Denying an obvious goalscoring opportunity (DOGSO) is a red-card offense.

"Make no mistake. This is a gold rush. This is a land grab." That's Alexi Lalas after being asked by The Guardian about foreign clubs -- such as Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Everton -- making ambitious moves into American youth soccer.

The U.S. Soccer Federation looks like it is getting ready to mandate small-sided games. My comment: what took you so long?

Among the feedback we got from last week's column on referee abuse ("Blaming the ref doesn't work") were those who pointed out that sometimes coaches do feel a legitimate need to communicate with the referee -- especially when the coaches believe their players' safety is at risk.

I've long believed that coaches lashing out at referees is a counter-productive practice. After reffing and ARing nearly 40 youth games in the last year -- and surveying other referees -- I'm even more sure of it.

Leo Durocher was a baseball lifer who was a better manager than player. So much so that his teammate, Babe Ruth, called him the "All-American out."