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2012 Olympics Match #5: Canada v. USA


Vic

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A couple of years ago I had this question asked to USA'S Christie Rampone.

http://www.womenssoccerunited.com/page/christie-rampone-interview

SJ: Do you feel that using only women officials during competition such as the recent CONCACAF World Cup qualifacations descriminates against the players or do you beleive the best available officials should be used regarless of their gender?

CR: Yes...The best available officials would be great. The girls at this level and all the people around them work so hard all year round. Inexperienced referees making poor calls should not be allowed to influence or affect a game.

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By the way, I am not much impressed by Kyle.

Not only in this match, she made tons of mistake on passing and ball handling through out the tournament.

On 83rd min, she missed a golden scoring chance by not pass the ball cross to Sinclair. Instead she chose to shot at

the edge of 18 yard box.

She also started the play to Tancredi that set up Sinclair's second goal.

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I have been a fairly decent level soccer referee for almost 20 years. I have reffed University soccer and amateur nationals many times. I have never made a delay of game call on a goalie and as a matter of fact until today I have never seen one called. It's a rule to threaten but never to use. The pk called just after is the same as just throwing salt on the wound. You were already a dick to make first call and now compound it by making a highly controversial pk call to boot. This ref deserves to lose her FIFA badge

It is kinda their own fault. If they want the games to be officiated by the best don't be dumb enough to take only female officials. We see that here locally all the time when a female referee is rushed into games she is not ready for because she's a girl. It rarely ends well.

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I have been a fairly decent level soccer referee for almost 20 years. I have reffed University soccer and amateur nationals many times. I have never made a delay of game call on a goalie and as a matter of fact until today I have never seen one called. It's a rule to threaten but never to use. The pk called just after is the same as just throwing salt on the wound. You were already a dick to make first call and now compound it by making a highly controversial pk call to boot. This ref deserves to lose her FIFA badge

It is kinda their own fault. If they want the games to be officiated by the best don't be dumb enough to take only female officials. We see that here locally all the time when a female referee is rushed into games she is not ready for because she's a girl. It rarely ends well.

Only time as a ref, I have every used the 6 seconds call (or 5 steps as it used to be) was on youth teams. Teaching them the game. U-14, U-15. Bah. What a ****ty game.

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All this discussion about the free kick for failing to release the ball is very interesting and in the case of today's match extremely unfortunate.

However, as one V posted in this thread earlier after PVRing the incident, why did McLeod feel the need to hold the ball for 15 seconds? Not meant as criticism but if, as a goalie, you knew you had six seconds possibly even 8 or 9 with a lenient official, why take so long to put the ball back in to play?

I watched every non-dead ball goal kick that went long on my DVR, by both keepers, before the call. Both keepers took 10-15 seconds each time (Solo and McLeod, whether the score was tied or Canada up 1). The kick in question was at about 12 seconds when the whistle blew, AND, that counts 3-4 seconds when McLeod was on the ground. Let's not be crazy here ... it was the 77th minute, and there was ABSOLUTELY no indication that we were time wasting. None. Give a yellow. Add 5 seconds of injury time, but this was an atrocious call, and it is right to raise suspicion. I don't know if it was malicious or horribly incompetent, but it was one of the two, no doubt about that.

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Just wanted to stop by and say these Canadian Women did Canada proud today. They were the better side and should be going on to the gold medal game. Very disappointing to watch one of the best games I have ever seen for a women's football match in Olympic or World Cup come to this. The poor Refereeing really cost Canada a chance at Gold.

For that poster about the comment about being a sore loser. This game was very physical. Canada picked up two yellows, the Americans none, and Abby Wambach should of picked up a yellow for some of her rough play in the Canadian box. The Americans were never penalized for the hand ball in their box, but Canada got nailed twice for it, one in the American side and another on the Canadian side, which lead to a goal. Desiree Scott who nearly had her leg taken off, that should of been a yellow card infraction, never called, there were 2 corners I counted that shouldn't of gone the American way, one of them had Sydney Leroux trying to save a ball from going out of bounds, touching it and failing to keep it in. The Americans got a corner out of it.

I'm trying very hard not to believe that this referee was NOT trying to fix this match so the Americans can go to the final, but these blatant misses on the referee part have to make you wonder, and lets not even consider the infraction that had a free kick inside the Canadian box. At most its always a yellow, I have NEVER seen a free kick given out for taking too much time, ESPECIALLY in semi final game! That kind of penalty is way too soft to give to another team, its detrimental to fair play and because of it, there is a stink to what would of been one of the best games I have every seen in a women's match in an Olympic or World Cup game.

So understand this, if people are complaining about the refereeing, they have all the cause in the world. This was robbery, plain and simple and the Canadian girls should of been given their due and gotten into the gold medal game. Its a very sad situation for them.

+1

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Its seriously comparable to calling a game tying balk for a pitcher violating the 20 second rule.

I'm just flabbergasted how anyone can call that at anytime, not to mention at that specific time.

Someone else described it like a balk to me, and I think it's worse. It's like calling off a game-tying home run because of pine tar being to high on a player's bat. That I've seen happen once. But the indirect free I have never, ever, ever seen happen. Exactly 0.00 times I have seen that given.

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Frankly, I think it's the least deserved. The match ought to have ended 3-2, we should be guaranteed at least a silver as of now. The bronze is the best we can get because we were cheated, we earned at least a silver.

Sorry, I meant most deserved medal, period. As it should have been silver or gold, obviously, but I don't want to see our girls lose heart and only end up fourth place.

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Of course, that one time the call was later reversed after a protest.

George Brett wasn't it? I saw that on live television. When he came charging out, I thought he was going to kill that umpire.

No chance of a reversal here sad to say. Technically, the call was legal. Good column from Squizz today about this. It's technically vs morally in this instance and this rookie referee really messed it all up.

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George Brett wasn't it? I saw that on live television. When he came charging out, I thought he was going to kill that umpire.

No chance of a reversal here sad to say. Technically, the call was legal. Good column from Squizz today about this. It's technically vs morally in this instance and this rookie referee really messed it all up.

The referee never messed anything up. She knew full well what she was doing.

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From Yahoo sports:

MANCHESTER, England – Abby Wambach has won games for the United States women's soccer team with her goal scoring.

On Tuesday, she helped the Americans dramatically defeat Canada 4-3 in an Olympic semifinal with her brains, guile, and gamesmanship by delivering a crucial and controversial refereeing decision that left the Canadians crying.

It was no secret Canada's strategy against the deeper, more talented Americans was to slow the game down. That included, Wambach said, having goalkeeper Erin McLeod hold the ball as long as possible, even over 15 seconds at times during the first half. Soccer rules say the goalkeeper must get rid of the ball within six seconds.

[ Photos: U.S. defeats Canada in Olympic semifinal ]

During the second half, with the U.S. frantically trying to speed up the game while attempting multiple comebacks, Wambach began running near referee Christiana Pedersen and counting off the seconds that McLeod held the ball. She said she often got to 10 and into even the teens.

"I wasn't yelling. I was just counting," Wambach revealed Wednesday during an interview at the team hotel. "Probably did it five to seven times."

The last time came in the 78th minute, with Canada trying to milk a 3-2 lead. McLeod made a save, and Wambach began counting again.

"I got to 10 seconds right next to the referee, and at 10 seconds she blew the whistle," Wambach said.

The call was for delay of game. There was confusion on the field, because it was an exceedingly rare decision. Not another American or Canadian player or coach remembers the call ever being made, let alone in such crucial moments of an international tournament.

Regardless, the result was an indirect kick for the Americans inside the Canadian box. That kick wound up hitting a Canadian defender's hand, which meant a penalty kick for the Americans.

Wambach stepped up to the spot in the 80th minute and drilled a low shot off the left post and into the net to tie the game. In the final minute of stoppage time in the last overtime session, the USA's Alex Morgan headed a cross past McLeod for the incredible game winner.

[ Related: New Zealand coach angered by U.S. women's soccer celebrations ]

Canada fumed, both during and after the game. Canadian star Christine Sinclair went as far as to charge the referee with deciding before the game that she would do whatever it took to help the Americans win.

"We feel like we didn't lose," Sinclair said. "We feel like it was taken from us. It's a shame in a game like that, which is so important, that the ref decided the result before the game started."

McLeod, the goalkeeper, claimed she had the ball a far shorter time and the ref shouldn't have included the few seconds it took for her to get up off the ground. She also said she was never warned by Pedersen herself; she merely was given a general reminder about speeding up play from a linesman at halftime.

"We feel like we got robbed in this game," McLeod said.

Wambach disputes that, saying that after she started the counting routine Pedersen continually told McLeod to speed up play and McLeod would acknowledge it by raising her hand to the referee.

The more times Wambach counted, the more impossible it became for the referee to ignore the delays and thus not make the call.

[ Related: Canada coach takes issue with U.S. women's soccer marking ]

"Yes it's uncharacteristic," Wambach said. "But the rules are the rules. You can say it's gamesmanship, you can say it's smart, but I'm a competitor. We needed to get a goal. They're trying to waste time; I'm trying to speed it up."

Wambach's teammates say that game awareness and brilliance is part of what makes her a superstar. The 5-foot-11 forward isn't just a physical presence with a knack for scoring – she has a goal in all five U.S. games in this tournament.

The 32-year-old veteran from Pittsford, N.Y., knows soccer, is constantly aware of how the game is developing around her, and is practically a coach on the field.

"You need to be aware of the game at all times," Morgan said. "And Abby was just making the ref aware."

Wambach said she was ready for the delay tactics due to previous games with the Canadians in which they often attempted to stall. She recalled one game in which she claims there was a "planned 20-minute cramping their goalkeeper took."

So with their gold-medal chances hanging in the balance and every precious second meaning so much, the Americans' great talent figured out how to change the course of the game with her intelligence.

Wambach kept counting until it couldn't be ignored.

"I think making the referee aware of a situation, there is nothing wrong with that," Wambach said. "At the end of the day, the ref made the decision on her own."

And the U.S. used it to advance to Thursday's gold-medal game with Japan back in London.

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What a game, what an effort. Unfortunate to see a call change the whole dynamic of the game. A positive of this match, is the enormous amount of support the ladies have received. I noticed 8 out of 10 twitter topics were trending for the Canada game. Lets hope this great support and play can continue all the way to 2015.

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Wambach can put pressure on the ref, nothing wrong with that. But the ref needs to know how to properly handle that pressure, and how to handle McLeod's taking so damned long to release the ball. A stiff, clear warning was needed--for McLeod--but it seems she never got that.

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Wambach can put pressure on the ref, nothing wrong with that. But the ref needs to know how to properly handle that pressure, and how to handle McLeod's taking so damned long to release the ball. A stiff, clear warning was needed--for McLeod--but it seems she never got that.

If Sinclair had been doing the same to the ref, were roles reversed, most of us would be approving of the act. It is up to referees not to be intimidated, star struck or influenced by Jedi mind tricks. I expect that FIFA will start slapping Canada around for making a stink of things.

The bias is very clear, but as to whether the game was fixed, by FIFA or otherwise, I think it unlikely. Although corruption in rampant in soccer - east-west, north-south, 1st work-3rd world - it is women's soccer and I doubt FIFA much cared about who was in the final, and I'd be surprised if there was enough action to influence a fixer to fix. Weirder things have happened, but I think it was nothing more than really bad officiating (or perhaps the ref is related to Pellerud and is trying to keep his legacy as the most successful Canadian coach ever lol).

Griz has it right though regarding the US and its hand in this region. The whole thing fell apart because at least two of CONCACAFs three reps got too greedy and were exposed when the US got but one vote for WC host. I'd not be surprised if Blazer was one of the two either - hopefully some Vs have gotten past their notion of Blazer as a white knight of sorts - but do not expect to see anything change soon.

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if these articles are legit, then I hope Wambach and Solo get whats coming to them, classless ****s.

http://ca.sports.yahoo.com/blogs/eh-game/ugly-americans-rise-again-soccer-team-disses-canadian-160147757.html

American goalkeeper Hope Solo, who, rather than acknowledge Sinclair's outstanding performance, chose instead to diss the Canadian captain. And, at the same time, throw her own teammates under the bus.

"We made her look good," Solo said. "We didn't win those air battles."

Morgan, a former teammates of Sinclair's in the defunct Women's Professional Soccer league, opted to follow Solo's lead.

"I don't think they were a fit as we were," Morgan said. "I saw them on the ground more … [My goal] was the last second of the game, it was about who is the fittest, who is the strongest, and we showed that."

During the second half, with the U.S. frantically trying to speed up the game while attempting multiple comebacks, Wambach began running near referee Christiana Pedersen and counting off the seconds that McLeod held the ball. She said she often got to 10 and into even the teens.

"I wasn't yelling. I was just counting," Wambach revealed Tuesday during an interview at the team hotel. "Probably did it five to seven times."

I am Amazed FIFA and the IOC arent investiagting wmbachs comments. its obvious she was triyng to influence the result. they should seriously give her ****, but they wont cause its the U.S

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