OSI Referee of the Year Nominees. Referee Hometown Note: Brian Hall Gilroy, CA First American-born referee to run middle for a World Cup match (2002) Kevin Stott Rancho Cucamonga, CA Referee for MLS Cup 2001, FIFA-accredited referee Kevin Terry Carrollton, TX Referee for MLS Cup 2002, FIFA-accredited referee
it's interesting to note that Brian Hall who is apparently not FIFA-accredited has worked world cup matches, but the two who are have not. I wonder what exactly it means to be a FIFA-accredited referee. And yes, I repeat that UGH.
It just goes to show how poor the officiating is in MLS if in fact these bozos are being hyped for ref of the year.
FIFA accredited means you've passed the FIFA referee's exam for the top level of soccer. And Brian Hall is, or else he wouldn't be doing international matches like the World Cup or qualifiers.
All three are FIFA Referees. Hall went to this World Cup, and it's highly probably that Stott will go to the next two World Cups because of his age and the regard in which USSF, FIFA and CONCACAF all regard him right now. He's done extremely well at the international level at a very young age. Terry, unfortunately, doesn't really have a chance at doing much internationally, because of his age and his American contemporaries (a FIFA ref must retire @ age 45, and only one American can go to every major tournament).
I'm not saying these guys are good or bad because, frankly, I can't even tell you who the referee is half the time and I doubt I watch enough of their matches to judge. I just think that, no matter which three referees were selected, nobody would give them any credit. What a thankless job. Face it, the last match's referee is always the worst...only to be quickly replaced by the next match's referee.
I've read a few pieces in the past couple years etiher by referrees, or people who know what they're talking about when they critique officiating, saying MLS is one of the more difficult leagues to officiate, because it's so much more physical than many others. I think this is where you run into the problems with guys like Hall, who are outstanding officials at the international level, and appear to struggle at the MLS level. The level of play is obviously much higher at the international level, and there is more flow to the game, much less of players having to make up for their lack of talent by grabbing, and pushing.
not a bad theory. if there were less HACKS in the league, the officiating might "improve" Which brings us back to square one. Does the hacking stop with the players involved in the teams, or with the refs involved in the match?... or something like that, i don't know, we've got a game today which is more important than three refs.
Well written post, and you are more or less correct on all points. Two other points that might be added is that dissent is more prevalent in MLS than many other leagues (and this is partly the fault of the league/refs). And, one good point, that many fans don't know, is that American ARs are widely considered some of the best in the world. Currently, UEFA is adopting many of the training practices and mechanics for Champion's League from their American (read: MLS) counterparts. Don't get me wrong, offside calls still get blown in MLS, but compared to other leagues, we have a very good situation insofar as ARs. It seems that it's the hacking that breeds choppy matches, not bad refs that allow hacking that breed choppy matches. Take Stott, Hall and Valenzuela as examples. These three get great reviews for international matches, and control some great attacking games at that level. They come back down to USSF and they have more cards, more fouls and more problems. If Valenzuela can control CONCACAF qualifiers, Hall can do the Confed Cup and World Cup and Stott can do so well that he gets the Brazil/Germany game at the World Youth Cup, what changes when they go to MLS? They're still the same refs. MLS truly is a tough league to ref, with lots of physical and sometimes dirty play. Some fans hate to hear this, but only with refs like Valenzuela, Stott, Grady, etc., consistently punishing the ugly stuff with red cards (it seems like all 3 of them have a bad reputation for being quick on the red) will the league slowly start to eliminate some of it's dirtiest play.
I'm not sure if I agree with you guys here. MLS may be one of the most physical leagues but it's not even in the same universe as the EPL or even the Bundesliga. If you want "dirty tactics", watch Serie A where shirt tugging and diving come along every minute. In neither of these leagues to we see the criticism of the refs that we have here. The problem we have here is the inconsistency of the refs. Look again at what we're talking about in the Hernandez case. How can Hernandez' tackle from behind on McBride not have been a red card? I understand that SOME refs have a tough time giving out reds but they need to do it when it's deserved. The message I got was (a) that he didn't want to impact the match by having 11 v 9 - which he did because not only did it stay 11 v 10 but Hernandez is also available tonight and (b) whatever Hernandez did was just as bad as what Oughton did as both got a 4-pt yellow card - although many still have no idea why Oughton even was called for a foul. Look at the Kante situation. The Crew has played multiple games the past two season short-handed for similar calls ending with straight red cards. I remember Torres getting a red early in the season for tugging the shirt 25-30 yards from goal EVEN THOUGH there was another defender in the same line who could have caught up with the attacking player. McCarty got a red card for the same offense. Yet Kante gets a yellow card when he's clearly the last defender and took away a clear goal scoring opportunity. yes, we got a dangerous free kick but I would probably take a breakaway over the direct kick any time; therefore it should have been a direct red. My nomination for ref of the year is MassachussetsRef. At least he seems to be consistent in his opinions and in his analysis of calls throughout the WC and MLS seasons.
This is a link to a letter which has been making the rounds among referees for a couple of weeks now. Two different guys have sent it to me. I wasn't sure about the authenticity of it and so I have hesitated to post it. However, it is now being discussed openly over at the Referee boards, and several guys there claim to know that it is genuine. If so, it is as disturbing a piece as I have ever seen regarding what is wrong with MLS officiating. http://soccer-ref.quietfire.com/BobEvansPaper.html It is certainly true that, unlike anywhere lese that I am aware of, MLS officials are supervised out of New York by Joe Machnik, who is not, and never was, a referee. I'll let you be the judge otherwise.
I've already sent Garber an email about it. If you guys do, be certain to mention your ticket status ("long-time season ticket holder"), your concerns, and your hopes. Be polite, and include praise where deserved (e.g., Razov's additional suspension).
I have sent an email to Garber concerning this. I am so awestruck the audacity. If this is true, this will be one the biggest friggin sporting conspiricies of all time. I was hoping that someone else had caught onto this in here. I getting ready to post the link. I feel so far behind already. I have one of my people on this right now. Hopefully he can dig up some more juicy details.
Perhaps the explanations in the letter is among the reasons Brian Hall didn't do many matches this season (preparing to officiate in K/J doesn't cut it with me), only to finally agree to submit to these "suggestions" in time to get a playoff game.