American Article on USA vs. Canada

[Admin]

Going camping... if someone would be so kind as to make this.

Picture of the ref.

Gone In Six Seconds

Like the movie poster.

[loyola]

And even if this was such an egregious case of time wasting that it was literally the worst in ten years, what about Solo doing the same stuff?

(Because it wasn't that extraordinary, that's why.)

It's a question of context. Solo was on the loosing team and didn't gain anything from slowing the game.

It's the same reason why you'll never see a player in the loosing team getting carded for wasting time.

The problem with McLeod is that it was clearly a part of slowing the game tactic from the leading team. That plus the fact that she was warned by the ref crew, plus the fact the ref was terrible all night, makes me think she should take part of the blame.

[loyola]

What was the warning? Assuming it was something along these lines....

Ref: "Erin you are taking too much time with the ball - you will be penalized"

Erin (thinking): "Ok no problem, I'll take the yellow card".

Being a keeper that is how I would play it. As Cheeta pointed out, the ref can add time in later. The yellow card puts pressure on Erin to play the ball faster the next time around. That is the only call ever made and the one that should have been made - nobody argues she hung on too long. People play the game according to precedent and the normal application of the rules. The call made is and was unheard of, never called, and is so unusual that (surprise) people call it bizarre, unusual and (gasp) suspicious, (including Americans who are not non soccer loving trolls - as evidenced by the cited articles).

Any true sports fan wants to watch a game that finishes without referee controversy so that there is no cloud hanging over the result. Great ref's go unnoticed (unfortunately). Pederson failed FIFA, Canada, fans - and the USA - and quite frankly should be the one under investigation.

If that's how it happened then Erin should know her rules.

Apparently Hope Solo was called for it in a club game in 2009.

[dbailey62]

I tried that counting thing once and the ref gave me a yellow card.

Exactly. I never reffed soccer, but did ref hockey and if somebody tried to pull something like that, they'd get an earful ... the first time. If they did it again, they'd get an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. Beyond that, misconduct time. It never happened. Sure, guys would bitch and complain, that's to be expected but I look at this as something a little bit different.

This referee didn't have the confidence, experience or fortitude to be able to deal with any sort of "in your face" discontent. We could see that in her giggles and smiles. She was just way too far over her head and should never have been give the assignment in the first place.

[dbailey62]

What was the warning? Assuming it was something along these lines....

Ref: "Erin you are taking too much time with the ball - you will be penalized"

Erin (thinking): "Ok no problem, I'll take the yellow card".

Being a keeper that is how I would play it. As Cheeta pointed out, the ref can add time in later. The yellow card puts pressure on Erin to play the ball faster the next time around. That is the only call ever made and the one that should have been made - nobody argues she hung on too long. People play the game according to precedent and the normal application of the rules. The call made is and was unheard of, never called, and is so unusual that (surprise) people call it bizarre, unusual and (gasp) suspicious, (including Americans who are not non soccer loving trolls - as evidenced by the cited articles).

While I agree with much of what you've said, yellow cards for time wasting are awarded for the delaying of restarts such as goal kicks or free kicks. This ball was in play. She can't stop play, give a YC and then give us the ball back can she? Of course not. If she gave us a yellow, she would still have to blow her whistle halting the game and it would still be an indirect free kick from the point of the perceived infraction.

You're totally correct about precedent though. She can't call that at the end of the game and not call it earlier. The referee set the precedent and she really had to live with it .... but she didn't .... because she was weak and succumbed to the pressure being put on her by the USA players.

A stronger referee would never allow that to happen and might in fact backlash against them.

Investigation? Ya well, ok in as far as why she did it and why she was appointed to a match that her experience clearly didn't justify. She's not corrupt. She's just incompetent AND sub-consciously biased. Canada is the minnow and the USA is the whale. They were being given the benefit of the doubt often during the match. Canada was not and in the end it made a difference.

The real "crime" here is that an incompetent official was given an international semi-final but it has happened before and it will happen again.

[paul-collins]

If that's how it happened then Erin should know her rules.

She said, she said... Erin has given her account, and Abby has given hers. I know who I lean toward, as far as believing the story.

[Lord Bob]

It's a question of context. Solo was on the loosing team and didn't gain anything from slowing the game.

It's the same reason why you'll never see a player in the loosing team getting carded for wasting time.

But the Laws don't make that distinction. By the letter of the Laws, Solo was equally guilty. And given that ref moron was overthrowing ten years of the spirit of the Laws to stick to the letter...

[superbrad]

While I agree with much of what you've said, yellow cards for time wasting are awarded for the delaying of restarts such as goal kicks or free kicks. This ball was in play. She can't stop play, give a YC and then give us the ball back can she? Of course not. If she gave us a yellow, she would still have to blow her whistle halting the game and it would still be an indirect free kick from the point of the perceived infraction.

You're totally correct about precedent though. She can't call that at the end of the game and not call it earlier. The referee set the precedent and she really had to live with it .... but she didn't .... because she was weak and succumbed to the pressure being put on her by the USA players.

A stronger referee would never allow that to happen and might in fact backlash against them.

Investigation? Ya well, ok in as far as why she did it and why she was appointed to a match that her experience clearly didn't justify. She's not corrupt. She's just incompetent AND sub-consciously biased. Canada is the minnow and the USA is the whale. They were being given the benefit of the doubt often during the match. Canada was not and in the end it made a difference.

The real "crime" here is that an incompetent official was given an international semi-final but it has happened before and it will happen again.

Good point however...

The ref can either allow play to continue and give the yellow at next stoppage. Or stop the play downfield with a drop-ball restart and still award the yellow card. Game management is a skill you are evaluated on as a referee. You can make a great call on a blatant foul but if you did it because you missed the previous one - you have poorly managed the game.

As for my 'investigation' comment. The girls may be over it but I'm still pissed.....

[loyola]

But the Laws don't make that distinction. By the letter of the Laws, Solo was equally guilty. And given that ref moron was overthrowing ten years of the spirit of the Laws to stick to the letter...

I don't understand why everyone is alluding to that 10 years period? Are we so in love with the british game to only take into account what happened in the EPL?

It's a call you'll see rarely but it probably happened in German bundesliga, France and other countries top leagues at some point. Like I said, Solo has been called for it in 2009.

The fact that the laws don't make the distinction is irrevelant. Ref will use this section of the law to put pressure on a keeper to not waste time and no one is asking the ref to have a 6 seconds count everytime a keeper is handling the ball. It should only be punished in extreme case when a keeper doesn't comply.

Actually, the fact it's almost never call is maybe an indication that this law has been used wisely by referees since it's introduction. Was Erin an extreme case? That's the question and I believe she was in a dangerous zone, specially if she was warned before.

[loyola]

She said, she said... Erin has given her account, and Abby has given hers. I know who I lean toward, as far as believing the story.

Euh??? I was responding to a post that was alluding to the fact that erin might not have known the consequence of a 6 seconds call. It hasn't anything to do with what Erin and Abby said.

[paul-collins]

I'm not talking about the rules part, it's the presumption that we know how it happened and that she had been warned.

[loyola]

I'm not talking about the rules part, it's the presumption that we know how it happened and that she had been warned.

But you quoted the part where I was responding to the hypothetic part.

Anyways, for the warning Erin said the AR told her at halftime about not wasting time. That being said, the warning is not mandatory, it's just better form from the refs crew IMO.

[Niagara Hammer]

some very interesting comments and opinions. my 2 cents.

yes it is a rule rarely in-forced. yes she held it for more than 6 seconds. So did Hope Solo. was she warned.

I watched the entire game I did not see the Central Referee once approach Erin and go nose to nose and say anything to her. Dose a warning have to occur on the field by the Central Ref and not at half time by the AR? I thought it did.

our self warned.

The warning should have included " i am going to add one minute for every time you hold the ball over 6 seconds keeper consider yourself warned"

do we know if the had ball was Mathison or Nault ? one replay looked like it went off Mathison before it struck Nault.

I agree this ref was not up for this game Nor the South African game. Does anyone know if they have to have female ref's? Are there not enough world class refs residing in Manchester?

OFF TOPIC

are there any good links for the web cast? My work has blocked CTV, TSN but funny enough I could get BBC for the GB game. It would be bad form to spoof an ISP on my work machine. ;-)

[Grizzly]

Lance Parker's take on the play:

http://www2.canada.com/edmontonjournal/news/sports/story.html?id=ffd862cc-6aca-4b06-b016-f91bd40678e2&p=2

"It was a really good game to watch. Glad that the U.S. prevailed, but there were a couple iffy calls by the referee for sure," said FC Edmonton goalkeeper Lance Parker, an American.

As for the last time Parker had been called for the six-second violation, you'd have to go way back.

"It's been called on me maybe once or twice when I was under 12," the 26-year-old Parker said. "At first, I thought she had dropped it outside of her box, like she had run outside of the box.

"Afterwards, I realized it was the six seconds. Either one of those calls is a hard one to do in a professional game."

[alberta white]

Lance Parker's take on the play:

http://www2.canada.com/edmontonjournal/news/sports/story.html?id=ffd862cc-6aca-4b06-b016-f91bd40678e2&p=2

"It was a really good game to watch. Glad that the U.S. prevailed, but there were a couple iffy calls by the referee for sure," said FC Edmonton goalkeeper Lance Parker, an American.

As for the last time Parker had been called for the six-second violation, you'd have to go way back.

"It's been called on me maybe once or twice when I was under 12," the 26-year-old Parker said. "At first, I thought she had dropped it outside of her box, like she had run outside of the box.

"Afterwards, I realized it was the six seconds. Either one of those calls is a hard one to do in a professional game."

Lance is a good Guy. Fully paid up member of the goalkeepers Union. But a straight Ace to boot. Also had a Steady 3 Hrs and 90 minutes Tonight.