1. States offer tax breaks, funds for chance to host World Cup By Summer Ballentine and Ronald Blum (AP)2. ‘Epic proportions’: Utah High School Activities Association puts high school boys soccer on 3-year probation due to rising ejections By Patrick Carr (Standard Examiner) 3. Mexico fans want Tata Martino fired but looming World Cup makes […]
referees
Posted inSoccer America Daily, What They're Saying
Tuesday morning: What we're reading (and listening to)
1. Clearly concussed players are being allowed to play on, IFAB claims By Paul MacInnes (Guardian)2. Netflix ‘Wags’ documentary? Not on my watch, says Harry Kane By Jason Burt (Daily Telegraph)3. Afghanistan women’s team: They escaped the Taliban but face uncertain soccer future By Mani Djazmi (BBC Sport)
Posted inSoccerTalk with Paul Gardner, Story
MLS goes wildly off the rails for 90 disgraceful seconds
I have been enjoying MLS games so far this season: plenty of good, varied attacking play, plenty of individual brilliance … and not much evidence of turgid defending, even among the teams that are struggling. Take a look at the San Jose Earthquakes, for instance. They have only 15 points, which puts them next to […]
Posted inSoccer World Daily, Story
Permanent use of five substitutes approved, door opened for 26-player rosters
The International Football Association Board, soccer’s rules body, on Monday said five substitutes would be permanently introduced for all top-level matches and a semi-automated offside detector is closer to being used at this year’s World Cup. FIFA president Gianni Infantino said the change to more substitutes as part of the Laws of the Game, which […]
Posted inSoccer America Daily, What They're Saying
Monday morning: What we're reading (and listening to)
1. Use of five substitutes to be written into Laws of the Game By Mark Gleeson (Reuters)2. There are little leagues and football clubs, but no soccer in National City. This mother kickstarts one By Tammy Murga (San Diego Union-Tribune)3. How VAR has changed the Premier League, from penalties to offside and handball By Dale […]
Posted inSoccer America Daily, What They're Saying
Friday morning: What we're reading (and listening to)
1. In Ukraine: ‘Every victory, sports or otherwise, aids us’ By Caleb Larson (SI.com)2. How America sold out Little League baseball By John W. Miller (America The Jesuit Review)3. Scottish referees Craig Napier and Lloyd Wilson come out as gay (PA Media)
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Referees: Two Americans headed to 2022 U-20 Women's World Cup
Referee Tori Penso (left) and assistant referee Brooke Mayo (right) of the USA have been selected to officiate at the U-20 Women’s World Cup in Costa Rica in August. FIFA assigned 13 referees, 27 assistant referees and 14 video match officials, all of which are women. No nation is represented by more than one referee. Mexico is […]
Posted inStory
Ref Watch: Joe Machnik on calls the rules don't cover clearly
Even though I had a clear view of the incident, I blanked on what the call should be. The goalkeeper grabbed a bouncing ball near his goal line. A teammate kicked it out of his hands and the ball flew into their own goal. This happened at U-12 boys, one of my favorite groups to […]
Posted inSoccer America Daily, What They're Saying
Men's World Cup: U.S. referees
1970. Henry Landauer (Sweden-Uruguay) 1982. David Socha (Scotland-New Zealand) 1986. David Socha (South Korea-Italy) 1990. Vinnie Mauro (Belgium-South Korea) 1994. Arturo Angeles (Argentina-Greece) 1998. Esse Baharmast (Spain-Nigeria, Brazil-Norway) 2002. Brian Hall (Nigeria-England, Italy-Ecuador) 2014. Mark Geiger (Colombia-Greece, Spain-Chile, France-Nigeria) 2018. Mark Geiger (Portugal-Morocco, South Korea-Germany, Colombia-England) 2018. Jair Marrufo (Belgium-Tunisia) Note: In parentheses are matches […]
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
World Cup 2022 refs: A record five Americans and first women selected
Five Americans — one center referee, three assistant referees, and one video match official (VMO) — are among the 129 officials selected by FIFA to work at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. The sixth referee from the Professional Referee Organization (PRO) is Canadian VMO Drew Fischer, who’s worked in MLS since 2012. Four Americans […]