For those with a distinct memory, if at all matters, this same referee (Joshua Encarnación) who had 2 red cards where players made contact with him a few years ago in the USLC. Guess directives have changed since then.
An additonal piece of background info. Owusu just retruned from serving a red card suspension with NYCFC first team for his post game violent conduct send off vs Toronto. Not the most mature player. Referees would be well advised to factor this into their preparations going forward--less advantage for him until he proves he can handled it.
Went back to see the clip, yeah there’s a defender blocking the view so you can’t see if he was actually holding him the entire time. But I think that he probably wasn’t; he likely held, then let go, then held again at around midfield. Nothing in this would have been worthy of a YC because it wasn’t prolonged holding and it wasn’t a SPA situation either based on number of defenders, location on field, and lack of options. I guess the ref just gave this as a VC retaliation yellow so waiting to blow the whistle wasn’t really a problem
Different Owusu? Prince Owusu was the player suspended for the MLS incident, and he plays for Toronto.
The R16 USOC match between Indy 11 and Detroit City has Japanese referees; assume this is part of an exchange program? Does anyone know who is going to Japan ? US Open Cup Round of 16 Indy Eleven-Detroit City Referee: Yusuke Araki Assistant Referee: Jun Mihara Assistant Referee: Kota Watanabe 4th: Rogelio Alvarez
I was told USSF sent a group of nationals to Japan a few months ago, but I didn't get names. I did, however, hear that one Luis Diego Arroyo is over there at present. I'll try to do some more research and reaching out.
https://www.cnra.net/2024/03/cal-north-referee-robert-vincze-represents-usa-at-sanix-cup/ Only name I could find so far
The names were shared in the April referee program newsletter. That was only part of it. There are also items related to Dallas Cup, and Elfath’s crew was there doing J League/Cup games in February/March.
Yup, was just discussing the latter. Apparently the expectation is that JFA will have some sort of write-up about their experiences, but it's sure been a while already.
https://www.youtube.com/live/6VzZ7ZKH-vg?si=EwBQJKXb1h027QNm apologies for the link, but I attended this game and there were 2 major potential RC incidents. - Possible VC at 30:26 of the video. I was looking right at it and the step looked totally deliberate. It seems the 4th official and probably the center saw it but the center (a female FIFA referee) chose to just give a warning. -possible SFP at 1:12:55 of the video. Live I was only sure that the tackler left the ground and that the point of contact was probably above the foot. Referee very quickly produced the YC. It seems to me like some of the criteria for SFP are met, but it could also perhaps be argued that the contact was glancing or not forceful enough? The VC was clear-cut for me, and left a bad aftertaste from what was otherwise a good refereeing performance. When I got home I was grumbling about ‘modern refereeing’ (even though I’m actually too young to have really known anything else).
Agreed on the VC. The SFP looks bad in real speed, but (with the disclaimer that the only replay is so zoomed out) the only studs contact is seemingly against the player’s own teammate. I think the studs go in front of the opposing player and he only gets hit with the side of the leg.
The 1998 World Cup saw one of the best players in the world tossed, at home, and suspended for three games for doing this exact thing. And no one really blinked. We can't even card an aspiring professional kid, huh? Either the officiating crew truly didn't think this was VC or we are operating under a regime where they are not expected to punish this as VC if they don't have to. Not sure which one is worse. I don't think it's the latter, but even if I'm right about that, I also fear there are no real repercussions for not punishing this correctly.
The SFP looks bad but if you look at it,the player's leg is bent and it seems that most of the challenge actually misses the opponent. YC is probably correct That missed VC is unconscionable. BOTH of them are looking right at it. The initial challenge he does is already pretty rough and could be close to a YC. How does this entire event end with not even a yellow being shown for that from a FIFA referee...
If you look closely, I don't think that's actually the case. The fourth official glances towards the referee right as the VC happens. It's hard to see exactly where the referee is looking at that moment.
This is unbelievable for a FIFA referee and presumably a national 4O to not get right. And I'd also like an opinion on where the original challenge sits on the yellow card spectrum. The defender flies right through him, and I think this deliberate stomp afterwards shows that it likely should have been a YC originally.
I mean Allen Chapman practically did the same thing in an MLS playoff game years ago where he gave only a yellow card for a headbutt 10 minutes into a playoff game and seemingly everyone was okay with it. So for an up and coming official or established official to see that and apply that logic to this incident isn't too far of a stretch.
Yeah but “light headbutt” has sort of moved to the yellow card category worldwide, whether we like it or not. In that match and that situation, we probably shouldn’t have been surprised. Standing on someone deliberately has, thus far, seemed to escape this trend to under punish VC and is still universally considered an easy red card. Just not here, it seems. I wonder (or maybe believe) that the sterile environment is a contributing factor, too. There’s no outrage or vociferous reaction. The referee team CAN under punish (or not punish) because of the environment. And that’s not good, because eventually that acceptance disappears.
Does Serafini still use that youth game stomp clip in her general presentation on fouls and misconduct?
We see that same incident in the Champions League Final this Saturday, how confident are you that we're getting a red card? Would a yellow card or no card surprise you? It wouldn't for me. Considering we just went through two full World Cups without a single red card for violent conduct it shouldn't surprise anyone that we are creeping up on a stamp somehow being a yellow card or no card because the force "wasn't excessive."