Attention fans, coaches, players, parents and TV commentators … Do you know the rules of soccer? Really? Why not test yourself with this multiple-choice quiz? Given what we referees hear from the sideline, you’ll all pass easily. One bit of good news: After several years of major changes, IFAB did very little this year that […]
referees
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
MLS Next Pro's new rules: Opponent-specific red-card suspensions and off-field injury treatment
Midway though its first season, MLS Next Pro is introducing two new competition rules. One is designed to decrease mid-game delays and the other intends to provide a greater benefit to teams whose opponents have committed red-card offenses. Under the new red-card suspension policy, which goes into effect this week, a player who receives a […]
Posted inSoccer America Daily, What They're Saying
Saturday morning: What we're reading (and listening to)
1. Qatar World Cup to use semi-automated offside technology By Simon Stone (BBC Sport)2. Todd Boehly vows to change Chelsea’s culture after bullying allegations By Jacob Steinberg (The Guardian)3. Phoenix Rising FC’s future at Wild Horse Pass remains an uncertainty By Jake Anderson (Arizona Sports
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Gatorade Girls Player of the Year: Midfielder Riley Jackson of Georgia
Riley Jackson has been starring for Blessed Trinity Catholic High School in Roswell, Georgia, ECNL club Concorde Fire, and the U.S. U-17 national team, which she captained to the 2022 Concacaf U-17 Championship title and earned MVP honors. She is the 2021-22 Gatorade Girls Player of the Year. The 5-foot-8 midfielder’s high school sophomore season brought […]
Posted inStory, Youth Soccer Insider
Youth soccer's Bermuda Triangle
The Bermuda Triangle is an urban legend focused on a loosely-defined region in the western part of the North Atlantic Ocean where a number of aircraft and ships are said to have disappeared under mysterious circumstances. The Bermuda Triangle in our beautiful game of youth soccer is composed of three elements: Parents, Coaches and Referees. It sucks up the beauty and fairness of […]
Posted inSoccer America Daily, What They're Saying
Sunday morning: What we're reading (and listening to)
1. Haley Carter steps down as July 4 parade grand marshal after alt-right attack squad sends soccer coach threats By Jeff Rouner (Houston Press)2. PRO GM Howard Webb set to take up key role at England’s Professional Game Match Officials Limited after Mike Riley departure By Jacob Whitehead (The Athletic)3. A new dawn? FC Cincinnati deep dive […]
Posted inSoccer America Confidential, Story
Becky Pagan paves way for girls and women to join referee ranks
The ad ran this past Mother’s Day in the Daily Herald, the largest newspaper in suburban Chicago. “Join the Women in Black: Mothers, Daughters, Sisters, Referees,” it read. “Become a Soccer Referee.” Benefits were listed: “Earn income. Flexible hours. Work outdoors. Great college credentials. Build confidence. Learn leadership. Contribute to the Beautiful Game.” Four female […]
Posted inStory, Youth Soccer Insider
Ref Watch: Work well with assignors. Plus: New rulebook is ready
For youth soccer referees looking to advance, their relationships with the State Referee Administrator (SRA) and State Youth Referee Administrator (SYRA) are crucial. For the rest of us refs, arguably our most important relationship is with assignors, the people who give us our games. When it comes to scheduling, assignors value referees’ reliability more than […]
Posted inSoccerTalk with Paul Gardner, Story
More subs means better soccer? Don't bet on it.
You will remember the famous Anatoliy Puzach … No? … Ukrainian-born forward for Dynamo Kiev and the USSR? Still no? Oh come on, it’s not that long ago. Just 52 years ago when Puzach was in all the soccer headlines for doing something that had never been done before in soccer. And will never be […]
Posted inSoccer America Confidential, Story
Kick-ins, 30-minute halves and dribbling from free kicks. Why not?
I used to be on our neighborhood pool committee when I lived in the United States. After coaching and refereeing, it was my third-favorite voluntary task. Whenever we newer members of the committee suggested any kind of change, the more long-standing servants would hold their heads in their hands and groan, “Serving beer and wine […]