By Randy Vogt The referee’s position is called a “diagonal,” which he or she runs goes from corner flag to corner flag. Actually, a referee who strictlyadheres to this diagonal will miss seeing a number of fouls. I like to think that the referee’s positioning isn’t a diagonal as much as it is a modified […]
referees
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
A wonder goal – ruined by assistant ref
[VIDEO PICK] Roma’s Pablo Osvaldo struck against Lecce with a superb overhead kick that’s worth watching even though it was wrongly nullifiedby the linesman’s flag. Roma would have won the game 3-1 if the linesman didn’t blow it on Osvaldo’s golazo.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Rating the reffing of MLS Cup 2011
[REF WATCH] The officiating in MLS came under much criticism this year and, certainly, there were some poorly officiated games but also some well-officiatedones too, just as any other league in the world. Yet I believe the level of officiating was higher than the level of play in MLS. A general criticism that can be […]
Posted inSoccerTalk with Paul Gardner, Story
MLS making big mistake by courting Brit referee
By Paul Gardner I mentioned some weeks back that the American Mark Geiger had been chosen to referee this year’s Under-20 World Cup final. This was aparticularly notable honor, as one of the referees also in line for the job was England’s Mark Clattenburg, a man with seven years’ experience refereeing in the English Premier […]
Posted inSoccerTalk with Paul Gardner, Story
Arena, Backe and Garber must share blame for the rough stuff
By Paul Gardner I suppose congratulations of some sort are in order for the Galaxy’s Adam Cristman for managing to play 25 minutes against the Red Bulls on Saturdaywithout anyone noticing that he was on the field — and for then climaxing his invisibility with a moment of spectacular stupidity that everyone sure as hell […]
Posted inSoccerTalk with Paul Gardner, Story
Rising above the Dirty Talk
By Paul Gardner So here come the playoffs, the climax of the MLS season, when we can expect to see MLS soccer at its best. Well, maybe. Because this is when we hear alot of that “to hell with pretty soccer, we just have to grind out a win” talk. It’s only a few weeks […]
Posted inSoccerTalk with Paul Gardner, Story
As usual, confusion reigns when a referee explains
By Paul Gardner I have been campaigning for decades now — obviously, in a totally ineffectual way — for a set of obligatory referee signals to be introduced in soccerso that we know, instantly, which offense has been called. Over the years, I’ve spoken to referees and coaches and administrators and other biggies about this. […]
Posted inSoccerTalk with Paul Gardner, Story
Players will suffer until rough play taken seriously
By Paul Gardner After two weeks without watching any MLS games, I returned to the fray to watch Vancouver-Real Salt Lake. I fell asleep.Let’s put that down to jet lag … though I do believe that, had there been any great excitement in the game, I would have stayed awake. Certainly, it was good to […]
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Ref downs midfielder with slide tackle
[VIDEO PICK] Valencia midfielder Sergio Canales scored in the third minute against Granada in last weekend’s Spanish La Liga action but laterin the game the Granada defense got some help stopping Canales from referee Iturralde Gonzalez. Gonzalez lost his footing and took down Canales with on unintentional slidetackle — then let play go on. Canales’ […]
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Should soccer adopt an accumulated-foul rule?
[MY VIEW] In preparing to referee the futsal competition of the World Police and Fire Games at the Jacob Javits Center in Manhattan last month, I thought howsoccer should experiment with futsal’s accumulated-foul rule. I have never officiated a soccer game in which I heard a coach tell his players before the game, “Do not […]