This is my 15th USSF season, and With all the changes in the last couple of seasons, I am having the hardest time when to raise the OS flag and where. It seems my biggest issue is on balls over the top and rather high lines. I was an AR on Saturday for a U16 pre-academy match with two evenly matched strong teams with both back lines getting to the half way line when the ball was in their attacking third. On two occasions, a long ball was played over the top and an attacker in an OS position took off after the ball closely followed by a defender. The ball was overhit and was 30 yards down the field toward the corner flag. No other attacker made a run. I went maybe 10 yards down field and popped the flag. At half time, my partner AR and I had a discussion that I should have gone with ball and waited for the touch or play, saying that’s the new interpretation. (Here’s where I wish the ATR still existed!). Second half, similar play. I go further, pop the flag, and the ball is out for a throw instead about 25 yards from where I am. Again, although it seems natural, I think both of my flags were incorrect AT THE TIME. There was no doubt the players were off, and that attackers and defenders did run towards the ball. So, what are you doing?
The primary changes were to define the concept of an attacker being “involved in play”. A quick read of your situations it doesn’t sound like involvement (as currently define) was there. Was the ball so overhit that it wasn’t playable by either attacker? Then I say no flag until something changes to make the player involved. But if there was a risk of keeper collision, etc. then I would flag immediately.
See diagrams 3, 4, and 5 at the back of the book (pg 216) diagram 3 makes clear that you have to wait if there is an onside attacker with a chance at the ball diagram 5 makes clear that if it is going out for a GK (TI should be the same), there is no offense And diagram 4 is the key, with its explanation: "A player in an offside position (A) may be penalised before playing or touching the ball, if, in the opinion of the referee, no other team-mate in an onside position has the opportunity to play the ball." Sounds to me like your description is a clear match for diagram 4 and you were dead on correct. (I've always thought of this as the inevitability doctrine--if the only thing that is going to happen is OS, just flag it and get the game going.) Sometimes it is hard to tell 4 from 5 depending on the long ball--but not a big mistake either way if the ball is going out for a GK and we have an OS kick instead Where, I think, we really have to be careful in flagging per 4 is making sure it isn't a 3 in disguise--we need to be sure there isn't an additional attacker with a chance on the ball if the OSP attacker realizes she is off and stops.
Back at our state Presidents Cup in May, the last day I was AR for the de-facto U16B final (winner moved to Regionals). Our SRA, SDA, SDI were all watching from the comfort of the shape. Ostensibly they were watching the young and talented CR who was hoping to get his ticket punched to Regionals as well. I was the seasoned AR who was supposed to be there as a security blanket. Same play, long ball over the top to a striker in OS position. He turns tail to run it down followed by the defenders and of course he gets it first. In the debrief afterwards the SRA asks why I didn't flag it immediately and I said "I was trying to hold it to make sure the OS player got it first." The statement back was "Why are you running so far? Just flag it immediately. Everyone knows he was off."
I had something like this happen that I was looking at clarification as well. Long ball over the top, player in an OSP is racing towards the ball and only the keeper racing out to get it. keeper 100% going to get to the ball first so I usually wait. However, keeper kicks the ball straight OOB for an attacking TI. Should I then raise the flag for the offside because the OSP player definitely caused the player to attempt a clear rather than not be pressured. I kept the flag down and luckily nothing came of it, but I felt I was in the wrong there.
That player is only OS if he is close enough to be involved in the play. Sounds like in your case he wasn't, but the keeper was overly cautious. Those always feel bad, but I think it is right.
If he interfered with the goalkeeper I think you can make an argument for offside. Was he clearly attempting to play a ball which is close when this action impacts on an opponent or making an obvious action which clearly impacts on the ability of an opponent to play the ball?
In this context, if he was close enough to attempt to play the ball; he also challenged the keeper for the ball. But as described, it doesn’t sound like he was close enough for either. But would have to see it to be sure.
What I would say is that the keeper FELT pressured. That is why he kicked it instead of going to pick it up. It was also close to the 18 so maybe he felt he had to clear with the foot because he didn't want to chance getting the handling. OSP player was about 4 yards away as the keeper kicked the ball. So I should've raised the flag right as keeper kicked it? there was no other player within 20 yards of either of these two players.
One factor here: If you flag it when it's obvious that an offside violation *will* occur rather than when it *does* occur, doesn't that affect the location of the IFK? In a breakaway situation, we could be talking about a difference of 30 yards.
This. Which I've always thought of, taught and used as the protect-the-keeper-from-unnecessary-peril-of-collision clause.
An excellent question that I will leave to the more seasoned veterans. I had one once where a player in an offside position knew it. He was 20 yards from the ball with a defender 10 yards behind him. He slowed up knowing he was off and I kept my flag down. But he looked at me, saw my flag was down, and started running after the ball again. It was then I raised my flag. I thought it was obvious an offside violation would occur...until it didn't. Then it became obviouser.
It does. The restart is where the infraction occurs. In most cases, that will be where the ball is touched, but if you blow it dead for an infraction that *will* occur, you only have the current ball position to go by.
Aha - I have been trying to get a good answer for this for a long time. Do y'all agree this is the correct answer? Consider the situation. Defense is up at mid-field and therefore, so is the AR. The ball goes long and player in the OS position goes after it at speed and AR trails the ball, possibly many yards behind. At some point the AR decides to stop running and pop flag. In this hypothetical situation, when the whistle blows, the AR is at the 40, OS player is at 30 and ball is at 20. AR is standing at 40 with flag up - my experience has been that defense can bring the ball back to where AR is lined up, places ball and takes the IFK. The advice is - "restart taken from place where infraction occurred". I have never gotten a good explanation of where that is, assuming it is not where the ball was played. Is it the spot of the ball at the time of the whistle? If so, then Mr(s) AR needs to hustle down to get in proper position. Yeah, sure. If defense wants to take a quick kick from where ever, then we let them. But if they want to bring the ball as far up the field as they can, where do we draw the line? Spot of the ball at whistle? Spot of OS player at whistle? Spot of AR with flag up? Spot where OS player moved into OS position? Where did that pesky infraction occur?
I would say it's where the OSP attacker was when you decided the criteria of Diagram 4 were met -- which is probably also the position most advantageous to the defense.
Most ARs I work with will mark the spot where they were when they blew the whistle. In a breakaway situation, this is generally where the TLD was. I pop the flag, get the CR's attention for the whistle, and then run to where the ball was when I popped the flag. I'm not sure that is proper, but it is how I try to manage everything.
I do, expect other will too. It is the player that commits the offence when he gets involved, only thing different with this situation is that it is the AR that decides when he becomes involved. But in reality either should work, all will be clearly past the last defenders so should be accepted.
If we just made the restart from offside a PK it would be so much easier . Where the OS player was when they became involved (wherever you decide that is). Take the lazy path like I do and run to where the player was then raise the flag, or do it the right way, raise the flag when you decide there is an offense and when you get the whistle move to the right spot and signal.