To answer a question asked earlier, Tim Weyland has officially retired. He announced this at the midseason pro clinic.
Speaking of referee statistics, here's what I have compiled: Code: [b]Referee Matches Yellow Y/Game Reds R/Game[/b] Anno, Jasen 6 26 4.33 6 1.00 Chapin, Andrew 1 2 2.00 1 1.00 DePiero, Steven 2 8 4.00 0 0.00 Geiger, Mark 10 40 4.00 1 0.10 Gontarek, Jeff 4 17 4.25 1 0.25 Gonzalez, Jorge 9 26 2.89 2 0.22 Grajeda, Hilario 8 34 4.25 3 0.38 Hernandez,Ramon 1 4 4.00 1 1.00 Jurisevic,Edvin 7 26 3.71 1 0.14 Kennedy, Michael 11 36 3.27 4 0.36 Marrufo, Jair 7 24 3.43 3 0.43 Moody, Shane 3 12 4.00 1 0.33 Okulaja, Abiodun 7 19 2.71 3 0.43 Petrescu, Silviu 3 14 4.67 0 0.00 Prus, Alex 15 49 3.27 2 0.13 Reyes, Yader 4 14 3.50 1 0.25 Salazar, Ricardo 18 67 3.72 6 0.33 Stott, Kevin 15 57 3.80 2 0.13 Toledo, Baldomero 16 69 4.31 8 0.50 Vaughn, Terry 13 58 4.46 4 0.31 Ward, Paul 6 24 4.00 4 0.67 Weyland, Tim 6 24 4.00 5 0.83 [b]All Referees 172 650 3.78 59 0.34[/b]
Anybody have a picture of Marrufo? Since refs don't have names on their Jersey's I have no idea who this guy is. I'd like to put a face with the name and the USSF bio link is not working.
Id love to get a cope of that NE, CHI game as ive looked for tools to help referees and myself learn how to better manage a tough game.
The fitness tests at these levels don't have allowances for injuries or illness. Yes, it sucks if you're sick, but they need people who can perform. They don't want somebody calling in due to a cold or recovering from the flu on this level of match. I've heard many a story of referees not making FIFA lists or failing the national fitness tests because of injury or illness. I had a friend pull a hammy at the national test this year, and the only reason he wasn't out was because he had one more camp he could attend and take the test. May seem unfair, but it's the way it works. I uploaded my copy of the Marrufo NER-CHI game to a server for download. It's not the whole game, but rather sliced and diced down to about 8 minutes of footage featuring fouls and such. The address is http://www.lssra.org/USSF_Presentations/Videos/MarrufoNER_CHI.wmv
Yet another reason I would never want to work at this level and I feel that they paint themselves into a corner and end up taking less then the best referees that are out there.
I think you make contradictory points here, and I agree with the latter one. You said that the fitness tests don't allow for injuries or illness. Then you say you had a friend who pulled a hamstring at national camp but still had time for a make-up. I think your example is more accurate as to what actually occurs. Years ago, Kevin Terry was at the New England regional pro clinic to take the fitness test--more than 2 months after he had failed, due to injury, at national camp. He was given every chance to get himself matchfit for MLS. I think tradition in USSF has been that, in order to maintain your grade and/or be cleared for professional matches, allowances have been made. The problem (or difference--I see it as a problem, here) is that the All-Star game fitness test doesn't have any natural follow-up/makeup dates, like national camp has. Without such dates available, I would tend to think that the powers that be would make an allowance for an active MLS referee (who passed the beginning of the year test) if that referee is otherwise in good favor. As an example, does anyone think Salazar or Toledo would have been dropped for the entire season if they happened to be ill over the All-Star game weekend? I don't want to automatically buy into the hearsay. But I do think that, if an injury or illness takes a referee out of the All-Star game fitness test, he should have a chance to re-test if his recovery time is reasonable. Otherwise, that means that it's okay to get the flu in May, June, August or September (and decline assignments because of it)--just not a specific weekend in late July. You are right to say that, if there are no more tests available in pre-season, a referee is typically out-of-luck. But the All-Star fitness test is something entirely separate from every other fitness test within USSF--and, as such, there should be special accommodations for legitimate and untimely illnesses or injuries.
I agree with this wholeheartedly, assuming there is a good reason for the failure other than just not keeping up one's fitness, of course.
That's always going to be a difficult evaluation to make. The administrators probably have a good idea of the approximate fitness of each professional referee, but quantifying it (outside of test results, which do this) is difficult. I mean, someone could have the flu but be fit enough to squeak by and pass the test anyway. Or someone could be super-fit but be unlucky and pull a muscle or suffer some other really bad injury that totally prevents him/her from passing the test.
Fair enough. But how hard would it be if a sick/injured referee said "look, I'm in bad shape this weekend and don't want to risk it. I'll skip the test so I don't fail and I'll fly to Chicago (or wherever) on my own dime by August 10th to complete the test. If I fail then (or don't recover), I'll forfeit all my MLS assignments for the rest of the year." Perhaps I'm missing something, but it doesn't seem too difficult logistically. And again, I'm not judging the hearsay either way (because with rumors like this, there's always more to the story), but I highly doubt that the guys getting all the games this year (Salazar, Toledo, Vaughn) would have been dropped for the entire year for an untimely illness.
Without getting into how things have been done in the past, something like that seems reasonable enough.
Hey all, I didn't say I endorse a draconian fitness policy. I just know that's the way it is. I agree... I know some pretty good refs who didn't get their national badge because they missed the time on a fitness test by a couple seconds. You would think there would be a window of times where somebody fails but gets a chance for a retake at a later date, maybe even the next day. I'd think that somebody who has done the assessments, etc. and appears to be national-quality or better should at least get one retake. If somebody is injured, a doctor's note might be required, but I don't necessarily endorse the concept of all-or-nothing. I know of one person who didn't get a major opportunity due to an injury that he thought he just needed to work through... it's ridiculous that somebody of that caliber was denied advancement because of an injury. But, I can still see the point for USSF/FIFA. It's not like these fitness tests sneak up on people... they're scheduled months in advance. Illness or injury may be one thing. Straight failure without an excuse... shoot, you want these people to be the best. Most of the guys know they get one shot, and if they fail, well, maybe they aren't physically cut out for it? I don't know what the answer is, but I think it may be more complicated than it seems.
Marrufo probably is not too worried. The first time he was suspended by MLS for the remainder of a season (either 2003 or 2004) for unacceptable performance he was rewarded with the A-League Championship match that year, and shortly after was placed on the FIFA list. Based on this, not only will he still go to WC 2010, but he'll get the final as well! Teflon...or a godfather? PH
None of the above. His father holds (or held) a powerful position in the Mexican Federation, so maybe that helps. Who knows? But it must be something, as the other thread on this topic provides the info that he is doing games in the USL-1 league. That's why I said on my last post that he is probably not worried at all. And I suppose he is still getting his salary as one of the 4 full-time professional referees? All of this sends a wonderful message to all the other referees who are out there busting guts to get in the professional leagues and on the FIFA list.
I happen to know both Mike and Abi. Both are excellent referees with VERY different temperaments and styles. Mike and I started refereeing at about the same time in an indoor facility here in Chicago in the mid 80's. You could tell he was going places then. I went on to law school, he became a FIFA ref...such is life. In any event, great guy and excellent ref. Abi and I had a blow up about two months ago in a Mens Open match that I was coaching. Gave a straight red to my sweeper with about 20 seconds to go on an insignificant play in the middle of the pitch. I was NONE TOO HAPPY when I went to pick up my passes afterwards and let Abi know it. He in turn let me know exactly who he was and where he reffed...needless to say, the "conversation" went downhill from there. As luck would have it, he reffered our very next game, and I have to be honest, it was the best officiated game I have ever seen at the Amateur level. Absolutely flawless. I give the guy a ton of props. I don't necessarily like his confidence/arrogance, or demeanor, or the way he sometimes shows up his "inexpereienced" ar's, but he's a hell of a referee. No problem with fitness, getting deep in the corners, etc..........