My take on the MNT

The AR's post has done its job and inspired me to write something. For the most part, I agree with the positive take on Bradley's reign so far. I like what I see from players such as Feilhaber (his first half against Mexico was the worst he played in the Gold Cup), Bradley (although his red card was beyond stupid), Clark (who didn't impress me until the Mexico game in which he was outstanding), Bornstein (he looks very confident attacking from the left), Spector (seems like he takes a lot of criticism in the soccer press but I think has real talent) and Simek (ditto comments on Spector- I like his toughness), and I like that the players seem to have the freedom to attack and improvise on the fly. I think we are on the right track.

On the negative side, we still need to address some glaring weaknesses. I am not sure what is going on, but Gooch looks like he has slowed down considerably- his performance in this tournament can not have helped him get a better deal in Europe. Bocanegra also looked lost at times, but that may have been him having to cover for Gooch. I am not sure if Demerit is the answer, but central defense has got to be addressed immediately.

The other immediate concern is striker and no solution is apparent with this group of players. Ching gave a nice performance in the second half against Mexico but otherwise showed nothing- he can not be the answer. Similarly, Twellman shows heart whenever he is on the field, but he doesn't appear to have the technical proficiency to be more than a sub. Johnson is the most perplexing of all of our true strikers. His speed is mesmerizing and he looks good in MLS against poor competition, but since his injury his MNT performances have been tentative at best. While I hope that he will develop into what we thought he could be before his injury, I am dubious. Since I don't think Lando is big or tough enough to play in the middle of the field (either at forward or midfield- he clearly looks best out on the right wing running at people), the only answer seems to be Dempsey. He got criticized by the TV announcers (awful as usual) during the Mexico match, but he has a nose for goal and seems to be nasty enough to play up front, and putting him in the middle keeps Donovan out wide where he belongs. I haven't seen Altidore play, but maybe he will be the answer.

Two other points: 1) Can Lando lose that ridiculous pre-PK ritual?; 2) The next time this team misses an empty net I am going to scream (actually I have been screaming but I will do it louder).

10-0-1

Just a short post -- maybe generate some discussion.

Bob Bradley is 10-0-1 in his first six months at the helm of the USMNT. Thanks to Donovan's sure-footed placement of PKs and Benny Feilhaber's brilliant volley, the US defeated Mexico 2-1 in the Gold Cup final. Unlike what happened at the WC when the US fell behind late in the first half against Ghana, the team didn't quit and played hard and won, coming from behind. The mark of good coaching?

When Bradley was selected, there were some folks who were quite dismayed at the decision. Yet since his selection, we've seen the introduction of many new players into the pool of those from which the team is being created for different games and tournaments. It seems to me that he's taking a very methodological approach to putting together a team that will be better able to compete on a world stage, be it at the Confederations Cup in 09 or the WC a year later.

The team selected to play in the Copa America starting Thursday has several players with fewer than ten caps: Jonathan Bornstein, Jay DeMerit, Ricardo Clark, Justin Mapp, and Feilhaber (plus 11 other relatively inexperienced players). To a certain extent, Bradley's hands were tied by some players' club commitments. But as regards others, he seems to be saying: let's see who is available and able to compete at this level. So maybe the US doesn't get out of group play this time. To me, the goal is a better showing on an international stage in 09 and 10. And relying, as it seems we have for the past couple of WCs, on the same core group of players has not worked.

What's in Lalas' Pipe?

According to this, LA Galaxy president Alexi Lalas says that the EPL is a second-rate product:

"The fact that a segment of the world worships an inferior product in the Premiership is their business,'' Lalas said in an interview with The Guardian published Tuesday.

He added, "I honestly believe if you took a helicopter and grabbed a bunch of MLS players and took them to the perceived best league in the world they wouldn't miss a beat and the fans wouldn't notice any drop in quality.''

Having watched quite a bit of both, I have to wonder what Lalas is thinking when he says something like this. When MLS begins winning a few more games against the better teams in this hemisphere, then we can start talking about how far they might get in competition against European teams. And when an MLS dominant WC team can get out of the group stage of the tournament, then maybe his contention might have some merit. But that's well in future based on what I've seen so far.

Uniform Madness

An article on Slate discusses the dismal state of the USMNT uniform. Actually, as the article (actually it's a slide show) indicates, using the term uniform seems inappropriate. While on the one hand, the all members of the team where the same garments top and bottom, which is one definition of uniform, the other definition, suggesting consistency from year-to-year clearly is missing. As the article notes, when someone mentions Brazil or Mexico or Italy, a soccer fan immediately can picture the team's uniform jersey. How about for the US? Nope, didn't think so.

Does that picture on the right trigger anything??

Here's a link to the article.

My State Championship Experience

So now with 4 days gone since my trip down to Newport News, I finally find myself with some time to discuss the AAA Virginia HS State Championships.

I am going to start with how the assignments came about. I was told the Sunday before that I was selected to go to Newport News for the AAA finals and that I would be on the boys bracket. The other options would have meant either the girls finals or going to Radford, VA for the AA or A state finals for boys or girls. I was also told who I would be going with from my association - CSOA (Commonwealth Soccer Officials Association) - and that I needed to get in touch with him. So I tried getting in touch with him. Nothing happened. As I was doing the radio show, that fix, I was sent my first assignments - AR for both Semi-Final games and then 4th official for the final. This was Thursday and I had previously decided that I was going to go down on Thursday, spend the night, instead of driving Friday morning and arriving tired. At dinner that night, before heading out I got a call from the CSOA assignor. He said the guy who I had been assigned with was actually going to be unable to go - thus I got his assignments and they found a replacement for him. His assignments included a 4th for a Semi and then a Center for the other, along with AR for the final. MAJOR UPGRADE... haha - it was great news, although I will say I was happy to go either way.

Ill be very frank. And it may sound weird. Before the previous game I posted on - the Gar-field HS vs Forest Park HS - I was nervous. There was some doubt there. Yet, for even when I got the new assignments my nerves were very calm. This season has given me a lot of confidence.

The first game was at 11 am on Friday and I was there around 9:15-9:30. The replacement referee, Mel, had gotten there only moments before. We did not know our other two referees yet but soon met them around 10. Keith and Jim soon arrived and we went to a locker room to change and go over a pregame from Keith. Keith handled the game with class and Osbourne Park won going away 3-nil.

We had about a 30 minute break before my game. I let them get some water - it was hot, I felt I was getting burned just standing while being the 4th Official. I went and talked to the coaches, just some small talk. I had refereed TJ HS before and the coach remembered me and told me how much they had improved. I wasn't sure about that but I was about to find out. I then went back to the press box where our gear was and got ready. I gave my limited instructions to Mel and Jim (My ARs, Jim is actually a National Referee for USSF and had to leave early saturday from the Championship games in order to get back for a pro game). I gave Keith my limited instructions for 4th official. We did our international lineup (Everyone walks out together lead by the referees) and only then did I get a little nervous.

With the game underway I felt good. I wasnt hesitant in blowing my whistle, which is one of my harder problems. Making a decision is always the first step. But I was talking to players and everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves. The game was much more scrappy than the previous game and the teams were well evened. I kept everyone under control but I showed one caution to a player I had already talked to, for kicking the ball away. It seemed to be timed well because it calmed some down and brought everyone into half time in good condition. My fellow referees were giving nothing but good feedback.

The 2nd half saw some more action. 2 more cautions, both well deserved and a decisive goal. The goal which I have already linked to was a blast from about 17 yards out that was just way too quick for the keep to catch up to. The cautions were both for reckless tackles. I should have given a caution to another player but lack of communication on my part let that one go. I wasnt sure of the number and I should have asked my 4th official who was right there. Oh well, everyone lived and I will make sure next time. Overall the game was a good one and I enjoyed every moment of it. It was a good last game in the center for HS and I think this season was a boost of confidence in many ways with my ability in the center of the pitch.

The next day would test me on the line. Jim was the center and everyone was at the field by 11, 2 hours early, to get things together with pregame instructions. We all got our uniforms together along with any last second questions. We made sure all the balls were pumped up to the same psi and that the field was in good condition - there had been a lightening storm the night before. We then warmed up together, with some jogging and then individual stretching. We did the international walk-out, no introduction of the referees though, which was just as good because I was on the line with fans and they were going to talk to me no matter what, better if they didnt know my name. As The AR already wrote, the game was handled very well by Jim and it was fun being on the line. I felt good about the calls I made, including one foul which was pulling on the jersey. At the end of the game I had to run at the buzzer to get out of the way of the fans running onto the field for the celebration. It was a good end to a great trip.

My overall favorite moment had to be during my game. The TJ fans traveled about 300 plus strong and were all wearing red. The stands were about 5 yards behind the touchline opposite the bench. And to call a foul against TJ in front of their stands was something else. To have 300+ people yelling at you was funny especially for how stupid the foul was and how easy it was to call. So I smiled and moved into position for the restart, knowing you cant please everyone.

So overall I drove 375.9 miles. Spent about 90 on the hotel and about 40 on food. We will see how much I get paid for the games and how much they actually reimburse me. But it was fun end to a great season.

Some Spring 2007 Statistics
35 yellows, 2 reds (one was 2 yellows -> red)
30 centers (4 2-man games), 26 lines
*to go against my 1.+ yellows/game there were 12 games that I was center where there were no cards but also two games which had me show 5.

I'm Back

It has been a while and I am feeling brash so I suppose I will hit you all with some knowledge. First off, congrats to JG for his refereeing exploits and I look forward to booking his Champions League appearances and mooching off of him when he becomes the world's premier ref a la Perluigi Collina.

On another note, I want to discuss the US. Now the last time I brought up our distinguished national team, The AR put me in my place verbally, so let's hope my current thoughts are perhaps more rational and less absurd. Having watched the first 2 US Gold Cup games (and I think FSC has succeeded in delivering worse national team coverage than Rob "SERVICE" Stone), I feel strongly about a few points. Initially, Benny Fielhaber, despite his frightening German surname, is the balls. That's just about the only way to put it. Even as a youngin', he has filled, for the time, being, the boots of Reyna in controlling the midfield and creatively initiating play in front of him through creative passes and seeing forward runs. The future looks bright for him.

That said, I think that the US team has disappointed thus far. Though it is hard to see how two clean sheets and two wins is disappointing, I feel we should be producing many more dominating preformances. Gooch getting sent off in the first match, and our failure to take advantage of clear-cut chances to close out the Guatemalans disappoint me. We should be killing these teams, and if we cannot, we stand the chance of large-scale embarassment at the Copa America.

Va HS Boys Final

That was our own Ref on the sideline as assistant referee in the AAA Virginia Boys HS final, held at the soccer stadium on the campus of Christopher Newport University in Newport News, VA on Saturday, June 8, 2007. Also officiating were Center Ref Jim Conlee, a National Ref from Virginia, AR Keith Armstrong, and fourth official Mel Shabelski.

The Ref centered the semi-final game between Thomas Jefferson High School for Science & Technology and Cox High School, which TJ won 1-0. The Washington Post article from that game is here. No mention of anything controversial, which is a good thing if you're the referee!

In the final, between TJ and Osborne Park HS, the opening 10 minutes seemed to belong to OP, which had several opportunities along its right flank with crosses into the middle from deep in TJ's end. TJ had one really good chance early, and the ball found its way into the new, but CR Conlee immediately waived off the goal, seeing a push in the box committed by a TJ attacker. (The TJ coach was a bit peeved, to say the least, arguing that there was no way the ref could have seen a foul in the scrum, a comment later echoed in the press box (where I spent the first half). Of course, unlike players on the bench, coaches, and fans, the referee is watching the scrum just for that sort of action and his whistle was quick, without hesitation.) From midway through the first half and into the second, OP forgot to play wide and TJ began taking over, creating the better chances. TJ finally scored on an 18 yard shot that seemed to go either just over or through the hands of the OP keeper. OP began playing with greater urgency, but several shots went wide, they were offside on a couple of occasions (great, spot-on calls from our Ref), TJ's keeper made a couple of saves, and the game ended with a wild celebration in the middle of the field as TJ's hundreds of supporters stormed onto the field. Here's the WaPo article on the final.

I'll leave it to the Ref to describe the experience of being a part of the championship. Watching as a parent was a truly thrilling experience.

State Semis Part 1

I will post further a little later - probably will just edit this post but to keep you thinking... HERE is the video of the 1 goal from Thomas Jefferson HS in their win over Cox HS in the State Semis. See if you see anyone you know in Blue.

getting ready

Dont worry there will be a big post over the next few days about my time down in Newport News VA. Trudo needs to post sometime soon - preferable before i turn all gray which, lets be honest could happen by tomorrow

Way to Go!

Just a brief note: the Ref has been selected to work the VA HS AAA boys finals in Newport News VA, June 8&9. Don't know yet which games he'll work or his assignment, but it's a great honor, well deserved, in recognition of the fine work he's done this season.

The Ref also worked a Regional Final last week. The report of the game is here.