U14, both pre-academy teams of MLS clubs. I'm AR1. Green clears the ball away from their half up my touchline. White jumps in front and gets a small but obvious (when looking from the touchline) deflection on the ball off his hip. CR doesn't see the deflection and signals a throw-in for White. I put up my flag for a Green throw and gesture that White got a deflection on the ball. CR changes directions, no problems. White coach, standing ten yards from me and was directly in front of the deflection, yells to the CR that "you were closer, don't listen to him!" I walk by the coach and quietly tell him "you and I both know there was a deflection there" to which he replied, "you and I both know that he was closer." Not "no, there wasn't a deflection" but "he was closer." Lol. SMH.
Several years ago I was doing a U9G match. An attacker has the ball on her feet unchallenged to go one v the keeper. As she is approaching the penalty and prepares to line up a shot her father yells at her to shoot, which she does, and places the shot high and wide. As we walk upfield for the goal kick I told her, " tell your father that the next time he does that you are going to come to the golf course and yell at him in the middle of his backswing."
Very hot tournament at the weekend. I walk over to be AR2 mid day sun. I see a young boy holding an umbrella, and ask him how much to follow me up and down the line? His Mom says "How much to make the 'right' calls? I say, "We always make the right calls, you just don't agree with them."
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...we'll throw in a correct caution for free! That's two correct calls AND a correct caution for just two easy payments of $19.99! What a bargain! But wait, there's more...
Two calls where an attacker splits the defense while on their heels, and one coming back from an offside postion. Both of which none of the spectators agree with.
Some restrictions apply. Subject to change without notice. Don't taunt the Happy Fun Ball. Cheers, Mi3ke
I had a father ask me for my name this weekend after he said his daughter's knee was broken. I later asked some of the players if he was the father of the girl, and they told me that he was a different player's parent. I told the AR on that sideline at halftime that if that parent set something even remotely offensive, then he needed to let me know. I don't put up with parents trying to intimidate me with that crap.
U17 ECNL game Sunday - I'm AR2. After four cautions in first half (2 to each team) for clear tactical fouls, on a fifth caution late in the second half the coach yells "I've never seen so many cards in an ECNL game", like that's supposed to mean something.
Sunday, U13 G - easily the most physical U13 G game I've EVER seen. White v. Blue, White player has the ball and is shielding while Blue player applies pressure. White player turns to continue shielding. Legs gets tangled for a second, no longer, before White player decides to grab Blue player's jersey and hip toss her. I am about 10 yards away and whistle for a foul. White coach yells, "but she had the ball!". Yes, she did, coach - but she doesn't anymore. Later, Blue player has the ball and turns to shield. White defender decides shortest distance to the ball is a straight line. Straight line happens to take her through the Blue player. I whistle for a foul. White coach yells, "soccer is a contact sport! What was that for?" I stop play, walk over to White coach and say, "Can't run over your opponent, coach - it's contact but not MMA". I think I'm off this coach's Christmas card list, while my guitar gently weeps...
Is it ever appropriate for a ref to tell multiple players, U14 Girls one step down from MRL, that they don't know how to play? How about telling a coach he is just a stupid old man? That's what I heard this weekend.
U13g, meh. They might just be the hardest matches I do. And you should probably leave out the "old" part.
I would hit that ref with a rolled up newspaper and yell, "No!" The next time I'd put the ref's nose in it, probably keep him/her from doing that again.
When the coach asked him for his name after the game, he refused to tell him, but the AR told the coach she would report him herself.
Nawh. U-10 boys games between two Latino teams with at least four family members present for every player, at least five parents per team with cow bells and a solo referee who does not speak Spanish.
I woudn't worry to much about that.... I worked the ECNL National Finals this summer and had a U16 game with two reds (DOGSO-F & SFP, both to same team) and a yellow. Just because it is not typical does not mean it can't happen. I guess I'm still under your total of 5 though .
I just wanted to say to him "so what?" For coaches that are supposed to know what they're talking about -- neither seemed to see anything wrong with their defender grabbing a big handful of jersey after she was beat, or clipping an attacker's heels to stop a break... You could say the reds equal two yellows - and then we'd be tied!
It was the second game of the day for both teams and all the parents had been hanging around at various bars all afternoon. It did strike me as funny that after the game (ended in a controversial PK that caused a tie) parents from both teams were not happy about the ref. Usually it's one team or the other with the ref issues.
First game of the season...first game of their lives...U9 girls, mother is complaining about the pushing the whole game. Me: "It's going to be a long 10 years."
Girls HS JV dual system. Simple tripping foul right in front of me just outside the PA. No argument. Girl steps up and nails it just over the keeper's outstretched arm into the upper corner. As I move upfield getting ready for the kickoff the opposing coach asks me somewhat argumentatively "was that direct?" I just rhetorically responded "why would it be indirect?" He shrugged his shoulders and said "foul outside the box?" I just mentally wrote the guy off as an idiot and moved on. After the game I happened to walk past him as I came back from the restroom and he just said "sorry about that." I asked what he meant by that and he said, "I knew that was direct, I'm not stupid, I was just trying to see if I could get you to overturn the goal. I usually do that with young referees just to see if they're confident in their decisions." He laughed and I laughed with him to be polite, but in my head I was just thinking that's a pretty despicable thing to do.
Boys varsity last night. Defender comes in with a slide tackle from the side. The front leg takes the ball but the trailing leg takes out the attacker's standing leg quite forcefully. I call the foul and caution the defender. Coach: "He got the ball first." Me: "I agree. It doesn't matter." Coach: "I've got a U12 game you should be doing."
