US Soccer Week in Review for MLS Season

US Soccer appears to have connected its weekly posting of Referee Week in Review to the US Soccer site. It's a valuable review for all referees, where they can look at clips from the week's MLS matches and read interpretations from USSF's top trainers and assessors.



Look on the right column of this blog to find the links. I'll add new links each week.

Penalty Kick and Kicks from the Mark

Here's a challenge for all of you:

Respond to this challenge in a comment and come up two ways that PKs are SIMILAR to KFTM and two ways that PKs are DIFFERENT than KFTM. There are several for both. Let's see how many we can find. Here's one as an example:

Similar: All players must remain on the field of play for KFTM and PK.

Different: Players may gather in vicinity of penalty
area during PK, while abiding by Law 14 provisions, while in KFTM, all players are located in center circle, except for kicker and the two goalkeepers.

How many more can you find? Limit your responses to no more than two comparison/contrast so everyone has a chance to respond.

Meanwhile, look over to the right and see links to memos on PKs and KFTM.

Analysis of January Poll Question

Here's the scenario again:

Red player is attacking Blue in Blue's penalty area. From left to right, Blue #7 and Red #2 are standing on the goal line as a Red player shoots at the goal. The ball's path is heading to the right of Red #2(his left),who is standing still. Blue #7 pushes Red #2 into the path of the ball. The ball continues in play and goes out of the penalty area.

Three referees risked and submitted their decisions. Let's break down the situation:

Choice #1: Let play continue - not an option here as clearly a foul has been committed (push) by Blue #7.

Choice #2: Apply advantage - This is better option than #1...the ball is bouncing around near the goal and it might go in, only thing is...the ball has bounced out of the penalty area, and it does not look like there is any advantage left for the Red team.

Choice #3: Stop play, award PK; Send off Blue #7 and show red car for denying a goal scoring opportunity by committing a foul that is punishable by restarting with a free kick. YES...this is the best option. Blue could not get to the ball himself as Red #2 is standing to his left. Blue's push of Red #2 into the ball, keeps the ball from scoring. Pushing is a DFK foul, in this case punishable by a PK. Pushing his opponent into the path of the ball prevented a goal-scoring opportunity, thus Blue #7 must be sent off.

Choice #4: Stop play, award a PK, Caution Blue #7 for unsporting behavior. The explanation above demonstrates why this choice is not the best. This choice might have been the best had the ball scored despite the foul by Blue.

To be honest, I have never seen this scenario, but occurred to me one day and I wondered how I would handle it. It's important to rehearse and be better prepared for the unexpected.

Last thought. Some of you astute refs might be questioning the point of Red #2 being in an offside position. While it's possible, it was not stated in the scenario. But let's consider that Red #2 was in an offside position, at the point Blue decides to break up the play by pushing his opponent into the path of the ball, Red #2 has NOT demonstrated that he was involved in any active play. To interfere with play, Red #2 would need to play the ball and we cannot presume he was going to do that; To interfere with an opponent, Red's position may have kept Blue from gettting to the ball, and if so, he would be guilty of interfering with an opponent. The referee would have to form an opinion that Blue's position (distance from the ball) would have been close enough that he could have reached the ball had Red #2 not been there.

Any comment?

Referee Focus Points

I don't remember where I came across these focus points for referees, so my apologies to whomever compiled them. This list is a great review before an assessment. Let's do this...

How about you read the list then pick one focus point and explain in a comment what it means to you, how you might accomplish it, how you have used it and how it helped, or how you've seen it applied by another referee.

1. Prevent the next foul
2. Use personality to influence outcomes
3. Match your personality to the game situation and/or the moment
4. Influence the future with actions in the present
5. Referee for the future not just the moment
6. Does the game or player need the card?
7. The game is the best teacher. Learn from it and make adjustment during it
8. Send appropriate messages
9. Energy and intensity of the referee team must exceed that of the game
10. Chase every ball to the goal line and the goalkeeper
11. ARs should fall into the “rhythm” of the referee
12. Stay focused for 90 minutes
13. Don’t let your guard down
14. Don’t leave anything for chance while preparing for everything

Welcome back! Happy New Year

Sorry for the hiatus, but this is the first opportunity I've had to blog since my last post in October. I just finished teaching a referee instructor course and Advance Referee course in El Toro. Great fellow instructors; Great students; GREAT CAMP held twice a year at El Toro High School near Irvine, CA. This is part of AYSO Area 11L. If you the chance to take a class here, do it!

Area U will be offering an Advance and Intermediate class in Diamond Bar on weekend of February 22. Sign up on eAYSO.org if you are interested.

Second guessing ourselves

A fellow referee posed the following situation and how he handled it. Read it and comment what you think...

U14B. Big crowd in front of net. Attacker about 6 yds off to the left of the goal area line, about 2 yards in from the goal line, shoots across thethe front of the goal.

The ball hits the hand of a defender about 4-5 yards away, who I forget is either facing the attacker or his back to the attacker, I cannot remember, but the ball hits his hand but continues with just about the same velocity and direction across the front of the goal, and then is shortly cleared out of play for a goal kick.

At the time the ball hit the defender's hand, his arm was parallel with his body, his hand was below his waist, about 1-2 inches from his hip.

I made no call, in my opinion the player did not make himself bigger, did not deny a goal scoring opportunity since the ball proceeded in it's projected path with minimal speed reduction. However, post-game, as you replay things in your mind, I was wondering if I should have
called for a PK.

Answer to situation from Week 7 in Review

Under the AYSO national rules, there are only THREE specific substitution periods in AYSO matches. That said, when the sub period comes and the sub is unavailable in the bathroom, the RED team has two choices:

(1) allow another player to play, and the sub in the bathroom will have to miss that period because there will not be another substitution period before the end of the match. This option ignores the AYSO requirement for playing half the game, and a player being in the bathroom is not sufficient reason to deprive the player of playing time, unless the player were ill.

(2) bring off the two players who are subbing out, and send on the one replacement who is present. The RED team should play with 10 players until the other sub returns. Under the Laws, the sub can enter the field when he is beckoned on by the referee. Indeed, the sub can step on with the ball in play as long as he steps on from the touchline.

Before some of you say it is unfair for the RED team to have to play with only 10, remember the rules are established for both teams, and it is NOT the opposing team's fault the RED sub is not ready at the moment of substitution. There are many situations during which a team must play short. No team as an ABSOLUTE right to 11 players.


Going back to the scenario...

1. the AR should NOT have given permission to the sub to enter the field. When he did, it created a situation of 12 players on the field.



2. the Referee was correct to stop play when he saw the extra player run on, but had there been an advantage (scoring opportunity) for the opposing team, the Referee should allow play to continue until RED gained control of the ball or the ball went out of play.



3. When these situations happen, coming out with a card quickly is not recommended. First, the AR gave the sub permission to enter the field and the sub should not be punished for that error. The Referee should confer with the AR to find out what happened, then make an informed decision.



4. Had the sub just run onto the field, a caution would be justified for "unsporting behavior" as subs can only be cautioned for unsporting behavior, dissent, or delaying the restart of play.



5. In this case, since a caution is not appropriate and was rescinded by the referee, the restart should be a dropped ball from the place where the ball was when play was stopped.



6. Had a caution been administered, the restart should be an IFK for the opposing team from the place where the ball was when play was stopped.