCFC) and Elm Grove- 6:30 PM CST
AR's - Ryan Wallace, and Chris Ruska
Assessor - Andrew Riedmaier

5.22.11

2011-05-22T22:41:00.000-07:00

Things to work on:

1. Dirty tackles that don't result in any contact, but are still dirty and need to be addressed.

Far too often I concentrate too much on contact (did they make contact with the ball first, then all is fine...but this isn't necessarily the case). Guys don't want to get hurt, so they get out of the way when they see someone coming in totally out of control, or they get the ball first but b/c they're out of control they carelessly go through and do all sorts of damage afterward. The two footed tackle is definitely one to watch out for (studs up, especially when they leave their feet to and jump at an opponent with both feet, studs exposed, especially if their feet remain up off the ground...the higher the feet, obviously the more serious the issue)

2. Get out wide. Especially when the ball is out by the touchline, don't be afraid to get closer to that touchline, sprint over there, and make your presence known. Especially when the play is way out by the corner flags on the opposite sides of my ARs...get out wide and see what's going on.

3. Positioning on corner kicks - mix it up. Start at the top of the penalty arc, then just as the ball is about to be played move quickly to another position and vice versa (keep the players on their toes...if you're too predictable, they'll know where you are and what you can't see and how to get away with all sorts of things)

4. Time management - at the higher levels of play, it's crucial to be very specific about the time and to really give a good effort to give enough added time based on the events of the half (time wasting, injuries, goals scored, substitutions, etc.). Keep it fair for both teams. Telling players the time isn't a big deal, especially when at the higher levels they'll have a huge clock running for all too see and you'll indicate to the fourth official the addeded time to each half, so in actuality the time is no secret to anyone, so giving out the time at an amateur event where the players don't have that luxury is not a problem, despite what some might say.

Goalkeeper Possession of the Ball - Advice 12.16

2011-04-12T08:14:00.001-07:00

In a recent high school game I had to deal with the issue of whether or not the goalkeeper had possession of the ball. Now, the team's coach will differ with my opinion, but from what I, and the other referee, saw was the ball actually go through the hands of the goalkeeper, thus possession was never obtained. However, for arguments sake, the coach declared that even if his goalkeeper had just one finger on the ball that this was clear possession of the ball - I have heard this argument before, yet it has no grounds to stand upon. Nowhere within the laws of the game or any advice given out by FIFA does it say such a thing. In fact, here is what it does say:

Advice to the Referee on the Laws of the Game - 12.16

The goalkeeper is considered to be in control of the ball when the ball is held with both hands, held by trapping the ball between one hand and any surface (e.g., the ground, a goalpost, the goalkeeper's body), or holding the ball in the outstretched open palm. Once established, possession is maintained, when the ball is held as described above, while bouncing the ball on the ground or throwing it into the air. Possession is given up if, after throwing the ball into the air, it is allowed to hit the ground. For purposes of determining goalkeeper possession, the "handling" includes contact with any part of the goalkeeper's arm from the fingertips to the shoulder.

While the ball is in the possession of the goalkeeper, it may not be challenged for or played by an opponent in any manner. An opponent who attempts to challenge for a ball in the possession of the goalkeeper may be considered to have committed a direct free kick foul. However, a ball which is only being controlled by the goalkeeper using means other than the hands is open to otherwise legal challenges by an opponent. The referee should consider the age and skill level of the players in evaluating goalkeeper possession and err on the side of safety.

Now, I have heard referees argue that if the goalkeeper gets the ball lodged between their stomach or back or leg and the ground that it should be considered possession, but this is not the case. In fact, because this is an ackward and dangerous manner in which to play the ball (if the goalkeeper remains in this position for an extended period of time) it should be considered dangerous play and thus the restart would be an IFK at the place of the infringment contrary to popular belief.

AR Involvement with ball going out of bounds

2011-03-13T14:16:00.000-07:00

From "Ask A Referee"

"Unless the ball is about to fall into the clutches of greedy alligators or disappear into a wormhole, there is no reason for the AR to touch the ball in any way. Seriously, the AR should act only if needed to protect himself from being struck. It is almost instinctive (particularly if the AR is a former or current player) to want to stop the ball in an effort to be “helpful,” but this is a misplaced act of good will,because in doing so the AR has actually helped the team with the throw-in to restart more quickly that might have otherwise been the case. And if the AR fails to do the same thing for the other team at any time for any reason, they may think the AR is favoring their opponents. Furthermore, stopping the ball draws attention away from the AR’s main, Law-mandated responsibilities."

Being a former player, I love to help out and stop the ball as an AR when it's close to me. I struggle with this b/c I hate for games to drag on, especially when the ball is going to end up "years away"...I think at the younger levels especially both teams appreciate when the AR stops the ball. 1. The team throwing the ball in doesn't want to run after it. 2. The defending team doesn't want to have to wait forever for the throw-in to take place. At higher levels, yes I understand. Yet, at the higher levels there are "ball boys" all over the perimeter of the field so the amount of time waisted for this type of thing is next to nothing.

I touch the ball in indoor all the time, too. I'll work on it.

SLSG Girls Fall College Showcase - 2010

2010-11-08T17:33:00.001-08:00

Lukas, Rachel, Adam, and I (right to left) after our last games on Sunday at the SLSG Girls College Showcase 2010.

Wisconsin crew, all grade 7's, solid bunch...hopefully we'll be back for the boys tournament in April

FIFA Fitness Test - MLS Schedule

2010-06-28T18:24:00.001-07:00

5.FIFA Fitness Test
Each referee and AR was required to take and pass the FIFA interval fitness test which consists of:
1.Six-40 meter sprints in a specified time (referees: 6.2 seconds, ARs: 6.0 seconds).
2.150 meter run followed by a 50 meter recovery (24 times/12 full laps). Referees have 30 seconds to run 150 meters and a 35 walking recovery time. ARs have 30 seconds to run 150 meters and a 40 second recovery.

(Before you go to the National level - anything from Grade 5-7 - the fitness test is always a 12 minute run, a certain number of laps must be completed, followed by a 50 yard dash and a 200 yard dash)

MLS travel day is Friday, so referees set up their physical training so Friday is a recover/rest day.

Terry Vaughns weekly schedule:

•Saturday: FIFA fitness test
•Sunday: recovery run
•Monday: long distance run
•Tuesday: interval ladders/training
•Wednesday: long distance run
•Thursday: FIFA fitness test
•Friday: recovery day
•Saturday: long distance run
http://www.ussoccer.com/News/Referee-Programs/2010/06/2010-Referee-Week-In-Review-Midseason-Break.aspx

Refereeing in NY - First half of 2010

2010-05-18T02:25:00.000-07:00

What I've learned

Once again - don't allow the attitude of parents, coaches, and players get to you and affect your performance. No words are necessary. Allow your body language and cards speak for you. This was an important lesson I learned down in Mexico where I had very limited Spanish, thus my ability to just explain things via words was literally taken away and I had to referee by my body language, the whistle, my hand signals, and my cards. In the end I learned a valuable lesson - you don't have to say a word to referee a solid match. Now, a word or two here and there can help, but the lesson was clear, very very little is needed, if any at all. Too much, well, we all know what can happen. Too much talking only invites criticism and arguments and more and more and more talking. Don't give anyone the audience they are so dying to have. Feel out players by their tone and body language to determine whether or not it would be wise to say anything. Sometimes they want a word or two, that's all. They're eager to listen and then move on. Others, they try and push you, test you, and challenge you to speak to them so they have "an excuse" to lash out or start arguing. Don't give them that "satisfaction". If they lose self control and lash out, if it is persistent or long lasting, caution them. They'll either quit while they're ahead or they'll be ejected and everyone will point the blame on them, not you.

Again, don't talk! As tempting as it is to "put people in their place", to shut them up, to one up them, to make them feel dumb and uneducated when it comes to the laws of the game, don't do it! It will only lead to more problems. Also, it's just professional. It's not appropriate behavior. Be above all that.

Be a light. The darkness will hate it and attack you like no other, but keep on shining for the Lord - that's what it's all about - bringing our Lord Jesus glory and honor in all things.

SIAPOA - Ejection or Caution (Tackles)

2010-05-10T08:34:00.000-07:00

Week in Review 6 - 2010
USSF has come up with the following acronym to help referees decipher between red card tackles and just cautionable tackles

SIAPOA

Speed of play and the tackle
Intent
Aggressive Nature
Position of the tackler (how high are his legs)
Opportunity to play the ball
Atmosphere of the game

Not all need to be present to eject a player. Here's the big question:

Does the mix and weight of the evident criteria endanger the safety of the opponent and lead to a determination that excessive force was used?

MLS 2010 - History of the League

2010-05-07T07:32:00.000-07:00

NEW YORK -- Major League Soccer has called a Friday news conference to announce it is awarding an expansion team to Montreal.

The team will start play in 2012 and be the league's 19th city, a person familiar with the decision said Thursday, speaking on condition of anonymity because the announcement had not been made. The team will be owned by the Saputo family, which currently runs the Montreal Impact of the U.S. Soccer Federation D-2 Pro League.

MLS currently has 16 teams. Portland, Ore., and Vancouver, British Columbia, were announced in March 2009 as expansion teams for 2011.

MLS started play with 10 teams in 1996: Colorado, Columbus, Dallas, D.C., Kansas City, Los Angeles, New England, New York-New Jersey, San Jose and Tampa Bay.

The league added Chicago and Miami for 1998, then dropped back to 10 teams when Miami and Tampa Bay were eliminated after the 2001 season.

There has been repeated expansion in recent years, starting when Chivas USA and Real Salt Lake began play in 2005. After the original San Jose team moved to Houston for the 2006 season, Toronto FC started the following year, and a replacement Earthquakes took the field for 2008. Seattle was added for 2009 and Philadelphia for this year.
http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=782868&sec=mls&cc=5901

Shinguards - "Reasonable Degree of Protection"

2010-05-06T09:38:00.000-07:00

Question:
Shinguards

Especially at the professional level (MLS), are referees looking to see the players have some type of shinguard on their legs, but nothing more?
As you are well aware of, Law 4 - The Players' Equipment states:

Shinguards
-provide a reasonable degree of protection

Two examples of almost no protection would be Colorado's and former USA International Pablo Mastroeni and Chivas USA's Blair Gavin (I'm sure there are more).

Again, at what level of play does it not become necessary to provide a reasonable degree of protection? Or is it necessary, even at the professional level, but not always enforced by the referee? Do FIFA referees enforce this law or let it go as trifling and simply make sure everyone has some type of shinguard?

USSF answer (May 6, 2010):
In general, the decision on the "reasonable degree of protection" is made using The Seven Magic Words, "If, in the opinion of the referee." Referees must remember that at the professional level, the players and trainers must take responsibility. What is sufficient protection to one, may not be to another.

(In other words, at the youth levels parents care enough about their kids to provide a "reasonable degree of protection" when thinking about shinguards, at high school, the referees might need to step in since the parents rarely have any control or say over what their kids do, yet at college the school has trainers and the child is usually an investment so they'll take good care of them, and even more of an investment is found at the professional levels, but the adult leagues I'd say people are at their own risk.)

Holding Jersey - Caution (quick whistle)

2010-05-06T04:37:00.001-07:00

Question: Holding the jersey from behind - tactical foul

Yet another ejection last night in the Chivas vs New England game in
the 28th minute for a player holding the jersey of an opponent to slow
the play down and the opponent swinging his arms at the player holding
them out of frustration. The result, the right one - a straight red
for striking the player in the face (well, eventually a straight red
after some good teamwork by the refereeing crew - addition input by AR
and 4th official), and a caution for the player holding the opponent's
jersey.
I had this exact same scenario in a BU18 game a couple of weeks ago.
This is perhaps the 3rd or 4th time I've seen this exact scenario play
out in an MLS game and I've seen it numerous times in internal games.

As a referee, I know we're trying to apply the advantage whenever
possible and not slow the game down with too many calls, but perhaps
it's time to stop the advantage on this type of play. I mean, more
times than not the player being held is going to lash out one way or
another and get themselves in trouble, usually ejected for an elbow
swung back toward the player holding them, and thus what advantage is
there in allow the play to go on?
Perhaps the player gets out of the hold and does gain an advantage
for no call being made, but how often do you really see this happen
when there is a hold on the jersey and the player just can't get out
of it?
Any thoughts?
Personally, from what I've seen and experienced first hand, I will
give the caution right away to the player who is holding the jersey
from behind to try and eliminate the frustrated retaliation from the
player being held. If they lose the advantage, so be it. I'll know I
did that player and team a favor by stopping the play and making sure
they don't end up with 10 men b/c of serious foul play that almost
always follows a hold like this.

John

John,
Our (and the IFAB's) advice has always been straight yellow card for blatant holding -- unless it is absolutely certain that the player can break away. I didn't see the game (way too tired from work around the farm, with lots more coming today), but I agree with your analysis of what should be done

Jim

When does the goalkeeper have possession of the ball?

2010-04-30T07:53:00.000-07:00

A couple years ago at a tournament in North Dakota a bunch of referees tried to convince me that if a keeper has controlled the ball under his feet or is lying on the ball (stomach or back) that play should be stopped if an attacker tries to get the ball b/c the keeper has clear possession of the ball. Well, finally I found the truth and the truth is, they were wrong. Possession by the keeper has everything to do with the hands, no other body part. If the keeper has the ball under his legs and an attacker starts kicking at the keeper, then you might want to think about "dangerous play" or a direct free kick and a caution depending on the circumstances (you can't just start kicking away at a player b/c they find themselves on the ground). However, the keeper needs to make an effort to move quickly to either kick the ball out or get his hands on the ball and not just remain in an awkward situation (the ball under his legs or hist stomach on top of the ball or lying on the ball with his back, etc.).

GOALKEEPER CONTROL OF THE BALL

Question:
I was centering an Academy game and the away team was deep into their offensive penalty box with an attack. They took a shot at the goal which the keeper stop but did not gain immediate control of the ball with his hands. The keeper fell to the ground (on his back) and managed to trap the ball under his legs. For the that instant the ball was fully in control by the keeper with his legs. The attacker was kicking at the ball and managed to get it out from under his legs and shot and the goal and it went in. I did not allow the goal and felt I had 2 rational reasons. My first thought was the keeper did have "control" of the ball with his legs and therefore the attack should have been stopped. The second thought was that it was dangerous play to try and kick the ball out from his legs (especially considering it was lodged under them) and an indirect free kick should have been awarded.

My question is this, does a keeper have to control the ball with his hands for it to be considered under control or if he or she has definite control with other parts of his body (legs, stomach) is that considered control?

Answer (April 16, 2010):
While we agree with your notion that the referee should have stopped play immediately, it would not have been because the goalkeeper had possession of the ball. Possession by the goalkeeper requires "hands-on" control of the ball, something he did not have. Here is an excerpt from the USSF publication "Advice to Referees on the Laws of the Game" that spells out goalkeeper possession:

QUOTE
12.16 GOALKEEPER POSSESSION OF THE BALL
The goalkeeper is considered to be in control of the ball when the ball is held with both hands, held by trapping the ball between one hand and any surface (e.g., the ground, a goalpost, the goalkeeper's body), or holding the ball in the outstretched open palm. Once established, possession is maintained, when the ball is held as described above, while bouncing the ball on the ground or throwing it into the air. Possession is given up if, after throwing the ball into the air, it is allowed to hit the ground. For purposes of determining goalkeeper possession, the "handling" includes contact with any part of the goalkeeper's arm from the fingertips to the shoulder.

While the ball is in the possession of the goalkeeper, it may not be challenged for or played by an opponent in any manner. An opponent who attempts to challenge for a ball in the possession of the goalkeeper may be considered to have committed a direct free kick foul. However, a ball which is only being controlled by the goalkeeper using means other than the hands is open to otherwise legal challenges by an opponent. The referee should consider the age and skill level of the players in evaluating goalkeeper possession and err on the side of safety.
END OF QUOTE

We see no offense by the goalkeeper. If, as it appears, the goalkeeper had the ball between his legs and did not delay unduly in attempting to extricate himself from this predicament, he did not play dangerously and the opponent was wholly at fault for taking unfair advantage of his situation. Merely making kicking motions would constitute the dangerous play offense, but actually making contact with the kicking motion turns it into a direct free kick offense plus a card (the referee would normally think red -- due to "kicking," but this could possibly be downgraded to a yellow if there were mitigating circumstances.)

U.S. Soccer thanks Jim Allen (National Instructor Staff and National Assessor ret., assisted by National Instructor Trainer Dan Heldman, for their assistance in providing this service. Direction is provided by Alfred Kleinaitis, Manager of Referee Development and Education, with further assistance from Paul Tamberino, Director of Referee Development; David McKee, National Director of Assessment (assessment matters); Jeff Kollmeyer, National Instructor, indoor and Futsal; and Ulrich Strom, National Instructor and National Assessor (matters in general).

Submit your questions via e-mail to askareferee@ussoccer.org.

Chivas USA vs San Jose Earthquakes - 4.24.10

2010-04-25T16:16:00.001-07:00

Some new referee I've never seen before had a rough one.

Give a weak, very questionable pk to San Jose when Chivas was up 1-0. 1-1

Then he doesn't give San Jose an obvious pk when a player is taken down from behind off a deflection off the post (defender totally beat, grabs and kicks the player down in desperation - no call, probably b/c he had already given San Jose a pk earlier in the game and didn't want to give yet another - game was 2-1 Chivas at the time.

Then Chivas goes up 3-1 and San Jose scores to make it 3-2 but that goal should of been called back as well. The replay shows that when the shot is taken from just beyond the penalty area from a punch out by Chivas' goalkeeper, there is a San Jose player in an offside position who interferes with the defense by getting in the goalie's way when he tries to make a save on the shot - no call, goal given.

Again, rough night for this new guy.

2010 MLS Referees

2010-03-27T06:35:00.000-07:00

Official FIFA referee list for 2010
Referee Year of birth International since
GEIGER Mark W. 1974
HARE Ronald 1963 2001
JURISEVIC Edvin 1975
MARRUFO Jair Antonio 1977 2007
SALAZAR Ricardo 1972 2005
TOLEDO Baldomero 1970
VAUGHN Terry 1973 2004

FIFA (1)
Ricardo Salazar - 1 (opener), 2 (clasico in LA)
Terry Vaughn - 1
Baldomero Toledo - 1
Mark Geiger - 1,
Jair Marrufo - 2,

National (3-4)
Michael Kennedy - 1
Jorge Gonzalez - 1
Kevin Stott (former FIFA) - 1
Alex Prus (former FIFA) - 1

Uniforms
Red (yellowish green stripe across the shirt and shorts - looks lame)
Black (" ")
Blue - light (" ")

Ask a referee - 3.20.10

2010-03-20T16:48:00.001-07:00

Questions I asked about the difficult situations AR's find themselves in. Basic instruction - do your best.

Question: Assistant Referee Positioning

1. I find when I am an AR that the following situation is very challenging and would love for any advice you may have to pass along.

Here the situation: a player is chasing after a ball that is headed toward the touch line you, as the AR, are on. You can tell it's going to be a close call, whether or not they are able to get there in time to keep the ball in play, however, there's at least one attacking player up with the second to last defender and so as an AR it becomes very difficult. Sometimes you're so focused in on the ball possibly fully crossing the touch line that you lose track of the second to last defender (and any players possibly in an offside position) or you notice players pushing that offside line and so you concentrate more on them but then you may not see if the ball fully crossed over the touch line or not, which is also crucial. Any advice? With peripheral vision and sound you can many times pick up when the ball has been played forward and by which team, but in this situation, with the play being down the touch line, possibly pretty far from where the second to last defender is located up the field, it becomes extremely difficult to see where the ball is and where the players are in relationship to the second to last defender at the moment the ball is played up the field. Help.

2. Again, as an AR, we are to be in line with the second to last defender or the ball, whichever is closer to the goal line, however, the ball, when kicked (especially a hard shot on goal from distance), can travel much faster than we can run, so how are we to stay in position? Just last week I had a coach chew me out for being "15 yards out of position" when his forward (BU14), being defended at the time by the second to last defender, took a shot from about 30-35 yards out, a shot that ended up going over the keepers head, hitting off the crossbar, and coming straight down, barley touching the goal line, but not nearly crossing the entire goal line, thus not a goal.

At the moment the shot was taken I was lined up with the second to last defender, being closer at that moment to the goal line than the ball. After the shot I took off toward the goal line, but was still around the 15-10 yard line when the ball hit off the crossbar. Yes, I wasn't on the goal line when the ball came down and hit off the ground, but I had made it close enough to see what I needed to see and make the right call. Was I in the right position? Is there anything else I could have done? Any advice? It's funny to me, I'm 15 yards from the play and I missed "the goal scored", yet the coach was on the opposite side of the field, probably at least 60-70 yards away, and he clearly saw the goal.

Thanks again for all you time, help, and guidance. At this point I feel like these two scenarios are just really challenging for any AR and you just have to do the best you can. But maybe there's more that can be done. I look forward to hearing what you have to say.
Thanks.

John

John,
Barring developing wings or the speed of Mercury, you can only do what you can do. This situation you describe was called "the linesman's dilemma" by one of Collina's predecessors as the best referee in Italy (if not the world). His answer was the same as mine: Do the best you can in this situation.

Sorry it couldn't be a more satisfying response, but with the speed of the game today, that is all you can do.

Jim

How to become a referee in various levels

2010-03-20T16:45:00.000-07:00

This site has it all. What leagues there are in the USA, how to become a referee for youth, high school, college, and for professional leagues.

http://www.naso.org/BeOfficial/sportspages/soccer.html

Everything from AYSO, to USSF, to NFHS, to NISOA.

Corner Kick

2010-02-06T08:33:00.001-08:00

When trickery takes place on a corner kick, what you will see is the attacking team have one player place the ball quickly and slightly touch the ball so that the ball is now in play...the player who touched the ball begins to walk away from it as another teammate comes toward the corner flag as if they are going to take the kick. When the other player gets to the ball, they immediately turn with the ball and dribble toward goal.

End result - legal play. No matter what is said verbally, it's considered legal as long as the ball was touched and moved (touching the top of the ball without the ball moving is not a legal restart).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9nBoKNy7j0Y&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qWWm1H1DC-Q&feature=related

In the second clip the assistant referee’s flag was incorrect and the referee should have waved it down; the resulting goal should have been allowed.

South Africa 2010 World Cup - List of Referees

2010-02-06T08:18:00.000-08:00

http://www.fifa.com/mm/document/tournament/competition/01/16/67/00/referee_trios_2010fwc2.pdf

There are 30 trios of referees representing 28 countries...nobody is representing the USA.

From the CONCACAF you have the following countries represented:
Mexico (2-R, 3-AR)
El Salvador (1-R, 2-AR)
Canada (1-AR)
Honduras (1-AR)
Costa Rica (1-AR)
Guatemala (1-R)

http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/organisation/media/newsid=1166692.html#referees+from+countries+appointed+2010+fifa+world+cup

I guess our young talent - Jair Marrufo didn't make the final cut. He was on the prospective list back in October, but didn't make the final list.
http://www.fifa.com/mm/document/tournament/competition/92/29/78/candidaterefereesrapfwc2010_22oct2008.pdf

2010 Recertification Clinic - Grade 7

2010-01-23T07:52:00.000-08:00

January 23, 2010
Ardsley MS in NY

50 question test - missed 3 question (very frustrating)

3 questions I missed

1. AR sees a foul the referee could not see, before the AR raises his flag to indicate the foul he should determine if the referee would have given the advantage and allowed play to continue if he had seen the foul.

Correct answer - True

My train of thought was this...the AR sees a foul the R could not and did not see. Call the foul, if the R wants to give the advantage he/she will waive you down. Apparently, this is not correct.

2. Caution for delay of the restart. If a team scores a goal and proceed to enter the net to retrieve the ball, this is seen as a delay of the restart and a cautionable offense b/c the ball belongs to the defense and they have the right to retrieve the ball. Now, would you caution them for simply getting the ball? No. If a tussle develops between the attacker and the defense, then they may be cautioned.

I was unaware that this interpretation was out there for this type of play. If there is a tussle in the goal, I was thinking the referee could caution the player for unsporting behavior, not delaying the restart. Not sure when this interpretation came out, but it must have been pretty recent. Oh well. The problem I see is that the defense, knowing this interpretation, would tackle any attacker who tried to touch the ball after a goal so as to try and get the attacker in trouble and cautioned. Lovely. Once again, situational.

http://www.askasoccerreferee.com/?p=2071

3. Player acts like he got seriously fouled, rolls around, screams at the referee that a caution should be given to the opponent, but the referee sees it as simulation. What's the correct call?

Well, a referee could caution for the simulation (faking a foul), then caution the player for dissent. Thus, one yellow card followed by another and then show them a red card. In fact, earlier in the test there is a similar question where a player is involved in a reckless challenge (caution) followed by dissent toward the referee (2nd caution - and shown the red card - ejection). Yet, in this situation the correct answer was simply a caution for the simulation. Apparently, the rolling around, faking the foul, and yelling at the referee are all seen as one thing going on and not separate acts. Debatable...timing...situational. Lame.

All in all there were a ton of challenging questions that the more you know the worse it becomes. I need to remember that I can talk through some of these questions with USSF representatives who are at these testing centers. They don't care if you talk through the questions, they enjoy it. Especially these questions that seem so gray to me.

Extra Player on the Field - Gets Fouled

2010-01-16T09:54:00.000-08:00

Law 3 - The Number of Players

What do I do if I find too many players on the field for one team?
If you have already stopped the game for some other reason, then you caution and show the yellow card to the extra player for entering the field of play without the referee's permission and remove him or her from the field. Restart for whatever reason the game was stopped. If you stopped the game to caution and remove the extra player, restart with an indirect free kick at the place where the ball was when you stopped play.

You cannot choose the player to remove. Only the captain of that team can do that. You may allow the captain to ask the coach who should go.
(Do we ever see extra players on the field? Rarely. At the younger ages it's totally innocent most of the time, taking place during a substitution where there was confusion between who's coming off and who's coming on and based on the circumstances I would most likely just let it go without cautioning anyone. It just seems a bit odd that USSF would say the captain determines who is to be removed, with the caoch's help, b/c that's like saying you can make a substitution whenever you want, it's just going to cost you a yellow card. For instance, the referee and his assistants should know who is on the field at any given time and if someone else shows up, that player and that player alone is the one without permission to enter the field, otherwise #12 could run on, but then the captain chooses #5 on his team to be removed, thus #5 is cautioned and a substituion on the fly just took place between #12 and #5. I think this has to do with too many players at the start of the game or the start of the half, in which case anyone could potentially be removed by the referee and be deemed fair, thus the choice at this point is left up to the captain of that team, not the referee.)

What if the extra player was "fouled"?
This is treated as misconduct by the player who did it. The extra player is cautioned and shown the yellow card and removed from the game. The player who "fouled" the extra player is given the appropriate punishment if the "foul" was either reckless (caution/yellow card for unsporting behavior) or involved the use of excessive force (send-off/red card for violent conduct). You restart the game with an indirect free kick for the team of the player who committed the misconduct at the place where the ball was when you stopped play. This is because the illegal entry by the "extra player" occurred first.

(I've never seen this happen, but if it did happen, you can imagine there'd be a lot of "What is going on?" In fact, the referee would probably choose to give the free kick to the team that was fouled (the team with the extra player), but the kick goes to the team that committed the foul b/c as it states, the illegal entry by the extra player took place first)

http://www.ussoccer.com/Referees/Referee-Development/FAQ.aspx

Speaking to Players

2009-12-09T09:12:00.001-08:00

These past couple of weeks I've been refereeing a few indoor games up at the National Sports Center in Blaine in a Men's Rec league. Not the greatest competition, small fields, lots of players for such a small space, thus lots of bad touches and lots of awkward situations that make for some difficult calls.

Anyway, the topic of game management and especially "speaking to players" has been on my mind ever since last night. In my second game I had a young team, teenagers, who had very little respect for me as an authority figure (I feel for their parents). It got me thinking about how best to deal with players who show such a disrespect toward an official via tons of dissent for various calls.

My advice, for the vast majority of these players, no talking is necessary. Just pull out the cards for dissent and let the cards do the talking. If you engage in dialogue you are not being wise b/c they don't want to talk, they want to yell and vent and spew forth hatred toward you.

When it comes to dissent, I love what the Proverbs have to say:

"Do not rebuke a mocker or he will hate you; rebuke a wise man and he will love you."

There are tons of little saying like this throughout the Proverbs and Psalms that are extremely applicable when it comes to refereeing.

I can't recall where it is, but somewhere else it states that when words are many sin is not absent. The more you talk, especially with a mocker, with a fool, with any who is not wise, you are going to get yourself into trouble and it's only going to make you mad and most likely you'll end up sinning one way or another. Plus, it can have a huge affect on how you referee the rest of the game. Don't let another person's poor attitude change your own attitude and collectiveness.

How can you pick out a mocker? A fool? Believe me, you'll know. Everything from the body language to the tone of their voice, it should be obvious. However, be careful, some fools like to be crafty and cloth themselves in wool, these can still be identified but it takes more than just a moment or two and you must take all their actions collectively over the course of the game to know if they are merely being polite for the moment so you will say something or if they truly are being polite and a simple answer will satisfy the situation.

Again, the Scriptures are loaded with advice for the present day soccer referee, which makes sense since the Scriptures give us advice in all areas of life. Thanks be to God.

USSF Development Academy Showcases

2009-10-22T18:18:00.000-07:00

4 Showcases located around the USA throughout the year

These are the events for up and coming referees to be seen and developed farther for the professional level.

The only problem, they're scheduled during the week and weekend, you pay all expenses (travel, hotel, food, etc.), pay is as follows:

R - $75
AR - $50
4th Official - $25

How many games you get? No idea. How they filter through applicants? No idea. Being able to participate in one or more of these would be huge for exposure, growing, and of course, making contacts.

USSF 2009 Directives - Free Kick and Restart Management

2009-04-09T08:31:00.000-07:00

http://69.16.133.103/v7c5x3f7/cds/Documents/cms/ussf/Free%20Kick%20and%20Restart%20Management.pdf?dopvhost=images.ussoccer.com&doppl=62d112492b0f06f6&dopsig=302c62c00c6191aa104fade5ce28ea35

Quick Free Kick (QFK)
Referee needs to allow the QFK unless he's going to give a caution or eject a player, if there is a serious injury, or the referee needs to have a word with a player to maintain game control.

Even if it's ceremonial, still wait off to the side, close by, to allow a QFK to the attacking team. More than likely you'll end up moving the wall back and starting the play by your whistle, but not all the time.

USSF 2009 Directives - Game Management Model

2009-04-08T14:46:00.001-07:00

http://69.16.133.72/v7c5x3f7/cds/Documents/cms/ussf/Game%20Management%20Model.pdf?dopvhost=images.ussoccer.com&doppl=62d112492b0de801&dopsig=51bdd70c31ffaf6450e14c0717170a92

What its all about - managing players, fans, coaches, everything to guarantee safety, entertainment, and 100% misconduct is dealt with appropriately.

The big picture:
Flow, Game Control, Risk Taking

Can you balance these three? That is the question.
Ideal situation - high level of game control with a high level of risk taking and a high level of flow.
Worst case scenario - low level of game control with a low level of risk taking and a low level of flow. Choppy game, lots of whistles, players not necessarily safer b/c they'll be frustrated, fans will be annoyed (no entertainment value), etc.

The challenge? When you allow more flow, you take a lot of risks in not calling every single thing, allow advantage (4 P's - Possession, Potential, Personnel, Proximity), things can get out of control quickly if you're not careful and wise about what you allow to go and what you don't. Just one thing that you allow to go which should never be allowed to go can send everything out of control in a hurry.

USSF 2009 Directives - Handling the Ball

2009-04-08T09:00:00.000-07:00

http://69.16.133.72/v7c5x3f7/cds/Documents/cms/ussf/Handling%20the%20Ball.pdf?dopvhost=images.ussoccer.com&doppl=62d112492b0dd931&dopsig=65b03d4daf6b9b00381e4f7e16d211d6

Key issue at hand:

Did the player make himself bigger?

The laws state that the foul is when a player deliberately handles the ball. Well, when a player makes himself bigger (hands/arms extended from his body to cut off additional space) this too is seen as "deliberately handling the ball".

Is the hand/arm in an unnatural position?

This too is seen as taking away space and deliberately handling the ball if the ball makes contact with the arm/hand in this unnatural position.

Did the player benefit (tactical advantage) by his actions?

This seems like an odd question to me. If the player made himself bigger by placing his hands in an unnatural position or a position to take away space and attacking options and the ball does hit their arm/hand, then yes, they benefited from these actions. Hand in hand.

In addition:

Reaction Time
The less space and the faster the ball is traveling the smaller amount of reaction time and the more likely the handling of the ball with an arm/hand is not deliberate (age level and skill level and whether or not the player is simply protecting themselves must be considered as well)

The saying "hand to ball or ball to hand" is far too simplistic and avoids so many special scenarios that must be evaluated b/c you'll almost never see "hand to ball" yet hand balls take place all the time. Hand to ball indicates that their was an actual movement of the hand to the ball, which again, almost never happens.

2009 USSF Directives - Injury Management

2009-04-08T08:43:00.001-07:00

http://69.16.133.83/v7c5x3f7/cds/Documents/cms/ussf/Injury%20Management.pdf?dopvhost=images.ussoccer.com&doppl=62d112492b0dd41f&dopsig=36418e1508ef9c5b2d99d03b226d5e09

A couple important things to keep in mind:

Referee stops play only when in his opinion the player is seriously injured, otherwise it is up to the teams to kick the ball out of play (fair play).

If the referee does stop play for an injury, and no treatment is necessary, the play must still leave the field b/c medical treatment was assumed and play was stopped. They can only return after the restart. If the ball is in play, they must enter over the touch line, if they wish to come back on during another stoppage of play, they can enter over any boundary.

Anytime medical personnel enter the field, the player must be removed from the field even if the stoppage of play was not solely for this reason. No treatment shall be given on the field of play unless it is very serious (like head or neck injuries).

If the referee does stop play for a serious injury, the restart is a dropped ball at the location the ball was when the referee stopped play with his whistle. If inside the goal area, bring the ball out to the top of the goal area line parallel to the goal line.

If a goalkeeper and player collide and both need treatment, neither need to leave the field of play.

2009 USSF Directives - Managing the Technical Area

2009-04-08T08:20:00.000-07:00

http://69.16.133.46/v7c5x3f7/cds/Documents/cms/ussf/Managing%20the%20Technical%20Area.pdf?dopvhost=images.ussoccer.com&doppl=62d112492b0dd25f&dopsig=a5fd9d0fd8c28eaf92a66215a00af1a8

Managing the Technical Area

Ask,Tell,Remove

Ask - Ask the personnel involved to stop whatever they're doing.
Tell - Tell them to stop if it continues
Remove - Dismiss them from their coaching responsibilities (if a coach)

Directive includes:

A list of things that can take place that result in an immediate removal (crossing the line)

- Coach/bench personnel leaving technical area (including entering the field) to
dispute/dissent a call – even if the call isn’t what he thinks it is
• Coach/bench personnel throwing/kicking anything while disputing a call
• Coach/bench personnel kicking/hitting advertising boards or bench in dispute
of a call
• Directed abusive, insulting or offensive language and/or gestures
• Inflammatory and/or aggressive behavior (verbal and/or physical) with the
opposition
• Interfering with the restart of play and field players
• Making unwanted and/or aggressive contact with opposing players
• Interfering with the AR or fourth official in the performance of their duties

Things you can and should say to the personnel involved

Things you can't and shouldn't say

If there is a 4th official, don't place all the burden on their shoulders. Same goes with an AR, don't leave it up to them to take all the heat and criticism...make your presence known and show them their actions are not going to be tolerated.

AR #1 Responsibility - Offside

2009-03-25T08:52:00.000-07:00

USSF
Priority of Assistant Referee Responsibilities
March 24, 2009

"The single most important responsibility for the assistant referee is making timely and accurate offside decisions. All other duties outlined in Law 6 are secondary."

The AR has a ton on his plate. Yes, some may think they only run in a straight line along half of the touchline and that all they have to do is stay with the second to last defender and determine if there is an offside call or not. However, it's much more difficult than this when you consider all the other things an AR has to look for - ball in and out of play along the touchline and the goal line. Ball in the goal or not. Fouls in their area that the referee can't see. The location of fouls around the penalty area - in or out. The use of hands by the goalkeeper around the penalty area - in or out. Correct taking of free kicks, goal kicks, corner kicks. Helping the referee keep players 10 yards from free kicks and corner kicks in the AR's area. When two or more of these responsibilities are being tested at once, it becomes very challenging.

For instance, a player is dribbling up field by the AR and is getting very close to the touchline while being challenged. The AR is trying to stay with the second to last defender, but is also trying to see if the ball is going to stay inside the field of play and if the player being challenged is going to be fouled or not. It's very difficult b/c the AR must watch the second to last defender to determine an offside call, but must also use his peripheral vision to determine if the ball stays inside the field of play and to determine at what point the ball is actually played forward.

Signal for the end of each half

2009-03-23T20:37:00.000-07:00

R signal

End of first half
-1st whistle with right hand pointed straight up
-2nd whistle with right hand pointed toward the center circle (kick off mark)

End of game
-Same as above for the first 2 blows of the whistle
-3rd whistle with both hands moving from pointing to the center circle to outside the body (indicating the match is over - no more)

MLS 2009 4th Official Assignments

2009-03-20T08:23:00.000-07:00

Terry Vaughn (FIFA) - 1,
Chris Penso - 1,8,9,10,
Jasen Anno - 1,3,3,4,8,
Yader Reyes - 1,2,5,6,8,
Edvin Jurisevic - 1,
Kevin Stott - 1,5,9,
Hilario Grajeda - 2,7,
Jorge Gonzalez - 2,5,7,
Andrew Chapin - 2,8,
David Bragg - 2,
Alejandro Mariscal - 2,6,
Baldomero Toledo - (WC Qualifier - Costa Rica vs El Salvador),
Tyler Ploeger - 3,4,8,
Carol-Anne Chenard - 3,10,
Mark Kadlecik - 3,8,
Niko Bratsis - 3,9,
Abiodun Okulaja - 3,5,6,8,
Michael Kennedy - 3,5,7,
Vicente Cortes - 4,
Steven DePiero - 4,6,7,
Alex Prus (FIFA) - 4,8,9,
Ricardo Salazar (FIFA) - 4,8,
Baldomero Toledo (FIFA) - 4,7,
Mark Geiger (FIFA) - 5,6,9,10,10,
Landis Wiley - 5,7,9,
Mikael Lundqvist - 6,
Ben Chouaf - 6,10,
Silviu Petrescu - 6,9,
Tim Weyland - 7,
Shane Moody - 10,
Oscar Ortiz - 10,

MLS 2009 Assistant Referee Assignments

2009-03-20T08:22:00.000-07:00

Corey Rockwell (FIFA) - 1,1,2,3,4,5,6,
Fabio Tovar (FIFA) - 1,1,2,3,5,7,9,
Craig Lowry - 1,3,4,5,6,8,
Jason Cullum - 1,8,10,
Rob Fereday - 1,3,4,5,6,
Adam Garner - 1,2,4,8,
Eric Boria - 1,2,4,7,8,
Paul Scott - 1,3,4,5,6,8,9,
Greg Boles - 1,5,6,10,
Jeff Hosking - 1,2,4,
Anthony Vasoli (FIFA) - (WC Qualifier - Mexico vs Costa Rica),3,4,6,8,9,
Chris Strickland (FIFA) - (WC Qualifier - Mexico vs Costa Rica),3,5,8,10,
Sean Hurd - 2,5,7,9,
Peter Balciunas - 2,3,4,6,8,
Greg Barkey - 2,3,5,6,7,8,
Nate Clement - 2,3,4,5,6,8,9,
Thomas Supple (FIFA) - 2,(WC Qualifier - Costa Rica vs El Salvador),3,6,9,
Bill Dittmar - 2,5,8,10,
Peter Manikowski - 2,3,7,8,
Darren Clark (FIFA Canada) - 2,8,10,
Frank Anderson (has a twin brother, from CA, does Westmont games) - 2,3,5,7,8,9,10,
Adam Wienckowski (FIFA) - (WC Qualifier - Costa Rica vs El Salvador),3,4,6,7,10,
Joe Fletcher - 3,4,6,7,9,
James Conlee - 3,9,10
Daniel Belleau - 4,9,10
Philippe Briere - 4,6,7,
Claudio Badea - 5,6,7,
Cyril Madukanya - 5,8,
Jeff Muschik - 6,9,10,
Hector Vergara - 6,9,10,
Steven Taylor - 7,10,
C.J. Morgante - 7,
Emiliano Monje - 7,8,9,
David Bragg - 7,8,
Kyle Borne - 8,10,
Kermit Quisenberry (FIFA) - 9,10,

MLS 2009 Referee Assignments

2009-03-20T08:21:00.001-07:00

Jair Marrufo (FIFA) - 1,1,(WC Qualifier - Costa Rica vs El Salvador),5,6,13,14,15,
Tim Weyland - 1,3,4,5,8,12,
Jorge Gonzalez - 1,4,8,10,13,16,
Baldomero Toledo (FIFA) - 1,2,3,8,9,12,13,14,15,16,17,19,
Ricardo Salazar (FIFA) - 1,2,5,6,7,9,12,13,14,15,17,18,19,
Terry Vaughn (FIFA) - 1,(WC Qualifier - Mexico vs Costa Rica),4,5,7,9,12,14,19,
Michael Kennedy - 2,3,6,8,10,14,15,16,17,19,
Alex Prus (FIFA) - 2,3,5,6,7,9,10,12,15,19,
Mark Geiger (FIFA) - 2,3,5,8,9,13,16,17,
Kevin Stott (Former FIFA referee) - 2,3,4,6,7,8,10,12,16,18,19
Paul Ward (FIFA Canada) - 2,6,10,14,
Silviu Petrescu (FIFA Canada) - 3,13,
Edvin Jurisevic - 3,4,7,8,15,
Hilario Grajeda - 4,5,8,10,16,
Abiodun Okulaja - 4,6,7,12,17,18,
Steven DePiero (FIFA Canada) - 6,13,
Jasen Anno - 7,10,18,19
Jeff Gontarek - 8,12,18,
Shane Moody - 9,18,
Yader Reyes - 9,17,

New Fitness Test

2009-03-09T19:29:00.000-07:00

The new fitness test:

Six 40 yard sprints at 6.2 seconds

The interval run is done on a track
Run 150 yards in 30 sec

Recovery in 50 yards over 35 sec

You do this 2 times on the track for one lap

(10 laps is the minimum)

Injuries - Correct Procedures

2009-03-08T10:30:00.000-07:00

There are various scenarios that deal with injured players. Here's a comprehensive outline on what to do in those scenarios from the USSF:

From the U.S. Soccer Communications Center:

To: National Referees
National Instructors
National Assessors
State Referee Administrators
State Directors of Instruction
State Directors of Assessment
State Directors of Coaching
From: Alfred Kleinaitis
Manager of Referee Development and Education
Subject: Handling Injuries
Date: October 12, 2007

An incident at the first U.S. Soccer Development Academy Fall Showcase tournament led to extensive discussions regarding the correct referee actions to be taken when a goalkeeper and opponent are injured. The lack of a single clear answer among the many experienced observers gathered there is the reason for this position paper.

Injuries pose numerous difficult decisions for the referee. On the one hand, soccer is a game of continuous action in which stoppages are and should be infrequent. On the other hand, player safety is an obvious matter of concern. Since stopping play may be beneficial for one team, an added issue is the possibility of a player simulating an injury or its degree of severity in an effort to gain that benefit.

Law 5 establishes several basic principles regarding player injuries:

If, in the opinion of the referee, the injury is serious, play must be stopped.
If, in the opinion of the referee, the injury is not serious, treatment of the injury is delayed until play is stopped for some other reason.
If the referee stops play for an injury, the injured player must leave the field and cannot return until play is restarted and the referee gives permission.
The International Football Association Board (IFAB), in its Additional Instructions and Guidelines (AIG) which accompany the Laws of the Game, has clarified certain issues:

An injured player may not receive treatment on the field unless the injury is “severe” (immediate medical attention is needed).
An injured goalkeeper is not required to leave the field and may receive treatment while on the field.
The refusal of an injured player to leave the field despite being required to do so is a cautionable offense (unsporting behavior).
The removal of an injured player must be swift but safe.
The referee may signal permission for medical personnel (including stretcher-bearers) to enter the field to assist in the player’s removal from the field (or to provide emergency first aid).
Referees should keep in mind the following additional guidelines regarding the handling of player injuries:

A player may seek assistance and treatment off the field during play if given permission by the referee to do so (permission is also needed to return to the field, which may occur during play).
A player who is injured may leave the field for treatment and return to the field before play resumes if the stoppage was not solely for that player’s injury and if medical personnel were not called onto the field by the referee to aid the player’s removal.
“Medical personnel” for purposes of these guidelines includes any team official who has responsibility for the player in the absence of available trained medical staff.
If a goalkeeper is seriously injured as a result of a collision with a teammate or opponent and the teammate or opponent is also injured, all players injured in the collision may be treated on the field and are not required to leave the field.
A player for whom the referee has requested medical personnel to enter the field at a stoppage is required to leave the field and may return with the referee’s permission only after play has resumed even if the stoppage was not expressly for the injury.
Evaluating and balancing these factors must be done quickly and fairly, with appropriate regard for the age and skill of the players. In all cases of doubt, the safety of the player must be the referee’s primary concern.

Green Jersey - Long/Short Sleeve and NISOA Uniforms

2009-03-08T03:59:00.000-07:00

With my goal being to become a professional referee and officiate in the MLS, and the ultimate goal of someday being invited to referee in the World Cup, I will need a few things. Over the past few years that I've been refereeing I've been able to gather most everything I need, but there are still a few items I'm missing. In an attempt to boast revenue, the United States Soccer Federation decided to add an additional color to the assortment of colors already in existence for referees. Thus, in addition to the short sleeve and long sleeve jersey tops that I have (yellow, black, blue, and red), they have now added green. So, I still need a short and long sleeve green jersey. Again this is a USSF jersey (the company that makes this jersey is "Official Sports") and they can be bought online at:
http://www.officialsports.com/index.html
(Under "Referee Uniforms")
Once again, I'm looking for the USSF Pro Uniforms - both short sleeve and long sleeve in the color green.

Also, to expand my refereeing options, I'm planning on joining another refereeing organization called NISOA. Once again, to boast revenues and cause poor referees to dish out even more money, the USSF only governs all Youth Club games, Junior Colleges, Amateur, Semi-Pro, and Professional both domestically and internationally (including MLS and all National Team events like the World Cup). However, to referee high school games and college games (NAIA, NCAA Divisions I-III) you have to be a part of NISOA. I'll need to pay additional fees to attend certification classes and they also use a completely different set of uniforms! This includes different everything - from socks, shorts, to jerseys. They have four different colored jerseys (black, yellow, blue, and red) and the socks all have different colored stripes, so you'd have to buy all four colors. The jerseys are also short sleeved and long sleeved so I'd need both for each color. All these items (jerseys, shorts, and socks) can be found at the same web site at:
http://www.officialsports.com/NISOAUniforms.htm

A quick list of what I'll need for my refereeing in NY:
Green short sleeved USSF Pro Uniform
Green long sleeved USSF Pro Uniform

Planning on doing most of my refereeing with the USSF so these would really be nice to have.

As for all the NISOA stuff, if you can find things on ebay or anywhere else they might have used refereeing equipment, that's fine with me. Apparently, there's yet another jersey specific for high school refereeing! Unbelievable.

Done For Awhile

2009-03-08T03:53:00.000-07:00

My legs hurt. How much? Hard to say. There's definitely pressure build up in my ankles, especially on the inside of my shins where I've been told I have either shin splints or a stress fracture or something. I need to stay off of them until they're fully healed and then gradually get back into it. Partly I'm having a tough time fully resting my legs and partly I'm having a tough time gradually getting back into things when they do heal up - it's so easy to eagerly jump back into everything I was doing before all this when my legs start feeling better.

I've canceled all up coming referee events...I don't need to run, I don't even need to walk around a lot. I just need to rest - which is extremely "painful". Lord Jesus help me.

Refereeing my old team - HFC

2009-03-08T03:24:00.000-07:00

Some of the worst experiences I've had as a referee are when I'm invested somehow in the team(s) I'm refereeing. It becomes extremely difficult to be objective, to leave the emotions out, to not be biased. You either favor the other team too much or don't favor the team you have some connection with too little. Thus was the scenario yesterday in what's more than likely going to be my last game as a referee down here in Mexico.

I should have known it was going to be trouble when I refereed my old team, HFC, for when I played with them we were pretty bad - always yelling at the referees, getting cards left and right, mostly out of frustration b/c the team is ok, but our fitness was always poor so we could never finish a game.

With all the connections, all the emotions, not wanting to favor my old team, I did make a few mistakes, as always. The first came when an indirect free kick was taken by the opposing team. A player stepped on the ball, but this is not a touch, then his teammate proceeded to kick the ball directly into the net. No goal b/c it was an indirect free kick, however, I had them take the kick over (no one seemed to mind, even though this was incorrect, but later on I remembered - the correct call is a goal kick for the defending team). My bad.

The next mistake came when I gave a penalty for the opposing team, again emotions got involved. The opposing team tried to get an earlier pk b/c they were down 1-0, but I knew there was very little contact and the player took a dive, but this one there was more contact, but it ended up being a fair challenge by the defender (shoulder to shoulder). I hate how much a player's scream and plea for a foul affects me sometimes. Why I can't remember they're all liars is beyond me...they will do and try anything and everything to win. Anyway, I didn't give any type of card b/c I knew it was a weak pk and probably not a call I should have made. In fact, I should have checked with my AR, who had a better view of it all, before awarding anything. Even after I made the call I could have checked with him to make sure we were doing the right thing.

As for the rest of the game, little things here and there, perhaps I wasn't stern enough with cautions and ejections. Perhaps I let too much go for such a low division. Maybe I shouldn't have ejected a substitute for the opposing team who apparently was saying all sorts of offensive things, although I'm ok with this, what I'm not ok with is this person's attitude afterward...they wouldn't leave! Not only would they not leave the premises, they kept talking and I had to ask repeatedly for them to leave. B/c my old team was losing, I didn't want to waste too much time on this, so I let it go, but man did this deliberate act of defiance bug me. Like I'm dealing with little kids or something and not grown "men".

To make matters worse, I had a teenager who apparently missed two obvious offside calls. From previous games, I've seen him not paying attention and thus miss some important calls. Well, it may have happened again. This doesn't help when, as a referee you must trust your AR, unless you are able to see something different, but with offside, there's no way I can be in position for that and see everything else. I knew if I were to overrule him it would only be out of complete trust that my old team was telling me the truth, but that's only going to cause bigger problems for me. Anyway, my team went down via these "missed" calls and then it got very physical and they lost all sense of self-control and became extremely frustrated. I had to dish out some cautions right away to keep things under control, but it didn't do much good. Once a team loses confidence in a refereeing crew it's pretty much down hill from there.

What I've learned:
Don't referee teams you're emotionally invested in
Hand pick your refereeing crew when at all possible - it's so important to trust one another.
Communicate - part of the reason I didn't ask my AR his thoughts is b/c I speak very little Spanish, but I still could have made it work.
Cautions - Work on knowing when they're needed. I think I missed a few opportunities to give out cautions on goal-scoring opportunities and tactical fouls and things like that. If I miss one, it's going to cause problems if I try and give one out later for a similar foul. Players pick up on referee inconsistencies in a heart beat.

Studs Up

2009-03-05T18:07:00.000-08:00

Question: Studs up (cleats showing)

Could you point me to where it explains this type of foul or dangerous play? I've seen a lot of this type of thing lately and everyone seems to have a different opinion about it. Is it always at the least a dangerous play if the studs are showing?

For instance, if the studs are showing and the player goes above the ball and into the other players shin, will this result in serious foul play (a red card), or not always? Or a player that makes a tackle with cleat showing, but gets all ball first, is this still considered a dangerous play?

What if a player comes in studs up to a ball that is about waist height right in between him and an oncoming opposing player. Is this considered dangerous play or only if the other player makes an attempt at the ball as well at the same time?

Thanks for the clarification.

Answer
John,
This is tradition and common practice we are talking about here. There is no possible way to make every tackle without the studs showing. What the referee looks for is the player using the studs either to harm or to threaten or intimidate an opponent. The rest of it is in the opinion of the referee. (I couldn't possibly cover all eventualities without seeing particular examples from close range; i. e., right there on the field of play.)

Hope your reassimilation into U. S. soccer is going well.

Jim Allen

USSF Badges for National Grade Referees (4&3)

2009-02-28T18:46:00.000-08:00

Instead of the standard black USSF Badges for all of us not having a grade 1 or 2 FIFA Badge, the following has taken place:

"Effective this year, those National Referees working professional games as referee or assistant referee have been given new red and yellow badges. These badges are to be worn only when they are working MLS, WPS, and USL 1 and 2 games. The different colors have no significance other than to complement whichever uniform the referee team wears."
Ask a Referee Answer

Offside - Placement of ball on restart

2009-02-28T18:15:00.000-08:00

Law 10 states “In the event of an offside offence, the referee awards an indirect free kick to the opposing team to be taken from the place where the infringement occurred (see Law 13 – Position of Free Kick).”

Advice to Referee’s (section 11.13) says the restart should be where the offside player was when his teammate played the ball. The kick should not be taken from the position of the second to last defender.

This is very interesting to me b/c the placement of the ball is almost always placed where the second to last defender is located, not where the player in an offside position was located at the time his teammate played the ball to him. However, the two are usually very close to one another and thus it looks like ARs are doing it correctly, but this is news to me.

FIFA Laws of the Game - Additional Instructions

2008-12-15T17:15:00.000-08:00

http://socref.net/docs/FIFA%20LOTG2007_e_AddInstructionsOnly.pdf

Great info on all the proper positioning for referee and assistant referees for various scenarios (goal kick, penalty kick, free kick, corner kick, etc.).

Interesting offside decision - page 46
(player in an offside position and a teammate in an onside position run for the same ball...but the player in an offside position never touches the ball so there is no offside)

p. 63 - restarts
p. 65 - Denying an obvious goal scoring opportunity (this can be true even for an indirect free kick offense)
p. 66 - A free kick may be taken by lifting the ball (scooping the ball up) with one or both feet simultaneously.
p. 66 - If the referee forgets to put his hand up for the taking of an indirect free kick and the ball is kicked directly into the net, the kick shall be retaken, this time with the referees hand up.
p.66 - If the defending team has a free kick inside their own penalty area and they decide to take a quick restart and thus the opponents don't have time to leave the penalty area, play shall be allowed to continue (the law states all opponents need to be outside the penalty area in these types of kicks - this is similar to a goal kick)
p. 69 - Throw-in (ball hits the ground before entering the field of play - retake)
p. 69 - Throw-in (player within 2 meters of throw-in - warning first before the throw-in is taken)

Goalkeeper Sent-Off - Substitution Procedure

2008-12-15T14:57:00.000-08:00

Question: Goalkeeper Sent-Off : Procedure

We know from Law 3 - The Number of Players that a team may play with
as few as 7 and as many as 11 players, "one of whom is the
goalkeeper". Thus, when a goalkeeper is sent-off, another player or
named substitute must replace them. However, if it is a named
substitute (perhaps a team has a backup goalkeeper), does this count
as one of the three substitutions allowed for most international
games, and who determines which player goes off in addition to the
goalkeeper to lower the teams number of players by 1? The coach? Any
player may choose to leave?
I thought it'd be under Law 3 or 12 in the Advice to the Referees on
the Laws of the Game, but I couldn't find it there either. Thanks again.

Answer: It's not there, John, because "everyone knows" this.

We as referees don't care who goes off to make way for the new goalkeeper. As you know, a player sent off may not be replaced, but the team may substitute a new goalkeeper for another field player or, as you suggest, one of the field players may become the new goalkeeper. And yes, the new goalkeeper coming in to replace someone else definitely would count as one of the allowed number of subs.

Jim Allen

Free kicks inside the goal area

2008-12-12T12:10:00.000-08:00

Q. If the defending team is taking a free kick within their own goal area where does the ball need to be placed?

A. Anywhere inside the goal area (just like a goal kick)

Q. If the attacking team is taking an indirect free kick within their opponent's goal area where does the ball need to be placed?

A. The ball must be moved directly to the 6 yard line.

Q. If the defending team is taking a free kick within its own goal area or penalty area, when does the ball come into play?

A. When the ball leaves the penalty area

Q. If the attacking team received an indirect free kick within their opponent's goal area, where can the opponent be at the taking of the kick?

A. On the goal line between the goal posts (otherwise they have to be 10 yards away from the ball in all directions)

The use of offensive, or insulting or abusive language and/or gestures

2008-12-12T12:08:00.001-08:00

Law 12

The laws of the game do not specify who this needs to take place again, thus if this type of behavior (offensive, insulting, abusive language) is used toward a teammate or official or coach (etc.) the player can be sent-off.

Numbers on Jerseys

2008-12-11T12:49:00.000-08:00

Q. Are numbers required on jerseys?
A. No.

This was interesting to me b/c even though the official FIFA Laws of the Game don't state anything about numbers being required, I do believe almost any league or competition does require them. In fact, no two players can have the same number, and those not having a number on the back of their jersey use tape to create a number.

Tricky.

Law of the Game Quizzes - To help prepare for recertifications

2008-12-11T12:47:00.001-08:00

http://gdsra.com.au/lawsquiz.htm
http://www.funtrivia.com/quizzes/sports/soccer/laws_of_the_game.html

Members of the FIFA Referees' Committee

2008-12-10T17:38:00.000-08:00

http://www.fifa.com/aboutfifa/federation/bodies/committee=1882029.html

From the CONCACAF:

Lisle Austin - Barbados
Jose Carlos Ortiz - El Salvador
Ted Howard - USA

2008 FIFA Club World Cup in Japan

2008-12-10T17:33:00.000-08:00

http://www.fifa.com/clubworldcup/referees/index.html

CONCACAF Referees:

Mexico - Benito Archundia (R)
Mexico - Hector Delgadillo (AR)
Mexico - Marvin Rivera (AR)

2010 World Cup - CONCACAF Referees

2008-12-10T17:00:00.001-08:00

2010 World Cup Referee List:

El Salvador - Joel Aguilar
Guatemala - Carlos Batres
USA - Jair Marrufo
Mexico - Benito Archundia
Mexico - Marco Rodriguez

FIFA Referees Around the World (Men's)

2008-12-10T16:28:00.000-08:00

http://www.fifa.com/aboutfifa/developing/refereeing/men.html

The number of Men's FIFA Referees (Referees and Assistant Referees) in the world (207 Countries):
2122

(Countries with 15+ referees: Argentina, Brazil, Italy, Spain, Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Denmark, Hungary, Iran, Norway, Romania, Saudi Arabia, Sweden, Australia, Belgium, China PR, Czech Republic, England, France, Germany, Greece, Korea Republic, Mexico, Netherlands, Poland, Russia, Scotland, Slovakia, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, USA)

The number of Men's FIFA Referees in the CONCACAF Region (35 Countries):
245

USA-17
Mexico-18
Honduras-11
Costa Rica-13
Cuba-8
Trinidad Tobago-11
Canada-8
Jamaica-13
Panama-10
Barbados-8
Haiti-6
Guatemala-12
El Salvador-10
Guyana-9
St. Vincent and the Grenadines-6
Bermuda-0
Suriname-8
Antigua and Barbuda-4
Grenada-5
Puerto Rico-4
Netherlands Antilles-4
St. Kitts and Nevis-4
Cayman Islands-5
Turks and Caicos Islands-1
Bahamas-3
St. Lucia-8
Belize-6
British Virgin Islands-0
Dominican Republic-10
Nicaragua-11
Dominica-6
Aruba-3
US Virgin Islands-3
Anguilla-0
Montseratt-0
(No Referees - Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Anguilla, Montseratt)
(Biggest surprise - Dominican Republic and Nicaragua - 10 and 11 respectively!)

Number of Men's FIFA Referees in the USA:
17

World Cup - The Process of Getting There as a Referee

2008-12-10T16:00:00.000-08:00

With the 2010 World Cup in South Africa quickly approaching, let's take a look at the process referees take in making it to the "main event".

http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/news/newsid=892530.html#referees+gear+fifa+world+cup

Being invited to the World Cup is dealt with by the FIFA Referees' Committee. According to the article, the process takes place in early 2007 (similar to what players and coaches must go through...3 long years!). Obviously the first step to making it to the World Cup is becoming a FIFA Referee in your given country. After this, it appears FIFA Referees have to go international at some point. Then, based on quality performances in big competitions in your given region of the world, the top 53 FIFA Referees from around the world take part in a week long training session. The conclusion of this event is the picking of the 38 top referees who will be invited to take part in the 2010 World Cup.

2007 - Process begins
Sep 22-26, 2008 - Elite Referee Seminar to determine final listing
October 22, 2008 - List of 38 referees to take part in the World Cup is finalized by the FIFA Referees' Committee

With 6 Regions in the World, that leaves only about 6 referees per region (and with some regions receiving more importance than others, your region may only have a couple referees selected). In fact, here is the breakdown of the number of referees selected per region and their names:
http://www.fifa.com/mm/document/tournament/competition/92/29/78/candidaterefereesrapfwc2010_22oct2008.pdf
AFC - 5
CAF - 5
CONCACAF - 5
CONMEBOL - 7
OFC - 2
UEFA - 14
(Jair Marrufo, FIFA Referee from the USA, made the list at the age of 31!)
(The rest of the CONCACAF referees were comprised of 2 from Mexico, 1 from El Salvador and 1 from Guatemala)

An overview of what takes place during the week long seminar:
"The content of the week-long course was divided between academic and practical training. On Tuesday, the group took to the pitch in glorious sunshine at the Home of FIFA to carry out fitness training comprising various coordination, concentration and mobility exercises. Wednesday began with weight checks followed by another training session on the pitch with the focus on energy performance management. To finish off the day, the participants went into the auditorium to study videos, analysing and taking decisions on various match situations.

Thursday was devoted to fitness tests while on Friday, to round the week off, the referees were given a written test on the Laws of the Game as well as an oral English language test."

FIFA Referees' Committee is chaired by FIFA Vice-President Ángel María Villar Llona.

The History of Soccer Referees

2008-12-10T15:49:00.001-08:00

http://www.gdsra.com.au/history.htm

History of the Referee
The early years - no referees (just like a pickup game today)...it was a gentlemen's game
By 1872 there were two officials - one appointed by each team
-These referees could not interfere with the game, but instead, players could appeal to them
1873 - Power to call free kicks for handball
1874 - Additional power given, including sending off a player for persistent infringement of the rules
1880 - The first mention of a single referee (since inevitably the two referees found issues they could not agree upon)
1891/92 - Referee finally given similar powers he has today (and finally allowed onto the field!). The two umpires now played the role as linesmen (or as it has been stated since 1996 for politically correct reasons - "assistant referees")

History of the Field Markings

They evolved in Britain between 1863-1902

1863 - No lines, just flags to distinguish the corners of the pitch (up to 200 yards long and 100 yards wide - a huge field!), with goal posts set 8 yards apart (the exact same measurement as we have today).
http://gdsra.com.au/pitch1863.gif

1891 - Much closer to what we have today - goal lines, touch lines, center circle, a 12 yard line, a goalkeeper's area, and a penalty area (18 yards out, but a line that reached from touch line to touch line)...the Irish Football Association suggested the idea of a penalty kick in 1890.
http://gdsra.com.au/pitch1891.gif

1902 - The field markings as we know them today, except the penalty arc.
http://gdsra.com.au/pitch1902.gif

1937 - The penalty arc is added to the field. This addition was influenced by other European Associations, thus this was the only part of the modern field not introduced by Great Britain.

History of the Goal Post
http://gdsra.com.au/history_of_goalposts.htm
Goal posts as the world knows them today were originally designed in Britain.

Size

In 1863 the English Football Association decreed that the posts should be 8 yards apart (7.32m), a measurement which has never altered since. Because players often argued whether the ball had gone between the posts (for a goal) or above (no goal), tape was then used to join the tops of the posts (1865).

In 1866 the English Football Association decreed that "The goals shall be upright posts, eight yards apart, with a tape across them, eight feet from the ground".

In 1875 the wooden crossbar started to replace the tape, at a height of 8 feet (2.44m) above the ground.

That is how the dimensions of the goals we know today have evolved. But the shape of the posts and crossbar was another matter.

Shape

Round or square-shaped goals were the most common until, in 1920, a Mr. J. C. Perkins of the Standard Goals company in Nottingham, England, invented the much stronger elliptical shape. Nottingham Forest was the first club in the world to try them. Many Scottish clubs stayed with their square designs for many years, but elliptical posts and bars are now the favourite around the world. Though they too can still break.

Material

Until the 1980s, most goals were made from wood. Douglas Fir was often the preferred choice of wood. In recent years, however, much lighter aluminium or steel goals have become more popular, especially with ground staff because maintenance is now a lot easier.

History of Goal Nets
http://gdsra.com.au/history_of_goal_nets.htm
A Liverpool engineer, John Alexander Brodie, decided to design 'a huge pocket' for the goal.

The world's first footballer ever to 'put the ball in back of the net' was Geary of Everton, at a trial game in Nottingham, England, in January 1891. The referee that day, incidentally, was Sam Widdowson, the man who invented shin pads. The first Cup Final to use nets was played at the Oval in 1892 between West Bromwich Albion and the Villa. Even in the modern Laws, nets are still not a compulsory item, but are mentioned as a necessity in nearly all competition rules.

History of the Whistle
http://gdsra.com.au/history_of_the_whistle.htm
1860/70s: A toolmaker in England, called Joseph Hudson, converted his humble washroom at St. Marks Square in Birmingham, which he rented for 1s. 6d. (one shilling and six pence per week) into a whistle making workshop.

1878: It was generally written that the first football match to be officiated with a whistle was held in 1878 at the English Football Association Cup 2nd Round game between Nottingham Forest (2) v Sheffield (0). This was probably the 'Acme City' brass whistle, originally made by Joseph Hudson around the year 1875. Before that, signals where communicated by the umpires to the players by waving a handkerchief, a stick or by shouting.

In 1878, football matches were still officiated by two umpires who patrolled inside the field of play. The Referee of those days, took a subservient role on the touchline, and was only used as a mediator if the two umpires were unable to reach a decision. It would therefore have been most unlikely for the Referee of 1878 to require a whistle for his 'referring' role. The two umpires would have been the whistle blowers in these games.

Centro Bancario - Nov 29, 2008

2008-11-29T15:41:00.000-08:00

R - Very difficult. Players, on bad teams that are losing, say all sorts of terrible things to my face. The problem? I don't know what they're saying. Yes, I know some Spanish, but not street/slang Spanish. Partly, I'm thankful I can't understand what they're saying, yet at the same time I know I could "nip it in the butt" right away if I did catch it all. This is the big difference in refereeing here in Mexico vs refereeing back in the USA. And when some players find out I won't speak back to them and answer their complaining, they assume I don't know any Spanish and use it to spout all sorts of rude and crude things at me, as if I'm a bad referee b/c I can't speak fluent Spanish, or as if I'm stupid b/c I don't speak. It's so frustrating. But God knows. I trust in the hope that God knows all. He knows how serious I take my position as a referee. He knows how much I know the laws of the game inside and out. He knows I referee in a fair and just manner, with plenty of love and grace in there as well. God knows I'm not biased, he knows I don't take sides, I don't have favorites, and I'm trying week in and week out to not have my emotions get in the way of good sound judgment, to not get caught up in the emotions of the players and begin speaking too much or getting heated by all the outrageous behaviors of some of the players. God knows. And the honest players, as few as they are, they too know I do my best to make the game as fair and enjoyable for everyone.

AR - Simple. Annoying comments directed at me from a few players from time to time about not knowing the laws or not truly understanding Law 11 (Offside) or accusing me of daydreaming and not watching the game. Whatever. Once again, God knows. God knows I'm in the zone during the game, that I'm extremely focused at the task at hand and would never "give a call" to one team or the other b/c I was angry at a player for yelling at me or getting on my case.

Today, in my first game (R), the weaker of the two teams, that was losing, realized I didn't understand everything they were saying and they realized I wasn't going to get caught up in speaking to them, so they tried to exploit this issue by not only saying all sorts of things under their breath, straight to my face, but then they began claiming the other team was distracting them by yelling "yo voy", which means "I go"...something that's very debatable and left to the opinion of the referee whether or not they think it is being used in a distracting and unfair way and thus an interference and basically misconduct...an indirect free kick to the opposing team. Well, not only did I not hear this "yo voy", I could care less. It was doing no harm to the game. The only reason they were wanting this call was b/c they were losing, and they wanted to frustrate me and make it appear as if I wasn't controlling the game, as if I was a joke of a referee, as if I couldn't referee in this league b/c I couldn't hear and didn't understand the "importance" of a player yelling "yo voy". Lame. Once again, God knows the truth. He knows that the player complaining to me could care less about this call being made, and that the player was only trying to find something to bitch about. Grow up! To think these were grown men! This just showed me once again that sinful people will find any little thing to exploit to get their way - to win. Sports - bringing out the best and the worst in people...more times than not it brings out the worst.

Pathetic...the worst teams, the worst players are always the loudest. I'm sure the team this morning thought they could have won if I hadn't missed the "yo voy". Haha...they make me laugh. What a joke. I'll just keep my eyes on the goal - becoming a professional referee - and roll with the punches. God have mercy on us all.

Week in Review 34

2008-11-24T11:18:00.000-08:00

Offside

“Interfering with an opponent” is defined as:

“preventing an opponent from playing or being able to play the ball by clearly obstructing the opponent’s line of vision or movements or making a gesture or movement which, in the opinion of the referee, deceives or distracts an opponent.”

Semi-final game between Chicago and Columbus. Chicago shot on goal, Chicago player standing in an offside position at the time of the shot, ball goes right by this player, who has his hands behind his back and is standing still in an attempt to show he is not active in the play, yet b/c he is standing directly in front of the Columbus keeper, he is "interfering with an opponent" (interfering with the sight of the goalie and thus gaining an advantage by being in that position) and is active and would be called offside if this was the opinion of the referee.

Clip 2 - Tactical foul
This same play took place when I was an AR in a junior college game. I knew it was a tactical foul, should have been booked, but the R did not agree. Oh well. Glad to see I'm supported by the USSF.

What do you know - Cooper and Adu score for USA!

2008-11-20T05:51:00.000-08:00

Kenny Cooper and Freddy Adu can and will score tons more goals for the USA Men's National Soccer Team. With so many quality youth players coming up, there is going to be some intense battles for a spot in the starting 11, which can only produce better and better players and results in the future. Bring on the final 6! Finally, 2 more historical match-ups with neighboring rivals - Mexico!

It's gonna be sweet!

Predictions:

Trinidad & Tobago - Too old, not enough quality to get to South Africa.

El Salvador - Having come all the way from the very first match-ups in the CONCACAF Qualifiers, it's been a long road, but it's been a fortunate road as well - being placed in easily the weakest group, getting beat 3-1 to Costa Rica at home...not a good sign for times to come. They're out.

Costa Rica - Always a solid competitor, but I see them coming in fourth overall in this last group of 6. Never really tested thus far in the qualifiers, it's going to be a rude awakening when these final games start up, unless they match up early with El Salvador, a team they've already dominated.

Mexico, Honduras, USA - Definitely my top 3 to advance to South Africa 2010, but the order they will finish is anyone's guess. Too tight to call. You could say Mexico will be filled with more reason to get back at both Honduras, who recently just beat them at home and putting them ahead of Mexico in their group, and the USA who has recently dominated Mexico. So, perhaps Mexico gets revenge on all and end up on top. But I still think the USA will top them all. -_- Too much youth and veteran experience. One could say Mexico has even more youth and veteran talent and experience, but in group play it really didn't show...tying Canada and then losing to both Jamaica and Honduras (ok, so all those games were on the road, but still).

Becoming an MLS Referee, FIFA Fitness Test

2008-11-17T16:47:00.000-08:00

From the bottom up - starting off at Grade 8, working your way up to Grade 3/4 as a National Grade Referee.

All referees in MLS are National Referees of the United States Soccer Federation or Canadian International match officials. To become a US National Referee, it usually takes a minimum of officiating for seven years in over 500 games to reach the National Level. Both US Soccer and Canadian officials attend an annual testing session conducted by U.S Soccer in January. At this time, they go through a very intense training session. The referees arrive at camp on Thursday afternoon. The Cooper Physical Fitness test, including a series of 50 and 200 yard sprints, is the first thing on the agenda Friday morning. All National Referees MUST pass this test to be able to perform any duties in MLS (e.g., Referee, Assistant Referee or 4th Official).
http://web.mlsnet.com/about/league.jsp?section=referees&content=evaluation

New FIFA fitness test:
The FIFA test is given to all current FIFA personnel and those that are eligible. It is given in two stages, one for the referees and one for the assistants. The test is a series of six sprints by 40 meters to be done at a specified time. For referees it is 6.2 seconds and for assistant referees, it is 6.0 seconds. The second test is a series of interval sprints - 150 meters to be run in 30-35 seconds, with a 50 meter recovery. The assistants run the same test, but their time is 30-40 seconds with the same recovery time. In both cases, they must complete 10 laps. Also new to the referee program in 2007, is that, U.S. Soccer has employed four full-time referees. These individuals will do nothing but referee, train individually, attend training sessions with U.S. Soccer staff and devote most of their time studying the game.
http://web.mlsnet.com/about/league.jsp?section=referees&content=evaluation

Week in Review - Week 32

2008-11-17T13:10:00.001-08:00

Handling the ball

Brian Hall, a well respected FIFA Referee in the 90s, talks about the importance of asking yourself, as the referee or assistant referee, who played the ball last? If the opponent played the ball and it strikes the arm, away from the body, in an attempt to take away a passing lane for the attacking team, that is a hand ball. However, if the ball is first stopped by the defenders chest, head, knee, etc., and then happens to hit his/her arm (without it being deliberate, without the arm intentionally striking the ball) it is not seen as a hand ball.

Ok, maybe the ball off the head or chest that skims or little grazes off the arm, but what about the poor touch that hits the arm and falls at the players feet? Without the hand ball, the ball would get away from the player. It's up to them to take a better touch. I think it's still situational. Was it a freak thing or was it a poor touch, cleaned up by the handling of the ball.

Again, situational - with the Chicago vs NE game, it's actually to the advantage of NE that the ball awkwardly goes off the defenders arm. The ball was up in the air for quite a while, no NE players are anywhere around the ball, the player heads the ball, trying to clear it, and the header goes down instead of up and off his arm, but straight to a NE player who has a decent goal scoring opportunity. No reason whatsoever to make a call. It would be a gift for NE and a stab in the back for Chicago. Play on! -_-

R-Ricardo Salazar in the Chivas vs Real Salt Lake game was right there to see a foul, but b/c of his poor angle (directly behind the play and not off to the side) he basically took a guess and felt the player dove over the defender's tackle, yet the replay clearly shows the defender arrived late, missed the ball, and took away the attacker's space and thus carelessly fouled (tripped) him. Possible caution, goal scoring opportunity (tactical foul), yet a no call causes tempers to flare, and rightfully so.

Kicks from the Mark - Penalty Shoot Out - Pks

(2004 Position Paper written on 'kicks from the mark')
-Coin toss - The team that wins the coin toss determines who will kick first.
-Only the players on the field at the end of the game (end of all extra time) can take place in the kicks from the mark. Only an injured goalkeeper may be substituted for, granted the team has a sub to spare, during the kicks from the mark.
-Referee determines which goal will be used (take into consideration which fans are behind the goals, if they will be a problem, perhaps a televised game needs to be on a specific side)
-All players on the pitch must remain inside the center circle. No one else is allowed onto the field.
-"Reduce to Equate", both teams must have the same number of players involved in a shoot out (thus if one team is down to 9 players, the other team's captain must pick out the players who will not take part in the kicks from the mark to get his team down to 9 players as well)...if players drop off during the kicks from the mark, the other team does not need to lower their numbers anymore. A team can continue to participate from kicks from the mark even with less than 7 players, in fact, a team only needs 1 player (who acts as keeper and kicker).
-No one player may take a second penalty kick until the entire team, including the keeper, have taken a kick. The same order does not need to be used the second time around. I believe if their is an infringement during the kick and the kick must be taken over, the same player does not need to take the kick.

Dealing with Dissent - Racial Comments

2008-11-09T04:19:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, Saturday November 8th, 2008 was a tough one out at the Bank League where I referee. 3rd game of the day, all had gone really smoothly, even in this last game things were going well until about 15 minutes left in the game.

Problem - I don't believe any of the players when they go down for an "injury". I'm probably right about 90% of the time, but that 10% that I'm wrong and I don't address the player is what causes issues. Case in point, yesterday a player really did get cleat marks all up and down his leg and yet I gave a foul but no caution for a reckless tackle. Thus, the other players on his team got all up in my face and I had to caution one of them for dissent. He said something about how I was an American and probably that I was terrible or something as a referee. One call. It's crazy. Later I cautioned another player who showed dissent...not sure what he said, but based on his body language and a few choice words that I did understand, it wasn't pretty. Maybe a caution wasn't enough. And yet another player from the same team walked by me and subtly said a few unkind words under his breath. Lovely. Just another day out on the field. God have mercy on all of us.

I was thankful thought that God set up a really cool moment after the game where I met up with the player who truly had been injured and I was able to apologize to him for making a mistake. He seemed grateful for my act of humility, but who knows. It's not important. I'm just glad I did what was right - show some humility, admit my wrongs, and learn from them...keep in mind that as much as I have to portray I know everything when refereeing a game, I don't. It's a challenging balance. I just keep praying God will help me find that balance and continue to improve as a referee, always being alert and prepared for what may happen on the pitch.

ICB 8v8 Coed League - Quarterfinals

2008-11-05T16:33:00.000-08:00

I feel the need to reflect on a few things I saw today.

1. 8v8 league that has the offside law with only 1 referee per field, thus I make a strong effort to catch the offside calls and in doing so I am too far away from the play at times and I do miss things, I realize that.

2. Foul in the penalty area - first of all there are no lines for the penalty area so it is completely within reason (in the opinion of the referee). Second, here's the situation: two players challenging for the ball, one player overpowers the other and gets positioning in front of the other. Meanwhile, the other plows through the other to get to the ball. Thus, a tackle from behind, making contact with the player before getting to the ball. Foul, in the area, kick from the mark, end of story. Then someone says the other player pushed his player to get that positioning...maybe, but I don't buy it and didn't see it. Even if I saw the "push" I probably wouldn't have thought it was a push, but more shoulder to shoulder.

3. Dissent, sarcastic remarks...I cautioned. It put my authority and reasoning and foul calling into question.

4. Player gets past the second to last defender, defender holds the player, but the player breaks free of the hold and is off, one-on-one, with the goalie. The player had plenty of time to collect himself and get a good shot on goal. I gave the advantage and he ended up missing the shot. He claimed it was b/c he didn't have enough time to collect himself and his footing, but again, in my opinion he had plenty of time and the reason he missed is b/c the field is bumpy and the ball jumped up on him right before he shot. So, no foul called, advantage given, shot missed. Do I still issue a caution for holding the player? It's a weird play b/c if I call the foul right away I only give a free kick (not in the penalty area yet), but close enough that I would give the opponent a red card for DOGSO. Any thoughts?

5. Opponent doesn't agree with a foul I've called on him, so he stands right in front of the free kick, in which the attacking player gets frustrated and kicks the ball straight into the player. I caution the opponent for not respecting the distance at a free kick, but then maybe I should have cautioned the attacker for unsporting behavior for trying to hit the player.

No Emotions - Work on for next week

2008-11-04T09:32:00.000-08:00

A word here and there, but nothing more, especially don't show any emotions...only gets players worked up and makes them talk even more.

Use the whistle, hand signals, and body language, cautions/send offs, and no more.

Write how things go this weekend:

Things went well - During my first game of the day, Referee, I tried extra hard to run that much more to get in better positions to see the entire play so that I wouldn't have to explain things or allow players to get frustrated b/c they feel I'm out of position. Then I was an AR and that's much easier than refereeing. My last game of the day I refereed another game and due to it being a long day and me being a bit tired of all the complaining and crying, the last 15 minutes of the game I lost my cool and showed some emotions...once again, I wish I hadn't.

For next week - concentrate that much harder on those last games of the day, the last half, the very end of the game - work on keeping the emotions in check.

Careless, Reckless, Excessive Force - Differences

2008-11-04T09:23:00.000-08:00

Careless - typical foul. Arrive late, but no intent to hurt the player or danger their safety or use of excessive force. No caution.

Reckless - a bit more force, no concern for the players safety...hard foul, bad foul, but missing excessive force. Cautionable offense.

Excessive Force - Reckless tackle that uses an excessive amount of force to really try and hurt or even injury the player. Sending off offense.

Meeting yet another FIFA Referee from Mexico

2008-11-01T17:11:00.001-07:00

Got a chance to meet Paul Delgadillo (full name - Paul Enrique Delgadillo Haro), a FIFA Referee from Mexico. Paul referees in the 1st Division here in Mexico, and just this past Sunday he refereed the biggest game that takes place all year in the Mexican league - El Clasico entre Chivas (Guadalajara) y America (Mexico City).

Jefe de los Arbitros - Centro Bancario

2008-11-01T16:56:00.000-07:00

Silverio Gomez, jefe de los arbitros, and I on November 1, 2008.

The first year and a half I was in Mexico I played on a team in a Men's League - Centro Bancario Liga de Futbol. The next year I spent in CA after being deported, and the final year and a half of my time here in Mexico has and will continue to be spent refereeing in this league. There are four divisions - Primera Especial, Primera Fuerza, Segunda Fuerza, y Veteranos. They have four very nice fields here at the club, but as the soccer season progresses, the fields start getting pretty beat up.

"Juan the Mexican" - Refereeing in Mexico

2008-10-28T09:05:00.000-07:00

Finally found the one store in all of Guadalajara that sells refereeing gear. I'm officially a Mexican Official. -_-

Referee Week in Review - Week 30

2008-10-28T07:28:00.000-07:00

Dissent - When dealing with player dissent via word or action, don't put up with it. Caution the player immediately and in a strong and authoritative manner. It gives out a clear message that that type of behavior will not be dealt with.

Advantage:

Referees must be able to determine if an advantage exists. In “Week In Review 5,” (click on this link to access) the “4 P Principle” of Advantage Application was introduced to help referees identify solid candidates for taking a risk and applying advantage:

* Possession of ball: control by team or player.
* Potential for attack: ability to continue a credible and dangerous attack.
* Personnel: skill of attackers, numerical advantage.
* Proximity to opponent’s goal: closeness to goal.

Showing Dissent via actions, words, gestures

2008-10-28T07:06:00.000-07:00

Especially here in Mexico, with Spanish being spoken and lots and lots of slang being used that I don't understand, it is crucial for me to base my actions on gestures and body language as well as the words being used. I've asked my assistant referees to help me in knowing when players have crossed the line and are attacking me verbally, although, looking back, it's pretty obvious b/c with verbal attacks come specific body language.

I should have cautioned #8 of a specific team this past weekend after he chewed me out for not making what he deemed to be an obvious dangerous play (cleats up) tackle.

How to deal with injuries

2008-10-28T06:24:00.001-07:00

If, in the opinion of the referee, the injury is not serious, play continues. If the player is still on the ground and the players decide to kick the ball out of play, do not allow medical personnel to come onto the field, tell the player to get up, and demand play continue.

If, in the opinion of the referee, the injury is serious, stop play. Have medical personnel come onto the field to address the player, either on or off the field (to keep the game going). Because the game was stopped for the player, the player must leave the field of play and return with the referee's permission after play has restarted.

If the player received medical treatment after a normal stoppage in play, they must still leave the field and only re-enter after the restart of play and after given permission by the referee.

The only time the player may leave the field, receive treatment and re-enter the field without the game restarting is if the player left the field (with the referee's permission) after a normal stoppage of play and the restart has not taken place yet.

So, anytime a coach (youth) or medical personnel (higher levels) comes out on the field, the player must leave and only re-enter with the referees permission after the restart. Also, if the ball is in play, the player may only enter across the touchlines, if the game was restarted and is out of play again, at which time the player wishes to re-enter, they may do so across any line - goal line or touch line.

Caution a player for faking the seriousness of an injury.

Things to Work on - Delay of Game Tactics

2008-10-26T21:05:00.000-07:00

Tactical fouls - Be able to pick out actual tactical fouls that deliberately slow down the counter attack opportunity for a team (goal scoring opportunity) and when there's simply a regular foul in the run of play. Caution the tactical fouls.

Delay of Game Tactics - Especially here in Mexico, this is a huge issue. When a team goes up, especially if they're not the better team and they want to try and win 1-0 or 2-1, constant use of trying to delay the game is at use. This includes: more time in throw-ins, goal kicks, free kicks, (any stoppage of play), faking injuries, asking for the medical personnel to come onto the field, etc. Next week I will make it clear to the "doctors" to not enter the field unless I signal them on. Otherwise, they run on every time someone goes on the ground. 90% of the time the player doesn't need anything.

Disrespect, inappropriate behavior after I've made a call - caution right away - don't put up with it. For instance, this past week I should have cautioned a player right away after he disputed my no call on what he deemed was cleats up and straight into his teammates ankle.

Diving, faking, trying to win calls - happens all the time here. Don't believe anyone. Only go off of what I see, hear, and feedback from assistants, thus work extremely hard to get the best angle (position) possible.

Look carefully at the feet...that's where almost all the ticky tack fouls take place. Also, after the game, back off, observe and make sure I see any violent conduct like took place after my last game (player punched the keeper in the face, and much more).

The Challenges of Refereeing in Mexico

2008-10-24T13:15:00.001-07:00

Refereeing is a humbling profession with little to no praise from anyone for a job well done. It takes a tremendous effort on the entire officiating crews behalf to turn out a solid performance. Clear and simple communication is vital between all team members (referee and his assistants) to do a quality job. Think of the complications when their is a language barrier. Yes, thankfully futbol is a game without limitations, crossing over any nation border or cultural differences, with international rules and specific hand signals for most everything, but speaking in the language of the players is a special bonus in keeping the game under control.

My biggest challenge - how to keep control when I'm younger than the players I referee, I'm an American visitor in the heart of Mexico, and I'm definitely not fluent in Spanish.

Refereeing futbol comes down to one or two huge calls that dictate whether or not you did a good job, a decent job, or a terrible job, based on how you interpret and make those calls. For instance, one of my centering jobs last week involved 2 younger ARs that I don't trust at all. There have been times I've looked over at one of these ARs in the past to see if he saw an offside call, only to find him way behind the play, not realizing play had even begun yet. Thus, the game this past weekend was a challenge. These two were giving me terrible signals, using their free hand all the time to indicate play on when they should only use their flag to indicate anything. On a penalty kick I gave, I received no help from my AR, who had the better view (the players backs were to me), and I think I may have made the wrong call in the end. It was a poor performance overall, one I'm dying to improve upon.

How can I improve? Talking - if there is inappropriate, offensive, abusive, vulgar things being said on the field I'm more than likely not going to pick up on it b/c it's in Spanish, and even if I know what they're saying, I'm not listening close enough to pick it all up neither do the words have the same effect when spoken in English. Thus, if the ARs want me to caution players or send them off for language, that's up to them. I'm not going to do anything unless it's really bad and right in my face.

Running - get out wider, trust the ARs and look to the ARs for the offside call. However, realize their usually young and inexperienced and may make a mistake...be prepared to correct their mistakes. Work that much harder to get the best angle possible to see everything b/c my ARs probably won't help me out or it will be difficult to communicate with them to figure out what happened.

In the USA it was helpful to be able to say the right thing at the right time to resolve issues players may of had, but here in Mexico it is difficult b/c they just ramble off a bunch of stuff and I can't explain to them what took place or what I was thinking, I just have to trust I did what I needed to do and move on.

Oh, and don't believe anyone. They all lie and cheat and do anything and everything to try and win...it's all about winning. They could care less about honesty or good character...it's expected you'll try to cheat to win.

Referee Week in Review - Week 29

2008-10-23T05:36:00.000-07:00

Hand ball - Handling the ball
Law 12 - Fouls and Misconducts
"Deliberately handling the ball"

"...the idea of a defender “making himself bigger” in an attempt to take away the options of the opponent with the ball has become a significant component in defining handling."

Clip 1:As an AR, if you see a foul, before putting up your flag to call it, think of the following:
Does the referee have a clear view of the incident?
If no, then ask yourself:
Did I clearly see the infraction?
Yes - call it. Sort of...does the referee look to you for assistance having "sort of" seen something, too. No - leave the flag down.

Clip 2: Goalie using his hands to stop the ball from outside the penalty area. Correct result, direct free kick from the offense, and a red card (send-off) issued to the keeper for DOGSO (Denying an Obvious Goal Scoring Opportunity). This is exactly what happened in a game I refereed this weekend. I recognized the handling of the ball outside the penalty area and sent-off the keeper. No one agreed, but I knew it was the right call.

Refereeing crew - who is responsible? Referee needs to get in a good position to see the handling of the ball by the keeper, to see how the flight of the ball changes directions and speed. The AR needs to be in position to see whether or not the handling took place inside or outside the penalty area, although if the referee is in a good enough position he can see all of this. The AR can also see the change in speed and direction of the ball as it goes off of the keeper's hands. The big issue though is the location of the keeper. If the keeper were still in his penalty area, the play would be totally legal. But he wasn't. Both R and AR are responsible. Although, I'd say the AR is more responsible on this one.

Rare offside call:

No offside on a goal kick. I experienced this just yesterday as I was refereeing in a league at ICB. I explained to the players that there is no offside directly off of a goal kick, and I pointed them to the explanation given in Law 16 (The Goal Kick). There is no offside off of a goal kick. Thus, if the ball goes off a defender to a player in an offside position from the goal kick, no offside has occurred.

CONCACAF Champions League 2008 - Mexican Teams Dominating the USA Teams

2008-10-23T04:56:00.000-07:00

Only one word comes to mind when I think of this year's Champions League for the CONCACAF region for MLS teams - embarrassing!

Currently residing in Mexico, Guadalajara, has taught me how little Mexicans think of American soccer...hey MLS teams, thanks for fueling the flames for the criticism on how much Mexican futbol is superior to American soccer. I mean, 2 USL Division 1 teams (Montreal Impact and Puerto Rico Islanders), basically the second division in the USA, are doing better than all four MLS teams that entered the competition. Yes, complain all you want about injuries or intense competition going on in the MLS season or lack of depth in the team roster...I don't really care and no one else does either. Every team deals with these issues, yet all four Mexican first division teams are in 1st or 2nd in their groups as the group stage comes to an end. The MLS has just 2 teams remaining after Chivas USA and the New England Revolution both got knocked off by teams that haven't been able to beat USL Div 1 teams, and the two remaining MLS teams, DC United and Houston Dynamo, are in last and second to last in their groups!

Please, can someone remind the MLS teams that the Champions League is a big deal! To remind the USA National Team that representing your country outside of the USA is a big deal! No wonder everyone thinks we're a joke around the world...we only play well at home, and even at home we don't play well all the time.

Note to MLS teams...being champions of the MLS is not as big of a deal as positively representing and winning these regional tournaments! You want some respect? Show up to these tournaments!

Infringement of Law 15 - Throw-in for the other team

2008-10-21T07:16:00.000-07:00

So, I made a mistake, I think. With all the interpretations of the laws, sometimes you forget the simple things. For example, I usually direct throw-ins before they are taken incorrectly due to the location of the throw-in, thus this past weekend when a player actually got the throw-in before I had blown my whistle to direct them to the correct place, I had to then stop play and have the throw-in taken over. However, having reviewed the laws of the game and the specific instructions in Advice to the Referees on the Laws of the Game, I see that taking a throw-in from the wrong location is an infringement of the law and thus the result is a throw-in, at the same location, by the opposing team. I think. I've written a question to the USSF Referees and hope to have a response soon. I feel like I see referees have the same team repeat the throw-in, but from the proper location in professional matches on tv all the time. We'll see.

Yes, Jim Allen has confirmed that a throw-in not taken at the official location is to be retaken at the same location by the opposing team.

Learning Tool - Quizlet

2008-10-21T05:30:00.001-07:00

Learn the Laws of the Game and much more at the website entitled Quizlet where I have put together groups of words and terms from the Laws of the Game.

Go to:
http://quizlet.com

Login and click on "My Groups" and search for "USSF Referees". The password is 17.

I've included a quiz on The Laws of the Game, and more are on their way.

Enjoy.

La Liga Padres del Familia Anahuac

2008-10-20T09:37:00.000-07:00

Saturday 10.18.08 I began refereeing in the Centro Bancario League, which is really low key. It's in Guadalajara at a nice facility that promotes a safe family atmosphere, thus all the soccer players are usually on their best behavior b/c there are many medical assistants and league officials throughout the complex. However, I also agreed to do a couple games for a gentlemen I just met that were located on the outskirts of town. As is true with all humans, the farther you are from the public eye, the more real you become. Well, just like Lord of the Flies, if you get a bunch of people alone in an isolated area, away from any form of authority or accountability, and these people aren't saved, thus the presence of the Holy Spirit and conviction are absent, well then you have major issues. This was the case Saturday afternoon.

I traveled just North of Guadalajara to a small place called Anahuac. Part of the problem was that no one knew me there. All they knew was that I was from the USA...not a good thing to advertise with Mexicans, especially Mexican soccer players. Not only do they think USA soccer is a joke, but a referee from the USA must really be a joke. Perhaps if I had played soccer with them before, they would know I'm not a joke and that I do know the game extremely well. That wasn't the case, though. So, I was the center referee in the first game and lets just say it was pretty rough. I refereed the game the same way I would referee any other game, but being in Mexico, being in a small town, well, they expect "different rules". For instance, they just like to kick each other late....lovely. In my book that's either unsporting behavior, caution, or serious foul play, send off. Yet, to them, they don't learn. Giving a caution doesn't send any message to the rest of them that that type of thing won't be tolerated. They just keep on doing it. Thus the cautions just kept on coming. Also, respecting the distance during free kicks...ya right! Not a chance. It is so accepted by everyone to just step right in front of the ball and delay the restart that as I cautioned for this, I realize this too was doing nothing to end the behavior.

Let's see, what else? It was a Men's League, so b/c I was younger they looked down upon me and didn't respect me. B/c I was white, an American, they didn't respect me. Not b/c of how I called the game or what I know, but just b/c of my appearance - racism my friends. I felt like a black person back in the 1950s in the USA must have felt. It didn't even come close to what blacks must of gone through, like Martin Luther King or Jackie Robinson, but it was similar.

Ok, enough blabbering on and on. It was a bad experience. One I'm taking a few things away with me. First, it wasn't that bad. My 2 assistants told me I did great. It was just one of those games where the two teams didn't want to play, they just wanted to kick each other, yell, scream, and cry about everything. The sinful nature was alive and well. Guys faking injuries, diving, kicking players late, yelling at one another (who knows what I would have heard if I understood everything), standing in front of the ball for restarts to delay the play, getting in the keepers way when he tried to release the ball, constantly lying (obvious offside calls, screaming at my assistant and not at their player to stop being in an offside position, screaming "segundo" which means "second" whenever I gave out a caution, knowing very well that it was only the player's first caution)...it was just ugly. The nasty, wicked, scary, disgusting qualities we all have came pouring out without a moments thought that it was wrong or not appropriate.

Here's what I'm going to take from my experience:

Giving out a ton of cautions is usually a sign that you lost control and you're not very good at what you do - but not always. Sometimes one or both teams show up wanting to fight and not play. Plus, a clash of two cultures is formula for trouble. I was unwilling to move away from the laws of the game and they were unwilling to abide by the laws of the game.

No emotions. Just the laws, fairness, and justice. Emotions only cloud judgment.

Little to no talking is needed. Stay calm, collect, profession, and in control. Lots of talking is a sign of losing one's emotions and thus losing control. All you need is hand signals and the use of the whistle (various sounds to communicate various ideas)

Patience - control game by using cautions wisely. Knowing the players involved is huge. Knowing an early caution for certain fouls or misconduct won't result in anything you want is a good reason to keep the cautions in your pocket and find other ways to deal with the problems. Perhaps it's a problem to you but not to the players.

A pet peeve of mine is when players don't respect the distance for free kicks and corners. It just drives me nuts. Yet here in Mexico, they don't care. Giving out cautions for this sort of thing does nothing. It's so ingrained in their minds that it's ok, they won't change throughout the game. Thus, if you give out a caution for it, you can't just not give it for the next guy...thus, cards start pouring out for delaying the game. I probably gave out 8 cautions for delaying the game b/c players just kept on doing it. Now, is that bad refereeing or plain stupidity and stubbornness on the side of the players? Trust me, if I were to have refereed this game without any leanness to the law, I would have given out at least 4 more cautions and a few more reds. It was that bad.

At the end of the game I had the losing team telling me I was terrible. But again, if my assistants tell me I'm terrible, ok. If a bunch of babies that don't know the first thing about the actual laws of the game tell me the same, I could care less.

I had to send off the keeper for this losing team b/c he ran out of his penalty area on a break away and stopped the ball with his hands. The ball was clearly going into the goal. There was a player running back to try and stop everything, but he was too far behind the play to have made a difference. Thus, I declared it to be an obvious goal scoring opportunity and gave a direct red. The keeper flipped. Yelling at me that it was only a yellow card. Sure thing bro. Again, this guy probably received a yellow card his whole life b/c what happens in practice and what the law states are two completely different things in Mexico, in every area of life.

Another guy chewed me out b/c I cautioned him for shadowing the keeper when the keeper had the ball, not allowing the keeper to freely release the ball. Clear caution, but for him, it was probably the first time a referee has stood up to him and given him what the law requires. Why? The keeper wasn't complaining about it, he was probably use to this type of behavior, thus it was probably never called before I showed up...the gringo...what does he know? If I was fluent in Spanish I'm sure I would have thrown this player out later in the game...he was a total hot head with absolutely no tact.

Will I do things differently next time? Probably. Does the law require me to? No. But unless I want another game with 10 cautions and 2 send offs, I'll need to figure out what really needs to be cautioned and what needs to be dismissed b/c everyone is either ignorant about it or due to the culture and their upbringing they just don't care about it - like the distance thing.

Referee Week in Review - Week 26

2008-09-29T09:17:00.000-07:00

Flash Points - potential problems for referees

-Attacker shielding/holding ball in the corner in the last few minutes of a match in an attempt to protect the lead.
-A defender delaying the restart by holding a ball that belongs to the other team.
-An untimely challenge on a goalkeeper near the goal mouth.
-A foul in close proximity to the team bench area.

A caution or send-off needs to be strongly considered within these "flash points".

NY vs Columbus

Last minutes, Columbus up 3-1, both Eastern opponents, NY obviously frustrated and going in really hard on challenges near the end, short corner, you know Rogers is going to get rocked, yet where oh where is Alex Prus! Come on my friend, get over there and protect the players with your presence. No, you can't dictate the players actions, but your presence and words can influence them one way or the other, and it helps to show the players getting hit that you do care, you are there, and you're going to deal with it. Instead, Rogers gets rocked 3 times before he goes down, and then he gets up to deal with the player himself, partly b/c he's not sure if the referee cares at all about what just took place.

Alex could have easily seen all the clear signs that Columbus was going to try and just hold the ball in the corner (short corner, player goes away from the goal and toward the corner flag with his back to the goal, it's the end of the game, the team is winning, etc.). Spring over, make your presence known, call a foul on the first hack (there's no advantage for allowing the play to continue only to have the player kicked even harder the second time around...they don't want to leave the corner so there's no advantage to allowing play to continue).

Diving!
Oh my goodness. Same game between Columbus and NY, Alex Prus once again, and the dive was comical! No caution! Crazy. Ok, so his view was obstructed, since he wasn't moving around much, wasing moving to get the best angle possible, but surely his AR saw it...it was right in front of him!

AR's - Get in Shape! Move! Stop being lazy!

USSF is drilling it into AR's to stay focused and do their job all 90+ minutes. There should be enough competition that this shouldn't be a problem, no? AR's are called to stay with the second to last defender at all times and to track the ball all the way back to either the goalkeeper or across the goal line each and every time throuhgout the duration of the match.

Referee Week in Review - Week 25

2008-09-27T11:16:00.000-07:00

Emphasis - Forearms and Elbows

The use of forearms and elbows while players challenge for aerial balls has greatly increased in the current years. Field players are sick of being hit when they go up for a aerial challenge, so more and more they've brought their elbows into the scene as a form of protection and a way to clear out space and intimidate or even hurt others. This is very similar to goal keepers putting their bent leg out in front of them to demand space, to demand the respect of other players, to intimidate, and very likely as a "legal" way of hurting anyone who doesn't back off.

For a thorough take on what USSF is looking for when dealing with forearms and elbows, check out the week in review:
http://www.ussoccer.com/articles/viewArticle.jsp_9994242.html

Criteria:
1. Does the player lead with the forearm or elbow? Is the arm already extended from the body before they jump?

2. Is the challenge done in such a manner as the safety of the player is disregarded?

3. What is the result? Is there contact? Does the player's skull crack open, like English National Player Joe Cole vs Croatia in a 2010 World Cup Qualifier a couple of weeks ago?

Based on this criteria, the referee should strongly consider viewing this as serious foul play and thus displaying the red card to the player involved, as was the case with the Croatian player.

Referees need to take in a lot of pieces of information all at once:
What players are involved (was there some bad blood between them and thus there is a possibility of revenge, retaliation),
what is the player's body language going into the challenge (more times than not you can see the agreesive behavior of a player just before they desire to really hurt someone, but not always...some can hide this intent, but it is still present),
do they snap their elbow back and strike the player in the face or head area,
and there is much more that must be considered and processed in a matter of seconds to get the call right. Much of it, though, comes from playing the game, having been a player, knowing what players are thinking and going to do, and being able to respond correctly to insure player safety and justice is served.

Watch for a lot of movement in the arms during the aerial challenge. There doesn't need to be a lot of movement, especially anything that would hit the opponent, especially in the head area! You can jump up, knowing where the other players are, without having to make contact with them, and still win the ball.

Where the contact is made is crucial in determining whether to issue a caution or a send-off. In the shoulder or upper body area - caution (depending on how forceful the blow was)...the head area - serious consideration needs to be made for a send-off.

"Up and in" is an important component as well. Did the player jump up and into the player or just jumped up? Jumping to the side is fine, granted contact isn't made to a player who is in position to jump straight up and win the ball. It's their space that they've secured and the other player is now jumping into that space. However, players can undercut other players as well when they have no chance of winning the ball and they just want to disrupt the other players challenge.

AR - Suprisingly they have a lot of responsibilities

2008-09-11T11:13:00.000-07:00

The Assistant Referees, although many times seen as completely useless, other than making a few directional calls with there flags, calls that merely mirror the referee, believe it or not but they do have a ton of responsibilities...many of which you rarely see at the youth levels.

In Guide to Procedures we find that AR's have lots to do.

-Check the nets before the game to ensure there are no holes.
-Count the players are the field, make sure there's not an excess.
-If the ball fully crosses the touch line and quickly re-enters the field, the AR is to raise their flag straight up in the hand in which the throw-in is going to go...once the referee blows his whistle to stop play and makes eye contact with the AR, point in the direction of the throw-in.
-Corner kicks on AR's side: Make sure the ball is placed within the corner arc and that all defenders remain 10 yards from the edge of the corner arc. If players refuse to listen to the AR, the AR can then call over the referee who will caution the player for not giving the required 10 yards on a restart.
-Signal for substitutions
-AR's on team touch line makes sure players completely leave the field before substitutes enter...they also make sure coaches don't rush on the field before give the ok by the referee for an injured player (youth games...all this is dealt with by the 4th official at higher levels)
-Offside
-Staying with the second to last defender
-Knowing where to stand on corner kicks, goal kicks, free kicks, kick offs, throw-ins, penalty kicks (during the match and during a penalty shoot out), what to do after a goal has been scored...how to signal a goal
-Fouls: Believe it or not, AR's can and should signal for fouls occurring in their quadrant that the referee has a poor view of the play and they have the best view (right in front of them)
-Location of fouls right around the penalty area (proper signal for when a foul took place inside the penalty area, resulting in a penalty kick)

Oh, and it turns out that apparently FIFA teaches, or taught, that referees need to give a different angle between the signal for throw-ins and corner kicks. Throw-ins need to be with the arm extended out, more like a 10-20 degree angle, while corner kicks need to be indicated with the arm extended out at about a 50-60 degree angle. However, in the Guide to Procedures it clearly indicates that both throw-in and corner kick need to be indicated with the arm extended out at a 45 degree angle. The difference? For a throw-in the referee faces the touchline where the throw-in will take place while pointing his arm up the field (toward the goal line), while a corner kick is indicated by pointing the arm toward the corner arc while the referee faces the goal line.

Resources to Use in Preparation of USSF Referee Written Exams

2008-09-11T07:25:00.001-07:00

"Ask A Referee" Question and Answer

I submitted the following questions to "Ask A Referee":

Question: Written Exam

Could you give me a comprehensive list of all the material that a
USSF Referee would need to study in order to score a 100% on any of
the various written exams (based on grade level)?
Obviously the official FIFA Laws of the Game, the USSF Advice to the
Referee, and the proper procedure book for referees and assistant
referees, but are there more?

Also, what types of resources (such as those listed above) do
national and international referees use to prepare for their own
written exams?
Are there any question banks or books that have various questions in
them that a referee could go through to better prepare for the exam
and better learn the laws of the game and how they are specifically
applied in various scenarios?

Thanks.

Jim Allen gave the following response:

John,
I hate to be less than completely responsive, but I am actually tied down now working on the 2009 test for USSF national referees and just don't have time to go into a lot of details.

For all levels the studying should include the Laws (and most particularly the Interpretations in the 2008/2009 edition), the Advice (if we can ever get the 2008 edition out the door), the Guide to Procedures, and all position papers published by the Federation (they are on the USSF website).

For the national referee and candidate, the study should also include the Week in Review published for the professional-level referees, which contains video clips to be reviewed.

I hope this is helpful.

Thus, the following resources are critical for all referees:

Laws of the Game
Advice to Referees on the Laws of the Game
Guide to Procedures
Position Papers
Week in Review

All these materials can be found at the following websites:
http://www.ussoccer.com/laws/index.jsp.html
http://www.ussoccer.com/laws/papers.jsp.html
http://www.ussoccer.com/referees/index.jsp.html

Week in Review 23 - Deal with Misconduct Quickly

2008-09-10T09:08:00.000-07:00

USSF week in review 23 give an example of how not to deal with a situation that can quickly and easily escalate if not dealt with quickly and in a proper manner.

Game: Charleston at Miami (USL 1)

Hard foul followed by the ball being kicked full blast right at the player who was just fouled and who is lying on the group.

The foul was called, but the kick, a few seconds after the foul, wasn't dealt with soon enough. The referee did not make his presence felt by sprinting over to the situation. He did not even confront the player who had kicked the ball at the player on the ground until much later when all the players finally settled down.

Instead of allowing this mass confrontation, the referee could have shown his disgust with the player's action by giving a sharp, strong, and extended blow on his whistle (or perhaps a few short hard blows) to let everyone know that what just took place was not acceptable. As he sprints over, which causes most players to pause and think, "Ok, the referee is going to handle this one...I don't have to think he won't do anything...I don't have to deal with this myself." Obviously, a few players may still get involved, but it doesn't turn into this mass confrontation.

From watching a ton of professional referees on tv, I think the thing to do in these situations is to make yourself known. Perhaps the referee didn't make himself known, his presence felt, the players didn't trust him in doing what needed to be done, so they put the situation in their own hands this time to make sure something got done. I have no idea, b/c I didn't see the whole game and I don't know the referee involved. Although, perhaps it's just this one play the referee didn't make his presence known. To do so, he needs to acknowledge the unsporting behavior right away by blowing his whistle in such a way as to say, "Oh no you didn't! That is not acceptable behavior!" Quickly run over to the scene, get this player away from everyone else...show that you are going to deal with this...and it wouldn't be a bad idea to get out the appropriate card while you're at it to help the players around see that yes, you are dealing with it. Depending on the player, the situation, the build up to this play, to everything going on, this is at the least a cautionable offense (unsporting behavior), but it may carry more weight based on other factors and could easily be seen as violent conduct (b/c it took place after the referee had stopped play).

But to slowly walk over like nothing happened, like you're not going to do anything about it, this will only annoy the players more...players that usually wouldn't get involved.

Quick Restart - Substitution

2008-09-08T18:46:00.000-07:00

September 2, 2008
Ask A Referee

No substitution is allowed until the referee recognizes it.

Thus, no quick restart can be stopped by the opposing team via a substitution if not done directly by the referee. This has nothing to do with the advantage clause, which only pertains to Law 12 (Fouls and Misconducts), but has everything to do with common sense. Thankfully, in most youth leagues and tournaments no substitutions may be made off of a foul. However, substitutions can be made off of throw-ins, which a team may try to use to slow the play down. As the referee, you need to be engaged in the game enough to recognize this tactic and to disallow it, or "not recognize" the substitution at that time.

Walls - Free Kicks

2008-09-08T18:26:00.000-07:00

An interesting entry on "Ask A Referee" dealing with quick restarts right outside the penalty area where a wall will be used by the defending team.

Under "Coaching Illegal Gamesmanship" on September 5, 2008:

If a free quick is awarded and to prevent a quick restart the opposing team sets up a wall within 10 yards (illegal), the attacking team may still chose to do a quick restart. If the defending players move forward to block the restart, the play shall be stopped, a caution given for being within the 10 yards on a restart, and the restart redone.

Now, if the defending team decides to get really close to the restart to delay the restart, the referee shall stop play, warn or caution the player to back up, and the referee will clearly indicate that the restart will occur after his whistle.

Here's the interesting part. USSF says that improper mechanics, such as not indicating that the play shall restart with a whistle, and the referee backs the wall up to 10 yards, meanwhile the kick is taken and a goal is scored...the goal stands. They say that if the defending team is willing to take a chance in their illegal stance within 10 yards, then they should be prepared for the consequences if they are caught off guard on a quick restart as the referee backs up the wall.

As much as this may be true to the books, and I'd mark it on an exam...I'd never do this in a game. I would make sure to indicate that the restart would not take place until I blew the whistle if I needed to set up a wall, but at the same time, if something were to happen where I forgot to indicate this, I would bring the kick back and have it done over. Having played the game all my life, it's what people have come to expect in this situation. Better to keep the peace than to be "right" and have a war.

Again, just make sure you do the proper mechanics and you won't have to ever deal with this sort of issue.

http://www.askasoccerreferee.com/

ARs - What to ask yourself before calling a foul

2008-09-01T19:59:00.000-07:00

In Week in Review 22 there is the following advise for ARs. Two crucial questions to ask yourself before calling a foul for the R:

1. Does the referee have a clear view of the incident and was he positioned correctly?
2. Did I clearly see the infraction?

Think about the positioning of the R...especially if it's on a quick counter attack. Think about the angles as well...was it possible for the R to see what you just saw or was their view obstructed? And then, did you see the infraction clearly?

If there is a foul and there is no clear advantage, be confident and bold to make the call as the AR and don't just wait to see if the R makes the call, and if he does, by then backing him up with a raise and wiggle of your flag. Also, if it's a cautionable offense, indicate this quickly with a tap on the front jersey pocket (yellow), or if it's a sending off offense, indicate this with the clear signal to the back short pocket. Be confident!

Words Of Wisdom To All Parents, Coaches, Players, and Referees

2008-08-30T08:21:00.001-07:00

Proverbs 29:11

"A fool gives full vent to his anger,
but a wise man keeps himself under control."

The Words of the Lord.

Dealing with Sideline Abuse by Mike Woitalla

2008-08-29T06:26:00.000-07:00

In this article, Mike speaks of advise given by Brian Hall, former FIFA Referee for the USA, who is now the USSF Referee Department's Manager of Assessment and Training, on how to deal with abusive sidelines.

Hall believes it's much easier for referees to control sidelines if the teams are along one touchline while all the parents are along the opposite touchline. Unfortunately, this isn't always the case, as those in CA-S know all too well. You get the players, coaches, and parents of one team all along the same sideline with no one to keep them accountable, to keep them in check, things get ugly real quick.

Hall's advice on dealing with abuse from coaches: ask-tell-remove approach.

-You ask the coach to please refrain from that behavior," says Hall. "The next step is the 'tell' procedure, which is basically to tell them their behavior is no longer going to be tolerated.

"You say, 'Coach, I'm telling you that your behavior is no longer acceptable and if you don't change your behavior, I'm going to be forced to take further action."'

The final step is an ejection.

But in the second step, Hall says, "You always tell them, 'But that decision is yours."'

"Now you're putting the responsibility on the coach to manage his behavior. You want to find a way to transfer the burden off your shoulders and put it on the coach's."-

Hall's advice on dealing with abuse from parents (again, go to the coach, not the parent):

-"Technically, unless certain leagues allow it, you can't dismiss parents," he says.

Hall recommends that the referee approach the coach to deal with the parents, "because the coach is a person you can control."

Hall says, "We can go to the coach and say, 'Listen, you have responsibility for the conduct of your parents and if it gets to the point where I feel they're impacting my ability to do a job, or impacting the way the players are able to perform on the field, and if it continues and no one deals with it, we have to suspend or terminate the game."'

Hall believes leagues that restrict the parents to the opposite sideline from the coaches help the referee control the crowd.

"It makes it easy for referees to distinguish between the parents and the coaches when they want to take action," Hall says. "You know specifically who you're dealing with -- who you can do something official with."

When a coach has been instructed by the referee to quiet his team's parents, he can send over an assistant to deliver the message. Or the coach can be forced to deal with the parents while the game is stopped.

Hall cites an example:

"The referee tells the coach, 'I'll give you a couple minutes to go over and tell the parents to stop their screaming."'

Knowing that if he doesn't deal with his team's parents, the game can be terminated and his team could be punished with a loss, the coach is forced to take action.-

Same advice I was given at a clinic I went to recently - go to the coach. Referees have authority over coaches, not so much parents/spectators. Tell the coach that if the parent involved doesn't stop or leave that the game will be called. No one wants that type of punishment so the coach will do something about it and the parent will most likely stop whatever they've been doing or if they won't stop, the other parents will tell them to stop or tell them to leave. But place the responsibility in the hands of the coach, it's not your issue, it's theirs.

DOGSO - Denying an Obvious Goal Scoring Opportunity - What not to do

2008-08-23T14:18:00.000-07:00

USSF Week in Review - Week 21
USL 2nd Division : Crystal Palace Baltimore at Charlotte Eagles
http://www.ussoccer.com/articles/viewArticle.jsp_9338883.html

The following site has a clip of this game where the referee has the goalie sent-off for DOGSO, however, the clip clearly shows that two pieces of the puzzle are missing (if not more) - number of defenders, and the direction toward goal by the attacking player.

The defense loses the ball and the attacking player takes a touch around the goalie. The goalie takes the player out, but the attacker has taken a very wide touch away from the goal and not directly toward it.

Also, there are two defenders right there who could deny a goal from being scored, thus the player is not just alone with only the goalie or the goalie and one other defender.

In addition to all this, the referee just sits there for a good 15 seconds as players get back, a wall is being set up, numerous attacking players surround him and try and influence his next decision and only then does he approach the goalie and present the red card! Way too much time between the foul and the distribution of the card. Was something said? Was the tackle seen as serious foul play by the keeper? Or was this solely based on DOGSO? From the clip and from the USSF review it appears the card was given for DOGSO...crazy!

What should have happened...the referee gets closer to the play, when the keeper fouls the player, blow the whistle and indicate whose ball it is...if a caution is warranted for a reckless foul or for a goal scoring opportunity, give the caution right away and prepare to set up the wall and indicate to everyone that play will start on the whistle. Make decisive decisions, show everyone that you are in control and know what you're doing and are not being influenced by anyone.

Offside - When in doubt, AR should keep the flad down

2008-08-23T14:02:00.000-07:00

"In close offside situations like this, ARs are instructed to give the benefit of doubt to the attacking team. In other words, should the AR have any doubt or question regarding the onside or offside position of the goal scorer, the AR should keep the flag down."

USSF Referee Week in Review - Week 21
http://www.ussoccer.com/articles/viewArticle.jsp_9338883.html

The Penalty Kick - Position Paper 08.01.07

2008-08-22T07:59:00.000-07:00

http://www.ussoccer.com/laws/papers.jsp.html

Important things to keep in mind for a penalty kick:

The player identified as the kicker must take the kick. If another teammate runs in to take the kick, play must be stopped and an indirect free kick awarded to the opposing team at the location the player ran into the penalty arc or penalty area.

If a penalty kick is to be retaken, the same player does not need to take the kick.

If the attacking team infringes law 14, the result is an indirect free kick for the opposing team if the ball does not go into the goal. This kick is to be taken where the infraction takes place. If the ball goes into the goal, the kick is retaken.

If both teams infringe law 14, the kick is retaken whether it goes in or not.

If the goalie moves forward off his line before the taking of the kick and the ball doesn't go into the goal, the kick is retaken. If the goal is scored the goal stands.

If the defense infringes law 14, the kick is retaken if the ball doesn't go in the goal and if the ball does go into the goal the goal stands (the same as if the goalie infringes the law).

Make sure the AR knows the new signal to make if the goalie moves off their line early (same signal as a substitution but down low instead of above the head...opposite).

Remember, if the ball doesn't touch anyone, if it goes off a post or crossbar and directly back to the kicker...and the kicker touches the ball again it's a second touch and the correct restart is an indirect free kick for the opposing team.

Throw-In to Goalie - Position Paper 01.01.00

2008-08-22T07:41:00.000-07:00

http://images.ussoccer.com/Documents/cms/ussf/throw-in%20to%20keeper.pdf

"As of the 1997-98 Laws of the Game, Law 12 prevents the goalkeeper from handling the
ball directly from a throw-in by a teammate. An indirect free kick must be given from the place where the handling occurred (subject to the usual special circumstances within the goal area)."

It's important to keep a few things in mind when dealing with this law. The first is that a goal cannot be scored directly from a throw-in, thus if the goalie is not cautioned at all b/c usually they can use their hands inside the penalty area and they are not preventing a goal from scoring. Also, if a teammate uses their hands within the penalty area off of a throw-in the correct call is a penalty kick (deliberate use of hands), but the player is not sent-off for denying an obvious goal scoring opportunity b/c a goal cannot be scored directly off of a throw-in. However, in both scenarios (goalie or player) if their touch the ball, but the ball still gets by them and into the goal, the advantage is given (Law 12) and a goal is scored. If they don't touch the ball at all and the ball goes directly into the goal off of the throw-in the correct restart is a corner kick for the opposing team.

Things to keep in mind - you can allow advantage and you're not dealing with a goal scoring opportunity.

Throwing Objects, Proper Punishment, Proper Restart - Position Paper 11.22.02

2008-08-22T06:46:00.000-07:00

http://images.ussoccer.com/Documents/cms/ussf/Restarts_after_striking.pdf

"Prior to now, for example, striking using a thrown object was punished where the action originated (see USSF Advice to Referees on the Laws of the Game 12.6, which will be updated in 2001). The IFAB now instructs that all such infringements are to be punished where the contact occurs or would have occurred if the action had been
successful, provided this location is on the field of play."

No wonder so many people get confused when watching soccer who haven't followed the game closely, laws seem to be always changing...just subtle things you might say, but huge enough to start a riot if the fans (and referees!) aren't educated.

This position paper is a great resource for understand what needs to be done by the referee in various scenarios dealing with players throwing things at their opponents or spitting at anyone (on or off the field, the ball in or out of play).

Remember, it's where the player was or would have been hit that the restart takes place.

Quick Restart and players inside 10 yards - Position Paper 06.22.07

2008-08-22T06:18:00.000-07:00

The attacking team may take a quick restart if the referee has not stopped play to deal with misconduct (distributing cards), to speak with players, to address an injured player, etc. If the quick restart is done and the defending players are still within 10 yards (but are not moving toward the ball) and the kick is taken and kicked directly toward them without them moving toward the ball, the attacking team may not then ask for an infringement of the law. As long as the defending players don't move toward the ball everything is fine and play needs to continue.

If the defenders encroach and move toward the ball, then the referee needs to whistle the play dead (stop play), and the kick retaken. A verbal warning may be given to the player or a caution depending on the circumstances.

When Giving Cards Before a Restart - Position Paper 04.10.07

2008-08-22T06:07:00.000-07:00

As the R, if you call a foul and are going to give a caution or send off out (yellow or red card) make sure you don't allow play to restart until you have written the information down and displayed the card and clearly indicated, with the whistle, that play is once again going to begin.

Here's the problem...

If the defense expects a card b/c of the referees body language (taking a card out of their pocket or calling the player over for a discussion), the defense will expect extra time to get ready b/c they know play won't continue until the referee is done with the player at hand. However, the attacking team, knowing the defense is soft b/c they don't anticipate a quick restart, can gain a huge advantage due to the referee's actions if play is allowed to be quickly restarted while all this is going on between the referee and the player going to be warned or cautioned.

As a referee, make sure you don't give either team an unfair advantage based on your actions of either slowing play up when it doesn't need to be slowed or allowing play to move on quickly when it needs to be slowed down.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XYKiKw4WMxY&feature=PlayList&p=A60788D95BFA05CB&index=0
Michael Kennedy, has the yellow card in his hand and still allows play to restart quickly...not good...I'm sure he'll never do that again.

R/AR positioning at free kicks - Position Paper 11.22.02

2008-08-22T05:47:00.000-07:00

Summer of 2008 I was assessed by a grade 5 referee by the name of Cliff Anderson and one of his points to me was this very topic - communicating with my assistants during the pre-game speech concerning who would take what during a free kick, a "ceremonial" free kick. As the paper points out, there are 3 different things that need to be watched while the free kick takes place:

1. Any fouls or misconduct within or around the wall
2. Offside
3. And the goal line in between the goal posts (whether or not a goal has been scored)

Definitely the fouls and misconducts within the wall is for the referee to watch, but as for offside and watching the goal line, I'd leave this up to the AR. I like the AR concentrating on offside at all times. Thus, I'd leave whether a goal was scored or not to both the R and the AR, but since the AR has the perfect angle to see the goal line, I'd leave it more up to them to see.

Whatever the case, these things need to be discussed before the game in the pre-game so as to limit confusion and miscommunication during the game.

"Pass Back" - Position Paper 05.21.08

2008-08-21T19:55:00.000-07:00

This is a great position paper. It does an excellent job explaining the law that was instated in 1992, the "pass back". A large part of the problem and misinterpretation of this law lies in the poor choice of words to describe it - "pass back". As the position paper explains, to violate this law, a player doesn't have to "pass" the ball and the ball doesn't have to go "back". Here's what needs to happen:

The offense rests on three events occurring in the following sequence:
• The ball is kicked (played with the foot) by a teammate of the goalkeeper,
• This action is deemed to be deliberate rather than a deflection, and
• The goalkeeper handles the ball directly (no intervening touch of play of
the ball by anyone else)

When, in the opinion of the referee, these three conditions are met, the violation has occurred. It is not necessary for the ball to be "passed," it is not necessary for the ball to go "back," and it is not necessary for the deliberate play by the teammate to be "to" the goalkeeper.

This is part of Law 12, and the result of this action is an indirect free kick to the opposing team at the spot where the goalie picked up the ball.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5kOHNAY6K2k&feature=PlayList&p=A60788D95BFA05CB&index=10

Offside on a "short corner" - Position Paper 04.24.08

2008-08-21T19:44:00.000-07:00

Many times the player taking the corner kick is flagged for offside when they play the ball short to a teammate and the teammate passes the ball back...meanwhile, the entire defense has moved forward, placing the attacker who initially took the corner kick in an offside position. However, something new took place that went undetected by both referee and assistant referee in a match between Kansas City and Chicago on April 20th, 2008.

Chicago took 2 short corners where the player taking the corner kick would play the ball short to a teammate who would stop the ball for his teammate to then play a ball in toward the goal. That's fine except Kansas City didn't have anyone on either post and everyone was ahead of the player taking the corner kick at the moment the ball was played (stopped) by the player's teammate. In both cases the player is in an offside position (coming from behind the second last defender to receive a ball from a teammate) and becomes active when they play the ball.

Heads up!

Objects on the Field - Position Paper 04.03.08

2008-08-21T12:44:00.000-07:00

Referees need to be aware of outside objects coming onto the field and possibly causing confusion and one team to gain an advantage.

Such instances include when another soccer ball comes onto the pitch, close to the play or in the clip below where multiple balloons are on the pitch and obstruct the players and goalie's ability to play the ball - resulting in a goal!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-4AKL_YGAw

This must have been a very controversial call to not stop play and clean up the balloons that obviously got in the way.

It'd be best to try and avoid these types of situations.