At one time, assessors would give you extra points if you gave a delayed caution. You were pretty much golden if you did something like that. Guys were hoping they'd have a chance to play advantage in a card situation.
I will agree. About 10 years ago, MLS brought in a bunch of new officials, who screwed up (which is what rookies do) and they let them go. Some guys had one or two games and they were done. Many stopped refereeing completely. After a year or two of this, MLS realized that they were going to end up with an increasingly old referee corps because only the veterans were getting invited back. Obviously, though, the veterans eventually are worn out and end their careers and then who do you have? They then tried to figure out how to bring new officials into the system. I can't say that they appear to be satisfied that what they're doing now is working well.
The haphazard structure of the pyramid in the US is one of my biggest gripes with USSF. It doesn't seem like having a league two and league three would be something that would be particularly costly or difficult. Not having this structure, though, doesn't give young players a clear way to develop their game, it slows the development of the game in non-MLS cities, and more than any of that the refereeing program suffers. Unrelated, one random question that I've always had: do MLS ARs do centers for lower level games? Is their goal to become MLS centers? Or have they chosen an "AR" track?
Now while I'm not an authority on this by any means, I think most AR's stay as AR's, and mostly the younger ones' goal is to get that FIFA AR badge. So I think if you're an AR at the MLS level then you're staying with that. And also - what do you mean lower level games? Lower leagues like NASL or something?
No, all refs start as centers. At some point when a ref is identified as having professional potential, he's asked/recommended which track he's going to follow. I've worked with two current mls ar's who nonetheless still do centers in mens amateur matches. I highly doubt eitgher of them would have made the MLS as cr's though.
I'm going to pick on this one a bit too because I think, while well intentioned, the USSF went the wrong direction here. The USSF, very early in the selection process will track you as a referee or an AR once you're identified as a candidate for the highest level. Now I honestly believe that being an AR carries with it a different set of special skills, but I also see the value in everyone running the line at a given level before seeing a whistle. It gets you more familiar with the speed of play, the personalities, games within the game, etc. You also work more directly with a referee who, by action, will teach what would work for you and what wouldn't. In England, you tend to move up as an AR while working centers at a lower level. I think this would help solve some of the experience issues and this is the path Walton took. He was a Fifa AR before being a referee. I also think the pay is equal for all three positions over there, but others can correct me. If you aspire top the whistle, but are a great AR, then you can make the decision to give up on that after being offered a FIFA AR appointment and/or having the admins level with you and tell you there are better whistle candidates out there but you're great on the line.
Thanks everyone, that's interesting and makes some sense. In particular, this makes me think of Corry Rockwell. Each time I watch a game that he does, I see him do something helpful for the center, for the players, or for the fans. Can't imagine he does as good of a job as an AR if he's focusing on moving up the ranks as a center. Any other ARs to keep an eye on? Yes, that's what I meant.
Second and third division leagues wouldn't be that "costly or difficult?" Maybe if you're Bill Gates or Warren Buffett. The second division leagues struggle every year to have enough teams because they're all losing money. PDL is a revolving door of teams. MLS AR's do not do centers on lower level games. MLS AR's are FIFA AR's or National AR's and they only do lines. MLS Centers do not do lines, only whistle or clipboard. Some will do college games if they do not have a MLS assignment that week, but it isn't like they're doing five games a week. At that level, you may not do 50 games a year.
USSF needs to stop relying on other parties to build their leagues. Do the FAs in UEFA wait for donors and business proposals before building new leagues/tournaments/programs? It's in the best interest of the top tier to have stable lower tiers, even if those lower tiers are not money-makers, they lead to the top tier being more profitable. They need to find a way to do this on their own, without a sugar-daddy, to at least have revenue neutral leagues below MLS. If the federation were able to provide some consistency, it wouldn't be a revolving door of clubs. It's hard to build a fan base when leagues are formed, collapsed, combined, and restructured every 3 years. Interesting. Thanks for the info!
Off-topic, but this is easier said than done and geography is probably the most challenging component. The FAs in UEFA either have historical precedent (it's not like most 2nd and 3rd division clubs in England are new entities) or they do have huge investments for new ventures (by "new," I'm presuming you mean the continent-level competitions, which are relatively new compared to the domestic leagues). But that aside... Travel costs alone almost make it cost prohibitive to have a fully-functional lower division that is profitable or revenue-neutral in the US. In the 2nd and 3rd divisions in Europe, you're traveling around on a bus for every match. The most successful potential locations for second-division US clubs are going to be the second-tier population centers and media markets. Those aren't clustered together. You're not driving from Sacramento to Detroit, for example. Where are clubs supposed to get the revenue to pay players, meet operating costs and travel around the country? It's not like you're going to see a national television deal for minor-league soccer. You can only price tickets for a second-division soccer match so high (and how many of those clubs are going to have their own stadium? no many... so a lot of ticket revenue is going toward rent). The bottom line is that you need a much higher revenue stream to run a second division in the United States than you do in Europe, but, unfortunately, there's a much lower natural interest for fans/spectators in having a second division, so figuring out where that revenue comes from is much easier said than done.
It should be noted that the FA and the Premiership are two distinct entities. USSF does not manage or operate MLS or any of the other pro leagues. USSF is a federation, made up of various member organizations, including youth, adult amateur and professional entities, of which MLS is one. USSF does not tell its members how to run their organizations. MLS is a business, not a charity. Players can be developed in minor leagues and, right now, MLS is using the USSF Development Academy program to build players. So far, the program has had only minor payoffs. And better referees do not put more butts in the seats or eyeballs on the screens. As MassachusettsRef says, geography is a killer in the US. I know that Peter Walton had no idea of the barriers in the US simply created by different time zones and how travel to central meeting locations will frequently take longer than the meeting itself.
Good points all around, it's obviously not as simple as just making it happen, I just would like to see USSF do a better job of being proactive and providing some consistency in this regard. I won't go into too much detail, but I've always liked the idea of MLS making a farm system, similar to the way MLB does things with that league being the second tier and NASL/USL/whatever being the third tier. Essentially the reserve league becomes tier two and the MLS clubs become responsible for tier 1 and tier 2. Having a better structure would really helpful to the quality of refereeing. Anyway, sorry for the diversion.
I don't think there's another country in the world where a reserve league serves az that countries second division, Not sure why that should be so in the US. I think the current system in place isn't all that bad all things considered. What I would like to see is a tad more unity amongst MLS, NASL, PDL, etc....Nonetheless, for practical purposes, I can see why MLS serves as the big market first division, NASL as the mid market second division, and so on and so forth. I also see why the promotion relegation system simply will not work in the US and why its a risky proposition. The main problem, as LawD intimated above, is the distance factor and the costs/complexities associated with it.......an issue which not many other countries face.
FYI I'm currently working on updating for all the games since June. What happened to the sticky with all of the assignments listed so I can double check my work?
Regular season: Code: Referee Matches Yellow Y/Game Reds R/Game Anno, Jasen 5 10 2.00 2 0.40 BAZAKOS, ELIAS 2 10 5.00 2 1.00 Bazakos, Fotis 10 18 1.80 0 0.00 Chapman, Allen 11 37 3.36 1 0.09 Elfath, Ismail 8 18 2.25 4 0.50 Fischer, Drew (CAN) 7 17 2.43 0 0.00 Foerster, Matthew 7 28 4.00 0 0.00 Gamble, Geoff (CAN) 11 33 3.00 0 0.00 GANTAR, DAVID (CAN) 7 14 2.00 4 0.57 GEIGER, MARK 16 52 3.25 10 0.63 Gonzalez, Jorge 18 55 3.06 4 0.22 Grajeda, Hilario 20 75 3.75 2 0.10 Guzman, Juan 13 50 3.85 2 0.15 Hernandez, Ramon 5 18 3.60 0 0.00 JURISEVIC, EDVIN 14 44 3.14 0 0.00 Kadlecik, Mark 7 27 3.86 2 0.29 Kennedy, Michael 6 22 3.67 2 0.33 MARRUFO, JAIR 18 48 2.67 3 0.17 Okulaja, Abiodun 5 16 3.20 1 0.20 Penso, Chris 19 42 2.21 2 0.11 PETRESCU, SILVIU (CAN) 19 59 3.11 1 0.05 Reyes, Yader 5 12 2.40 1 0.20 Rivero, Jose Carlos 8 32 4.00 4 0.50 SALAZAR, RICARDO 17 53 3.12 4 0.24 Stoica, Sorin 8 33 4.13 1 0.13 Stott, Kevin 18 50 2.78 1 0.06 TOLEDO, BALDOMERO 21 55 2.62 1 0.05 VAUGHN, TERRY 2 9 4.50 0 0.00 Villarreal, Armando 9 25 2.78 5 0.56 WARD, PAUL (CAN) 7 15 2.14 0 0.00 All Referees 323 977 3.02 59 0.18
Regular season with nicer formatting: Code: Referee Matches Yellow Y/Game Reds R/Game Anno, Jasen 5 10 2.00 2 0.40 BAZAKOS, ELIAS 2 10 5.00 2 1.00 Bazakos, Fotis 10 18 1.80 0 0.00 Chapman, Allen 11 37 3.36 1 0.09 Elfath, Ismail 8 18 2.25 4 0.50 Fischer, Drew (CAN) 7 17 2.43 0 0.00 Foerster, Matthew 7 28 4.00 0 0.00 Gamble, Geoff (CAN) 11 33 3.00 0 0.00 GANTAR, DAVID (CAN) 7 14 2.00 4 0.57 GEIGER, MARK 16 52 3.25 10 0.63 Gonzalez, Jorge 18 55 3.06 4 0.22 Grajeda, Hilario 20 75 3.75 2 0.10 Guzman, Juan 13 50 3.85 2 0.15 Hernandez, Ramon 5 18 3.60 0 0.00 JURISEVIC, EDVIN 14 44 3.14 0 0.00 Kadlecik, Mark 7 27 3.86 2 0.29 Kennedy, Michael 6 22 3.67 2 0.33 MARRUFO, JAIR 18 48 2.67 3 0.17 Okulaja, Abiodun 5 16 3.20 1 0.20 Penso, Chris 19 42 2.21 2 0.11 PETRESCU, SILVIU (CAN) 19 59 3.11 1 0.05 Reyes, Yader 5 12 2.40 1 0.20 Rivero, Jose Carlos 8 32 4.00 4 0.50 SALAZAR, RICARDO 17 53 3.12 4 0.24 Stoica, Sorin 8 33 4.13 1 0.13 Stott, Kevin 18 50 2.78 1 0.06 TOLEDO, BALDOMERO 21 55 2.62 1 0.05 VAUGHN, TERRY 2 9 4.50 0 0.00 Villarreal, Armando 9 25 2.78 5 0.56 WARD, PAUL (CAN) 7 15 2.14 0 0.0 All Referees 323 977 3.02 59 0.18
Including playoffs: Code: Referee Matches Yellow Y/Game Reds R/Game Anno, Jasen 5 10 2.00 2 0.40 BAZAKOS, ELIAS 2 10 5.00 2 1.00 Bazakos, Fotis 10 18 1.80 0 0.00 Chapman, Allen 12 41 3.42 1 0.08 Elfath, Ismail 8 18 2.25 4 0.50 Fischer, Drew (CAN) 7 17 2.43 0 0.00 Foerster, Matthew 7 28 4.00 0 0.00 Gamble, Geoff (CAN) 11 33 3.00 0 0.00 GANTAR, DAVID (CAN) 7 14 2.00 4 0.57 GEIGER, MARK 18 56 3.11 13 0.72 Gonzalez, Jorge 18 55 3.06 4 0.22 Grajeda, Hilario 21 79 3.76 2 0.10 Guzman, Juan 13 50 3.85 2 0.15 Hernandez, Ramon 5 18 3.60 0 0.00 JURISEVIC, EDVIN 15 47 3.13 0 0.00 Kadlecik, Mark 7 27 3.86 2 0.29 Kennedy, Michael 6 22 3.67 2 0.33 MARRUFO, JAIR 20 52 2.60 4 0.20 Okulaja, Abiodun 5 16 3.20 1 0.20 Penso, Chris 20 43 2.15 2 0.10 PETRESCU, SILVIU (CAN) 21 66 3.14 1 0.05 Reyes, Yader 5 12 2.40 1 0.20 Rivero, Jose Carlos 8 32 4.00 4 0.50 SALAZAR, RICARDO 19 55 2.89 4 0.21 Stoica, Sorin 8 33 4.13 1 0.13 Stott, Kevin 19 54 2.84 1 0.05 TOLEDO, BALDOMERO 23 57 2.48 1 0.04 VAUGHN, TERRY 2 9 4.50 0 0.00 Villarreal, Armando 9 25 2.78 5 0.56 WARD, PAUL (CAN) 7 15 2.14 0 0.00 All Referees 338 1012 2.99 63 0.19