RefBlog

Extra time before the game

I played my first game in almost a year - last year I only got a single game off, but decided it would be safer to not play, because our opponents had far too many people I refereed, and all it takes is one person with a grudge.

The team went back to the "C" bracket, where most of the players are lower than I normally referee (and frankly, closer to my level of play), and the game went pretty well. I let in one goal that was headed by a teammate, and made a couple of decent saves. Of course, the saves were more insanity than skill - but that's my biggest asset as a goalkeeper. :-b

I also had my first game as a referee in a week - a line for the 2nd ranked boys team (in the A conference), a private school; versus a powerful (but I don't know where they're ranked) and large public school in Double-A. Good game, nothing controversial, I was worked pretty well, and felt pretty good about it. The private school took an early lead, inside the first ten minutes, but 20 minutes into the game the momentum shifted and the public school never turned back, winning 3-1.

I was a little worried at first, because I showed up an hour early, and there was another boys game just about to start, and it had three officials. I was worried - JV games never have three referees, and my schedule said girls. Worse yet, they just started, which meant that the next game (if there was one) would be an hour later than my schedule. So I checked my phone, went into the assignor's website, and sure enough - I was at the right place at the right time. So there was a mixup in the time - because the game being played actually was a JV game - apparently the school, celebrating 25 years of playing soccer, was letting the JV team use the varsity field for the first time ever, and even brought out three referees (including three who knew what they were doing - usually JV teams take anyone they can).

I talked with the AD, and he's going to double-check things (according to my assignor, the schedules are entered by them) - better early than late, but we do occasionally have two games at different sites, so it does have the possibility of being a very big deal.

28 September '07 - 19:07 - - default| No comments yet - § ¶

This is how I get injured?!?

The personal trainer I've had for nine months really has made a difference in my game - the physical I may need a shrink for, but I'm doing better in my running and keeping up with play since I started working with her. So how come, after all the work we've put into cardio, strength training, and stretching, I end up hurting myself mowing the lawn?

It looks like a minor pull of my hamstring (something else I've been working on for the last four months). It's not bad, but I've pulled out of my next two games as a precaution. Last time I was out for much longer, but this gives me a whole week for rest and rehab.

21 September '07 - 09:01 - - default| No comments yet - § ¶

It's all positioning

I've said it several times before that the position of people are the difference between seeing one thing and seeing another. The game I just had really illustrates being how you see things based on your position.

The game in question was a girls high school game, where I was the senior line. The game was surprisingly competitive for a girls high school game, and ended up going into overtime, where the visiting, but I would gather the team favored to win, ended up doing so. The visitors dominated possession and shots, but the home team had a potent counter-attack with a very fast player that kept them in the game. The home side should have won in normal time, but a penalty kick in the final minute (which was blatant enough not to garner any complaints toward the officials for calling) was saved, giving us an extra ten minutes.

As far as positioning goes, the first of three moments is the classic reason given for extra officials or technology in soccer officiating: the close goal/no goal call. In this case, I was perfect position, already on the line and could see the ball clearly cross the imaginary goal line, because it was in the air, before a defender bicycled and cleared the ball. Attackers were calling for the goal as I popped up my flag, waited for the whistle, then sprinted my butt up 20 yards. I wanted to sell this call big-time, and I think I did: when the whistle blew, everyone turned to see my standing on the goal-line, with my flag up, and then make the sprint. I don't know how many fans know the signal for an AR indicating a goal, but I know the coaches do, and that was who I really wanted to sell.

I had two similar situations in the second half, but was more obvious, but as the ball was still cleared, even though it hit the ground (unlike the first one), I used the same mechanic. The third one was yet another goal-line decision, as a ball hit the crossbar and came straight down, I was at the line and gave a low wave to the center of "don't call anything". Some more people wanted the goal, especially after the first, but it helped that I was where I was.

But ARs generally don't get to pick-and-choose their positions like centers do. One of the issues throughout the game was pushes in the back. The center called a bunch, and I called a few myself; but everything is bigger and more important in the penalty area. Right in front of me, almost straight on, was an attacker, followed by a defender, going for a ball inside the area; the attacker jumped forward like she was pushed, but because of their angle, I couldn't see any arms. Was it an actual push? A bump? A dive? There was no way for me to tell, and no other position I was supposed to be in, but the center was also close, and yelled out that there was no foul and to continue playing. We got the usual stuff from the coaches about consistency and stuff - but in my case at least, I can't call a foul I can't see. So did the center see a push, dive, or something else? I'm not sure, he just said, even after the game, that it was nowhere near a foul.

20 September '07 - 15:21 - - default| No comments yet - § ¶

One final USSF game

OK, I was bad. I told my trainer I wouldn't exercise before our appointment, but then I got a request to run a line on a final, and I took it. It's a game, it's what I do, and what you just don't turn down a final unless you're already booked.

The final was for the third division, and it was pretty straight forward. The amount of griping picked up as the amount of time dropped, and as usual, the best thing to do is to just ignore it. The center, who I had worked with before, was getting his maintenance assessment. When I first worked with him, I was a bit dubious on his skill, but he's come a long way - I suppose (or rather, I hope) you could say the same of me - I know we've all had to come from the same place. He did a nice job covering the field and keeping things in order, and I had one more chance to wear what will probably be called the "old style" USSF badge.

17 September '07 - 23:18 - - default| No comments yet - § ¶

Double-headers are for the birds

Since I'd been carrying around the pedometer, I'd been using it to gage how far I've run relative to other games. I have no idea if the actual distance is accurate, although it claims to be able to tell the difference between walking and running, but nonetheless, if you pardon the pun, it's a good yardstick as to how far and well I'm running in a game.

I'd had my second high school varsity boy's game of the season, and based on the pedometer, I can pass along this information: I run about the same amount in a high school boys soccer game as I do in a decent adult men's game. However, high school games are played on narrower fields that are 110-120 yards long, and run for ten minutes less than the men's game. In other words, I run the same, but have to do it at a faster pace. That all probably explains why my legs were so sore the day after my first boys center, going into this double-header.

I've made no secret that I prefer one game a day. I like to put everything into the game and let it be that. It's better for the game, and if there's not enough officials to go around, that is not my fault (you'll see plenty of entries on this blog where I speculate on who's fault that actually is - and chances are you'll hear it again as the season progresses). But high school does plenty of them anyway - most of which I can't do, because I can't start a weekday game at 5pm. I could actually do something shortly after 5pm (even 5:15), but the company I work for is far too small, and I need to be by my cell phone until 5pm, even to tell people that I'll call them back in the morning. So, the only double-headers I'll likely do are on the weekend.

Here's another reason why I dislike double-headers: there is never enough time to recover from one game to another; because they want to keep the fans in-place for the second game, there's usually only 15 minutes between the end of the first and the start of the second; enough for the next teams to warm up, but not for the referees to take a break, re-hydrate and re-focus. No, instead it's immediately onto check-in, sportsmanship statements (ugh), ball checks, ball-chaser instructions, blah blah blah etc etc etc. AND weekend double-headers are usually scheduled at 11am and 1pm, so good luck finding something that'll give you a decent energy boost without feeling nauseous.

Fortunately for me, my center was the first game (which if I have to do a double-header, is my preference), and I was able to put what I needed to physically into the game. Unlike the last one, there were a couple opportunities to card. Well, two the coach wanted, one I decided not to. The home coach was concerned about players from the opposition dropping too easily - and there were a few I was watching; I had more of the impression they were making a meal out of a genuine foul, but that doesn't mean there's not an actual foul, and if there were embellishing, they were good, because I only suspected - I really couldn't prove it. In the second half, a player making a run along the goal line into the penalty area went down and I yelled out, "No! No! No!" and urged the play to go on - this got the coach yelling for a booking, but I wasn't saying he was diving - there WAS contact, just not a foul. I've gotten into the habit on this over the last few years to nip the possibility of protesting for a penalty in the bud. If there's no conversation, there's less likely that the team who wants the PK to get really pissed.

There was a boot near the face later in the half that I could have booked, but decided not to. The player who went skyward didn't know another player was nearby, so I took the opportunity to make sure he was aware of his surroundings - I didn't hear anything from the coach about this one, but one of my ARs said he was surprised I didn't card him. I thought it would be more effective to chew a bit of his ass, and it was.

The irony of the game was the coach who was worried about having the score tied because of a player going down for a foul, ended up scoring on a free kick themselves early on in the second half. And the same team, the one that he was worried about flopping, actually came out far more aggressive, and they became the team fouling much more (and ended up hurting themselves on a couple of occasions).

I was a bit worried about the game, because the visiting team had one or more of the coaches that left quite an impression on me in 2005. What kind? Well, I reffed a high school game for those coaches that they apparently didn't like, and then months later had them as players in an indoor game. They remembered me (I didn't remember them), but I ended up handing out four yellows, three reds, and terminating the game. You know what? I had misgivings about this game anyway - it was probably a good thing I didn't re-read that entry until now, long after the game was done.

The girls game is where I suffered. Nothing bad - no complaints about my calls or positioning or anything. But with only 15 minutes between games (see above for how that's inadequate), I just didn't have the energy to do things the way I wanted. I did them how they needed to be done, but with none of the extra effort I like to put in (like the running to the goal line for each goal kick). In other words, I had to make do. That's the other problem with double-headers: if the first game requires extra effort, then the second game may get shafted. (more)

15 September '07 - 18:51 - - default| three comments, already - § ¶

A boys high school game... without cards?

After the game I made a phone call to my wife, "I just did a boy's varsity high school game... with no cards. Nothing, nothing needed, nothing even close." And that was true. My first center of the high school season and everything went pretty smoothly. The game turned into a blowout, but the team that lost keep fighting on, even picking up a goal to open the second half. I'm trying some of the continual chatter that was suggested a few times - I know it won't always work, especially in high school, but it seemed to do good here.

The field was very narrow, only a couple yards wider than the pointyball field, and it took out a lot of the wide play, even by the home team. It also proved to be a problem for me to get into position - it took longer than I planned to figure out how to run it; there was always a crunch of players at the defensive midfield, I just had to be willing to go through them to get out of the way - it didn't work once, but all things considered, that's not bad.

14 September '07 - 22:13 - - default| No comments yet - § ¶

"Referee! Referee!!" And repeat for eighty minutes

Sometimes locations bring back memories from years ago. High schools, because you're only there one or two times a year, and because you play in actual structures, can be more evocative. In this case, it wasn't until I pulled into the parking lot that I realized that this was one of the schools that prompted me to take a year off from high school. The school plays good soccer on the field (for high school), but the coaches give nearly a constant barrage of, "Referee!" (as in "why aren't you calling that?") or "Referee!" (as in "how can you call that?") or "Referee!" (as in "it nicked his hand, therefor it must be a handball for us!"). Repeat for eighty minutes.

The game itself wasn't bad, and despite the constant refrain from the touchline, much more mellow from the last time I was there. But it's a sad wakeup call of just what to expect from the high school game: lots of unnecessary posturing. I'll try to keep my own attitude from going into the dumps, but it's a reminder of why I don't like high school games.

12 September '07 - 12:03 - - default| No comments yet - § ¶

End of the season

What's probably going to be my last USSF game of the season was a line, first division men's playoff (the women's league doesn't have any playoffs, and the youth leagues are long done). More rain - same field, actually. Pretty competitive, pretty fun, but nothing really extraordinary to write about. One team liked to complain about everything, and that only increased as the game went on, and they tried to catch up from a deficit created by a penalty kick and a poor goalkeeping decision. I got one of those, "how the hell can you flag that" tirades near the end of the game when I flagged for offside - no biggie from my standpoint - but you hear it all the same.

Now, onto high school. I was asked what the differences are between USSF and High School are, from a practical referee standpoint. Here's what I said: with a few exceptions, most of the teams are worse that what we normally see. Boys games are typically dump-and-run with little midfield play; because of the age range you can see a large difference in size between players and teams. Teams of both genders want cards pulled out quicker. You will get no support from the high school association - they really don't give a crap about the referees or, despite all the lip service, about sportsmanship. There was another experienced referee nearby that overheard, and pretty much agreed with this.

But, it's that or nothing. Sometimes nothing is better, but with my taking all winter off, I want to extend my reffing as long as possible.

10 September '07 - 14:54 - - default| No comments yet - § ¶

Referee News Time

Some news about soccer referees that I've collected over the last couple of months:

Soccer's not the only sport in Canada that's barred young Muslim girls from participating. This time, it's a regional tae kwon do tournament. And like soccer, the national governing body allows participants to wear them at the highest levels.

More from the Great White North, with Edmonton reporting a referee shortage in the youth game. The usual stuff, the higher level of pay for the game is not compensation enough for the abuse. Apparently the Edmonton Minor Soccer Association has started a "referee liaison" program for each team, to keep coaches and parents in-line. More details about what the program is can be found here. I'd love to know how effective it's been (I've emailed and asked).

For the most part, I ignore articles from the top leagues berating referee decisions. It's inane, pointless, and does more to hurt the level of officiating than help, when a referee gets death threats; and abuse hurled toward his children it goes a bit far. Of course (he said sarcastically) Real Madrid condemns it - but they're not doing anything substantive to keep this from happening, are they?

More referee attacks in Africa. The last paragraph says it all: "Attacks on referees handling African club competition matches have increased markedly in recent years." So much so that it almost seems commonplace. Can it only be four years ago that a referee packing heat shot and killed a coach?

The same could be said in Tasmania, where the local paper has a whole slew of incidents. One of which proves that once again, referees make the worst players and coaches (with a twelve-week ban).

Of course, it's not like we're any better. A player in Alabama came off the bench to hit a referee from behind. Reports say the referee was bleeding and couldn't open his jaw for 30 minutes... over a yellow card for encroachment. Alabama makes assault against a sports official a 3rd degree felony, and the league has banned the player indefinitely.

Besides, it really looks like we should avoid Canada. Another incident, this time with as many as 40 fans chasing a 19-year-old referee in Winnipeg. Since it was a high school match, where we're supposed to be showing sportsmanship and setting a good example, the coach and assistants that represented the mob did nothing to stop them. Niiiiice.

But you can't even escape it in Norway, with a women physically attacked a thirteen-year-old girl who officiated her daughter's match, and even began to strangle her until restrained. It's even younger than the 14-year-old girl who refereed a match in Toronto and was attacked by an irate parent, who also attacked a police officer trying to separate them. Has someone been spiking the Tim Horton's donuts?

An Australian U13 team keep up the abuse into a referee's next game, sitting behind him and hurling abuse, much of it sexually related... accompanied by coaches and parents. OK, why the hell do I do this again?

Where's the love? You know, it may not be explicitly banned in the Law book, like say, punching someone, but it's probably safe to say that kissing the referee, especially as a protest to you being called for a foul. There's a video of it here.

Ignorance is no justification: Who knew that insulting a referee would get your a red card? So sayeth Brandon deSerpa, who didn't understand the difference between dissent and abuse is frequently the word "you". That call sucked? Yellow. You sucked? Red. He skipped his hearing, played through his suspension, and then was banned for a year. Hey, I can't get away with telling players they suck on the pitch - they can't tell me that, either.

Iowa does not fool around: If your team gets four red cards in its high school season in Iowa, they're out of post-season play. Even if it's in the middle of the game. I'm unsure what to make of it, myself.

Sitting with no injury: We've all seen young teams, main girls (but not always) sit down as a group when a player gets hurt. But when this high school team does it, it's the game that's over. A referee shortage (gee, really?) put a referee who was a relation to a player in a match at a US Military base in Japan, decided to protest in the 77th minute, and the game was terminated. The coach is not quoted as saying he was protesting any decision, just the referee in the middle.

Like Nixon and China? Inter Milan Patrick Vieira, who has been sent off a dozen times made a plea for players to make referees job a little easier, by stopping the continual protest and letting them do their job. I could make fun of the number of times he's seen red, but if anyone's got a grudge against a referee, it would be him, and he's still saying the right thing. Thanks!

Someone on BigSoccer made a really good suggestion for NFHS matches, and this article really seems to illustrate why it would be a good thing. The idea is this: instead of having the game end right as the clock hits 0:00, keep the game going until the next change of possession. Of course, the best idea would be to dump those idiotic NFHS rules altogether, but this would keep us from having to deal with timekeepers who don't know what they're doing, and not paying attention. Myself, I can't blame the referees for this - if we started watching the clock as the coach wanted, he'd be griping about them not watching play (and in that situation you have to watch play to try to judge if it goes in before the buzzer).

04 September '07 - 17:44 - - default| No comments yet - § ¶

Rainy playoffs

You can count the number of available USSF games on one hand now - the men's league playoffs are underway, and it was a rainy day all-round. The playoffs have all the games for the division played at the same time, and the loser is done - so it's interesting to see how teams will try to manufacture controversy when they lose.

I say manufacture, because the argument presented was idiotic and had no bearing on the game at all. Here's the situation: the game looked to be going into kicks from the mark, when a goal is scored with some five minutes remaining; there's a ball from an adjacent field on play during the sequence that leads up to the goal. The ball was in the attacking half, and got fairly deep into the field, but was nowhere near the actual play - I don't even recall if it was on the field when the actual goal was scored or not. My guess is no, because nobody said anything until after the game was over. Let's be real, if there was an actual problem, the team that just gave up the goal should be able to immediately point to where the second ball is and/or the player retrieving the ball, and make their argument there.

The game itself was about as uncontroversial as I've seen in a playoff game - the center did a fantastic job. Given the timing, I think it's clearly another case of how can we blame the referee for our own letdown?

01 September '07 - 12:36 - - default| No comments yet - § ¶