That's awesome! Congrats! I bought a new pair of USSF shorts in Dec... but for the first time in 20 30, eh let's call it 33+ years, I bought size Large. My XL's started feeling a bit baggy at last season's end, so being a cheapskate I'm hoping they will serve as enough motivation to lose those final stubborn 10 lbs this year...
Quite a few years ago now, I was scheduled to do an evening game at a school on the east side of town. I work on the west side. So I go to the men's room at work to change. Oh [insert your favorite bad word here!] I have no shorts or socks in my bag. I can not get home and then to the game in time, especially at rush hour. There is a soccer store, however, about a mile away, so I went there to buy some referee shorts. But it's later in the season and their referee shorts supply was real low. As in, so low that the only size they had was XL. I take a medium. No choice. put 'em on, cinch 'em up and go do the game. The socks they had were also for people with longer legs and bigger feet. The assignor was at the game. Her only comment later was "Your socks kept falling down." I don't think I ever wore that pair of shorts again, but they cost less than the game fee.
Were your old short even black after that long? I bought new shorts last year because of a picture. Before a game in the summer, one of the referees wanted a picture of the crew. When I saw the picture, I noticed that everyone had black shorts. However, mine were less black. I don't think that anybody noticed except me, but for me, that was the sign that I needed to buy some new ones.
In all seriousness, if you need to use larger socks again, just get the sports tape that the coaches have, wrap them around your socks, and fold the top part over the tape.
I don't know what was in the air last night, but for my boys varsity center I gave out 4 cards and 2 were straight red. In the 47th minute the game is 3-1 white and #6 black jumps in with both legs extended and studs showing making contact with the ankle/foot. I didn't even get an argument from his teammates. At this point the game should be over, white has dominated the chances and now they are up a man. Somehow they cannot finish any of half a dozen gilded chances in front of the goal. In the 65th minute, black gets a counter attack and #10 white pulls down the attacker a yard into the penalty area (hand on shoulder from behind). Mentally I swear at myself because the moron was close enough to stick is foot out, pretend to make a play on the ball, and get a yellow for his troubles, but noooooo, here is a red for the foul, the pk makes it 3-2 white with 15 minutes of 10v10 soccer left. At that point, a few of black's less skilled players got stupid because "Nothing good comes from hope." In the 72nd minute white #14 is racing down the line, still 40 yards from the goal line and black #5 tries to tackle the ball away from behind. Luckilly he swings in from the side to mitigate the contact from red to yellow. Black #5 has hurt himself a bit so he is still down on the ground giving plenty of players to say something to me about, "It was from behind." (white) or "He isn't the last man." (black). My favorite was the black player who came up to me after everyone had settled down and very emphatically said that it couldn't be a red card and implied that I was an idiot for thinking that it was. I was holding a yellow card in my hand while that happened. Three minutes later, black #22 gets beat and is falling to the ground and just swings his leg at the opponent kicking him laces first in the back of the legs just below the calves. He didn't hit the achilles and it wasn't full force to save me from having to think about another red card but his yellow was well earned. It was quite the last 15 minutes of soccer and at the end, my one watch said 50:21 after all the misconduct and injuries in that half. Side note, 12-8-2d(4) says, "a player commits a foul, inside the penalty area, while not attempting to play the ball, and the goal is not scored." It doesn't say anything about an obvious goal-scoring opportunity so in theory any push, hold, etc would be a red card no matter what the attacking opportunity.
My best story is that after busting my knee during the college season and being under two months of no running restrictions by my doctor, I finally got the green light to run again after a whole bunch of PT and it felt great to be out running again.
Woooho. I'm getting there. Slowly, I'm curing my knee injury where I'll be able to finish a game with no pain... ALMOST there for me.
I think you're missing the fact that as far as I can tell, this should be read in conjunction with 12-8-2d(3). The two rulings are joined by an "or" so I think the intent is that you're supposed to take them together: In any event, I just don't believe the intent of those who write the NFHS Rules was that any push, hold etc in the penalty area is an automatic red card.
I don't see the "or" you mention, but I agree regarding the intent of the Rule. Others' thoughts on this?
Are you going to red card a player for every push or hold in the penalty area? That rule is about obvious goal scoring opportunities.
I said I agree with the intent, and therefore obviously with how I enforce it. But it's written wrong.
Not sure if this is a glitch in GameOfficials, or what. I had a couple games this past Saturday cancelled because of unplayable fields. Yesterday those games got rescheduled. I was assigned center for both, and without looking closely, I accepted. Except the games are now on the then visiting teams' field, three hours away. I have no idea how my local assignor was able to assign them. When I looked closer at the assignment, I asked him to remove me. $90 for a three hour trip wasn't going to happen.
In my experience, when cancelled games are rescheduled, as soon as the games are rescheduled, you remain on the game unless someone removes you. It overrides all blocks and other assignments resulting in the possibility of double-booking, overriding blocks, and being assigned to games months out when the assignor only works 1-2 weeks in advance.
"Any sufficiently advanced bug is indistinguishable from a feature." I think the idea is that original assignees get "right of first refusal" for a game that they were assigned to and had accepted previously.
as an assignor who uses GO, I can confirm. If I cancel a game, crew remains on game unless I remove them. I can then change location, date, etc and approve the game again. When this happens, it ignores all blocks or other games for the crew so I have I have to remind the referees to verify their schedule before accepting new dates/times/locations
First set of the year, 3 U10 boys top-tier matches. Zero issues, lots of "Thank for letting them play soccer" from coaches. Second match: GK spills the ball while slide-diving for it, attacker scores. Coach: Ref, he had possession Me: No, coach, he spilled the ball, never controlled it. Coach: Timmy, did you have the ball? Timmy: No, I dropped it Coach: Sorry, ref! I love the little guys, still honest.
Doing a dual on my last Texas HS match of the year. With the visiting girls leading 4-0 in the second half, the home team got a break towards goal. The defender neatly passed (with her foot) back to the keeper from about 10 yards out. Keeper picked up the ball. I have a perfect view of the infraction, and I haven't made this call in a year or three. TWEET! Indirect for Red, just inside the PA. I set the ball down and raise my hand. Home team looked at me with no clue what to do. One of the defenders hustled in to stand about 5 feet from the ball. After little response from the Home side, I set a wall, and blew the whistle. Home team proceeded to kick the ball wide of the goal without a second touch. Hopefully both teams use this as a learning moment, but I have my doubts.
Season doesn't start here for another month. Best story this week is my economy XL jerseys still fit ok (the pro versions, not so much).
A couple years ago, I was AR1 with a center who is an engineer. He is the most exact person I know. When regulation time is up, he'll say "90 seconds stoppage" or something more precise than "at least a minute." In that game, the home team broke past the visitors' high line and had a one on one with the keeper. Right before the attacker got to the PA, the center blew half time. Home team was already up 3-0 so the home team wasn't too upset. But he coach did use the term "Brutal." Fast forward to today. 2-1 visitors in the closing seconds of the second half. Visitor boots the ball high and hard. The home keeper misjudges, the ball bounces in front of him, and on the rise brushes the keepers fingers. Same CR blows full time as the ball carries over the keepers head and comes down just under the crossbar. That would have made the score 3-1 had he not blown full time. The word "brutal" escaped my mouth and the visiting coach agreed. He didn't complain but he did ask if it counted. CR said "Time was up, Coach." I told the CR if it was 1-1 and that goal would have made it 2-1, I would have outran him to the parking lot.
Once was doing U-13 or 14 boys, solo, game is 8-0. Winning team has a shot on goal, in the air, from maybe 20 yards out, when my watch beeps. Tweet! Winning coach says, "The ball was in the air!" I turned and stared at him, with the chin down look. After a short pause, he says, 'Oh. I get it." I gave him a Collina smile.
I’m putting this here Bc in the grand scheme of things I believe it’s a good thing. My spring college game was canceled (even though it was a Men’s D1 middle) after it was moved locations Bc of the Corona Virus. All US Soccer DA matches have been postponed for the next month and half til April 30th. And Dallas cup was just canceled as well (makes sense with international travel). Welp it looks like I’ll be able to hit the track by myself now too since the local school district took an early spring break! Lol
I'm sitting here wondering whether my HS games will go tonight. They're schools that usually aren't entirely on top of things administratively speaking, so even if I don't receive a cancellation notice there's at least a 50% chance my partner and I'll get there and be the only ones there.