U.S. vs. Canada Recap

Happy Mother’s Day everyone! Looks like Saint Medard (patron saint of good weather) smiled upon us once again on Saturday night. A cool, dry 60 degrees greeted us at RFK Stadium in the nation’s capital, the pitch was kind to the knees, and the locker room was open every time we needed to get in! The crowd was great, the weather perfect, Mike Squire was gifted a well-earned “Incredible Hulk” action figure for his Birmingham strong-like-bull ingenuity, and a great rivalry was on hand. Our game faces were on.

U.S. vs. Canada is always an interesting match-up, and though called a “friendly” (whose bright idea that was I’ll never know), it’s essentially a hockey-loving country (Go Flyers!) against a pointy-football-loving country. The common thread is that the big-time sport in each nation involves hitting each other really hard, repeatedly, and with enthusiastic vigor. Except in our game, proper football, there’s no equipment other than the whimsically-named “shinguards”, which these days are about the size of my debit card…on my key chain. I’ve always thought it was a good idea to have shinguards at least as long as the bottom of my opponent’s shoe, where hard pieces of plastic or metal await to encounter my tibia, but this sort of precaution apparently went out of vogue sometime around the Nixon presidency.

As it was, everyone kept the big picture in mind with that little tournament in China coming up, so while they played hard, especially in the air (check out the picture of McLeod and Kai challenging for a ball – and yes, McLeod got the ball first), they kept their minds on the business and we were able to facilitate an open, free-flowing match. Everybody just played. Fabulous.

One of the benefits of traveling as an official is that you are able to experience the unique characteristics of various cities – and figure out the cheapest way of getting there. Ergo, I fly a certain discount airline where the flight attendants sing songs into Baltimore and convince my AR & ride (thanks Deb!) to schlep me to a little piece of heaven on earth. A place where the décor hasn’t changed in 40 years, the parking lot is a crammed mess of cars, and the staff have little interest in chit-chat. A place where I would gladly crawl on my knees in the snow for a take-out order. If you know Baltimore, you know I’m talking about G&M’s and I’m talkin’ crabcakes.

They’ve ruined me for crabcakes anywhere else, because all others are mere mushballs of pulverized crustacean shells, sawdust, and red pepper flakes. They ship ‘em, they pack ‘em, and there’s always a line at the carry-out counter. And the restaurant. And the bar lounge (I hear). Let’s just say that the box I picked up from them was about as big as my ref bag and about twice as heavy. At the airport I checked my ref bag anyway. No way was I letting these babies outta my sight. I’m now home, and it’s time for supper.

Have a great week, see you next time.

Best,
fini

Allowance for Time Lost

In a recently played MLS game, the referee did not follow the standardized procedures by which additional time is allowed in a period of play. This problem also occurred in recent UEFA matches. The UEFA Referee Committee determined that the referees were ending the game before the full added time was played. They have issued a directive to their referees reminding them to allow the full time allotted for each period of play.
USSF has issued a position paper “Allowance for Time Lost”, April 22, 208, which can be found at http://www.ussoccer.com/laws/papers.jsp.html

Allowance is made in any period of play (including extra time) for time lost through substitutions, assessment of injuries, removal of players from the field of play for treatment, time wasting and any other cause. Among examples of "other cause" would be the need for the officiating team to confer regarding the identity of players committing misconduct; confrontations with officials; the removal of streamers, debris or other objects thrown on to the field which interrupts the game; pitch incursions by spectator(s); and so forth.

This minimum time does not indicate the exact amount of time left in the match nor does it preclude more time being added to the allowance for any subsequent injuries or additional delays (including time wasting). The specific amount of the allowance is at the discretion of the referee. During the two minutes before the expiration of each period of play the Referee must inform the Fourth Official, either visually or verbally, of the amount of time allowed. That information is conveyed to both teams.

It is important to note that once the time has been announced, either by the fourth official or on the electronic sign board, the time cannot be reduced.

The Curse of the Iron Bowl

Well, that was a wild one! Back from Birmingham and wanted to give a post-match hello. Whoever did that sun dance, a thousand thank you’s! The weather couldn’t have been more perfect at kickoff, which was great because we (the referee crew) had a bit of an adventure making it onto the pitch.

Legion Field is known as “The Iron Bowl”, a nod to Birmingham’s past of iron and steel manufacturing. What is less known is that there seems to be a reverse magnetic field that surrounds the officials’ locker room. Legend has it that a coach lost a major game at the stadium many years ago and put a curse on this locker room, pledging to inflict petty tortures on all officials who approached it. We weren’t able to find the correct room on our arrival (it’s a big labyrinth down there), so we just deposited our bags in a room we’ve used in the past and inspected the field. Everything looked good and we ran into U.S. Soccer’s Amy Hopfinger – she’s the best, always taking care of us lost souls and directing us to the right place. We did the tour of the stadium’s iron guts and eventually found our way through a secret passage to the locker room. At least our warm-up was halfway done.

Right. On to the business. Confirm team colors. I let the Aussie ‘keeper go in light blue because black was their only other option and that was almost identical to the U.S. navy blue. U.S. keepers also had blue jerseys, but a brighter kind, so while that was a whole lot of blue running about out there, at least we could tell everyone apart. Laughs all around as my newly tailored red jersey came out. I believe it could have been worn as a tankini by the rest of the crew, it was essentially two big pockets and a couple of sleeves. Worked for me though!

I led us in the pre-game conference, going over what’s in the hearts and minds of the players today, what to expect tactically from each team, who our match-ups would be and making sure everyone is on the same page communication-wise if a variety of unusual situations should arise. OK, on to the warm-up. We do our thing, and come back with about 12 minutes before having to line up in the tunnel. All we have to do is put on our jerseys, grab the game ball, connect on the beeper flag receiver and do a final ref crew ya-ya handshake. This was a TV game, so everything is timed down to the minute. Only problem was that the locker room was…er…actually locked and we couldn’t get in. Hmm. That’s not good. U.S. Soccer staff guru Mike Squire always has lots of keys, so we found him straight away. Hmm, none of his keys work. That’s not good either. He gets on his radio and calls the venue staff. Tick-tock. Like the Incredible Hulk, Mike goes in the next room, drags out a gargantuan file cabinet, and lays it down. He puts a chair on top, and one of the ARs climbs on top to try and go through the ceiling tile to get over the door and onto the other side. Personally, I’m wondering if our police escort can just shoot the lock open with his gun – it works on TV, right? We’re now about two minutes from having to be in the tunnel and the venue staff comes strolling down the hallway – in no rush mind you – looking at us and shaking his head like we’re all nuts. Flip, flip, flip through the keys. Finds it. Opens the door. We run him over and get all our stuff on and run to the tunnel where the FIFA anthem starts playing and we just make it to the front of the line to walk the teams out. Jeesh. OK, everybody act normal and put your smiley faces on!! Breathe!!

Nine goals and 94 minutes later, we come back to the locker room for the final time. It’s open (gee, thanks), do all the paperwork, get cleaned up, and head out for a well-earned refreshing beverage. Until next time, the curse of the Legion Field official’s locker room lives on and a coach somewhere has a smile of sweet revenge. Have a great week, see you next time.

Best,
fini

Welcome to Birmingham - Part I

Ok, I’m up. It’s 4:30 a.m., which to most reasonable people, outside of clinicians and military folks, is still the middle of the night. My flight to Birmingham, Ala., for the rematch between the U.S. Women’s National Team and Australia leaves RDU at 7:30 a.m. This is the time of year when I know what the TSA guy on morning shift in Terminal A takes in his coffee, and the Starbucks people give me a 10 percent discount because our “dress blues” USSF threads makes me look like a flight attendant. So working backwards, I figure this ungodly hour would allow me to get through my pre-flight, pre-game routine without forgetting something vital like my cleats, jerseys, or ref kit.

Especially, my jerseys. Please understand that I am extremely grateful for the support and generosity of Official Sports International, without whom I’d still be wearing a 1984 white-cuffed black polyester number that isn’t fit to be near open flame. This jersey issue is my special deal. I am what some people may refer to as “compact”, “vertically challenged”, or for those who overestimate my delicacy, “petite”. This means that every new jersey takes a trip to Mrs. Lee of Lee’s Tailors, for whom I seem to have the pleasure of financing her six-year-old’s college education fund considering that every stitch of clothing I buy goes through her scissor-weaponed hands before landing in my closet. We’re looking to wear the spiffy new red jersey tonight, where the sleeves of my “short sleeve” jerseys now end somewhere above my forearm, the kimono sleeves are snipped back to somewhere around the middle of my torso, and the three feet of extra material along the bottom isn’t bloused into oblivion. The pockets are still a wee enormous in proportion to the rest of the shirt, they sort of tuck into my shorts, but hey, I’ve lived with bigger inconveniences in life.

Should be a great match, please do whatever dance allows us to proceed in a two-hour window of calm between thunderstorms, and send some mojo to the team in red (that’s the ref team in case our jersey color changes). We’ll do our best to get it right and catch up with you later tonight post-match.

Best,
fini

Greetings From The Pan Pacific

Hi everyone. I was at the Pan Pacific Tournament in Hawaii from February
19-24 and wanted to let you in on how the trip went. I arrived on February 19 at night. The following day, I had the opening game between Galaxy from U.S and Osaka from Japan. This was the first game of the tournament, so I went to the game with the mentality to set the tone for the rest of the tournament. The game was a very exciting game from beginning till the end.

The first and only yellow card came with just five minutes into the game. It was a game with a few fouls, only fourteen (14) in the whole game. People also enjoyed watching David Beckham of the L.A Galaxy, who played all 90 minutes of the game. The final score was 1-0 in favor of Osaka from Japan.

The following two days we didn't have games, so I used those days for training. On Thursday night I attended a clinic for the local referees of Hawaii, in which I shared my experience as a full-time referee. Then on Saturday I was in the final as fourth official in the game between Osaka from Japan and Houston Dynamo from U.S. The referee was Kevin Sttot and the final score was 6-1 making Osaka from Japan champions of the Pan Pacific Tournament.

I headed back home on Sunday.

Talk to you next time.

Baldomero Toledo

DEVELOPMENT ACADEMY WINTER SHOWCASE

This last weekend, three of the full time referees, Jair Marrufo, Ricardo Salazar and me joined U.S. Soccer Referee staff Alfred Kleinaitis, Paul Tamberino, Dick Triche, and Craig Lowry at the Development Academy Winter Showcase in Dallas, Texas.

This showcase is not just for players, coaches and teams, but it is also a showcase for referees. It is a great environment to work with and develop upcoming referees. Here’s a quick run through of the events we participated in:

We arrived on Saturday at the headquarters, checked in, unpacked and got settled in. We then attended a meeting to go over the rules of competition, points of emphasis, pointers to what might help the referees in the days to come and we also received our assignments. Marrufo, Salazar and I had the opportunity to referee one game a day and then mentored the rest of the day. This works well as you had the opportunity to work with a crew, and they get to watch how you prepare before a match, how you communicate and how you work with the players and referee crew during the game. They can also ask questions along with the other referees that watched the game.

The rest of our time was spent going from field to field to watch portions of matches and find people which are ready to be looked at for the next challenge. We provide feedback and helpful hints to improve. At night we compared notes from the day events and made a game plan for the next day.

Overall, it was a great event and one that will help improve the quality of referees in the U.S. We’re looking forward to the next Showcase in May!

Take care.

Terry Vaughn

THE SUPER CLASSIC OF CONCACAF

How does a referee approach the biggest rivalry in CONCACAF, USA vs. Mexico? This is the biggest game on our continent anytime these two teams clash. They say this is an international friendly but we as referees know there is no such this as a “friendly” in soccer. The referee for this game Carlos Batres from Guatemala and he will have his hands full. He will have to use his many years of experience so this game will be enjoyed by all. This is not a new test for the referee as he last referees this match in the 2007 Gold Cup final.

We all know what this game means to both countries as preparation continues for World Cup qualifying. Mexico is bringing in a winless streak into the game when playing against the U.S. The U.S. MNT is 8-0-1 against Mexico in the last 9 meetings on U.S. soil. Yes, you read that correctly and tonight the game is in Houston, Texas. Does that mean it will be a sure win for the U.S.? NO! This is why the games are played. It will be a hard fought match by both nations.

From a referees stand point these are all things that we think about as we prepare for the task ahead. We have to realize that the atmosphere will be electrifying. The referee has to know that the speed of the game will be fast with good skill being displayed. Both managers have called in experienced players from Europe that are in mid-season form. When going into such a hostile event you must prepare yourself not only physically but also mentally. This is vital for the referee team to be successful.

Not any referee can referee this match tonight. But, Mr. Batres has a great deal of experience when is comes to this CONCACAF classic. The teams know him well and know that his will be ready for the challenge. He is a seasoned veteran not only in CONCACAF but with FIFA.

Good luck to him! And check back for my thoughts on the game in the next couple days.

Ricardo Salazar – U.S. Full-Time Referee

What happens at National Camp

My name Terry Vaughn and I am one of the full timers and I wanted to let you know what goes on at the National Camp. The full time Referees (Jiar Marrufo Ricardo Salazar, Baldomero Toledo and Terry Vaughn) spent Jan 24-27 in Carson California at what is called National Camp one as presenters . Here is a quick look at our agenda. When we arrived on Thursday, we checked in to the hotel and registered for camp. US Soccer hosted a nice a nice reception after the reception we had the opportunity to listen to CEO/ Secretary General Dan Flynn describe where the programs focus for the future will be. We also listened to Coach John Ellinger, Technical Director, US Youth Soccer, about team formations and other tactical adjustments teams make. On Friday, we helped with the fitness testing in the morning. The camp attendees also took a written test on Friday. The rest of the day was used for doing game analysis lead by Sandy Hunt. In the evening we heard from league representatives about their respective leagues (USL Lee Cohen - MISL Herb Silva – US Soccer Show Case Academy Asher Mendelsohn) and we also had the opportunity to hear from FBI Agent Jim Finnegan about gambling issues. Paul Tamberino, Director of Pro Referee Development provided information about assignments and the structure to help identify and develop new referees. This structure is to help new referee reach the top levels of the USL and MLS. On Saturday, we spent most of the day on case studies, this was lead by Esse Baharmast, Director of International Referee Development, Alfred Kleinaitis, Manager of Referee Development and Education, and Paul Tamberino. During this excersies, all participants watched 30 videos and then they were broke into small groups of ten or so. Each group was responsible for reviewing two of the clips to determine if what happened in the clip was right or wrong, and what could have been done differently to better the situation. The large group then met back together to discuss and each of the small group leaders would go up front and present what they decided. The larger group would indicate what they thought. The Staff would tell them if they were right, steer them the right way or ask more detailed question. The rest of session included presentation on Positioning by Sandy Hunt, AR involvement by Craig Lowry, Nate Clement, and Steve Davidson, Fitness by Ricardo Salazar, Game Preparation by Baldomero Toledo, Pre Game by Jiar Marrufo, and Bench Control by Terry Vaughn. On Sunday, we heard from Brooks McCormick, Chairman of the Referee Program, Julie Ilacqua, Managing Director of Referee Programs, Paul Tamberino, and Esse Baharmast about the programs future. Then it was time to honor the new National referees which pasted the testing. All new National Referees were called up front one by one and given their new National referee badge, a National Referee Pin for their blazer and a certificate showing they have completed the requirements to be National referees. They all stood up on the stage while the others in the room gave them a standing ovation to recognize their efforts. Pictures are taken, hugs and high fives given and everyone headed to the airport to go home and celebrate with their family and friends.

Terry Vaughn

GETTING READY FOR NATIONAL CAMP

Hello my fellow referees. As you may or may not know, it is time for U.S. Soccer's National Referee Camp. This is the time when the top referee's in our country are called in to re-certify for the upcoming season. (More on the camp later.) I wanted to spend a few moments to let you know how I (and the other referees in Illinois) prepare for the camp.The two main things we have to prepare for is the fitness test and the written test. As camp gets closer we focus more on the fitness test. Apart from my individual training, everyone that is going to camp gathers on Saturday morning to practice the fitness test and run together. Today when I left home to meet the guys it was -7 outside. So, needless to say we trained indoors on this Saturday. We don't always train indoors. We train outside in the freezing cold as long as the track is dry and temps are not to close to ZERO.It is great to get together to train and encourage each other to make sure we're all are ready for camp. The last thing anyone wants to do is not pass the fitness test.More to come on National camp.

-Ricardo Salazar