I couldn't find a video of Dempseys but they were remarkably similar fouls I think: [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=awoPy9Mx_Eo"]YouTube- FRANCE vs SOUTH AFRICA | Yoann Gourcuff Red Card | WC 2010 SOUTH AFRICA[/ame] Coulibaly absolutely jobbed us on the goal but at least he didn't show Clint a red in the 1st minute. That would have been devastating.
Clint didn't lead with his elbow. I think a yellow would be fine, but given how refs send our players off for the bare minimum I was expecting a red.
I don't know, Clint's elbow is in virtually the same position (not saying I wanted a red card or anything just showing how the decision could easily have gone that way):
I've posted elsewhere that a red would have been harsh for Demps, but not beyond possibility. The bigger difference than the elbow, I think, is the runup. If you look at the top of the video, Gourcuff is already running before he enters frame. then he takes 5 steps at full run before leading elbow-first - and all right in front of the ref. Again, not that Clint couldn't have gotten a red, but Gourcuff's run looks like an angry guy going into a player, not an impassioned player going after the ball.
There's a lot of discussion about this in the Referee forum. https://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1468036&page=5
Dempsey got a warning from the ref (immediate, before all the biching). Could have got a yellow in my opinion. Gourcoff's foul was marginally worse as he came in harder (maybe same position but faster pace). That looked like a clear yellow to me. The red was harsh.
Even if the ref from the SA-France match had reffed ours Dempsey wouldn't have been sent off because referees simply don't feel comfortable giving out a red card for the first foul of the match. It would cause an uncomfortable game and they are trying to get as many games in as possible to make their careers better. Not saying it wouldn't have been a red card in the 30th+, just not in the 1st.
Yep I can agree with that. The sad thing is that Gourcuff is probably the nicest guy on that shitty French side and he is the one that gets sent off instead of one of these other clowns like Ribery, Evra, Anelka, Henry...hell even Domenech <-- probably the most deserving of being sent off the sideline and the game in general for his incompetence. I've read every side of the situation there and man it is just awful luck for Gourcuff that he was sent off and will feel like even more of an outcast than the aforementioned made him feel originally. I'm all for growing some balls but when your teammates won't pass to you ON PURPOSE, there's a problem. I mean not even 15 year olds do shit like that. But I digress...yep should have been a yellow to both and if Dempsey ends up grabbing a yellow vs. Algeria I guess we can consider ourselves lucky that he didn't get one against Slovenia.