There's always that chance, but newspapers do like a good potential scandal. Whether a soccer scandal is enough to pique their collective interest remains to be seen. It's worth a shot...
Re: MLS Refereeing and my comments It was not leaked? Ok. I just didn't know it was procedure to distribute such a document widely outside USSF. USSF does not have the reputation of being very open with it's information as it pertains to referee performance. Yet I got an e-copy before it was ever on the net, and I am literally nobody in the USSF. Your loyalty lies with the Federation. I will say that USSF referees that do MLS games vary widely in quality. The involvement of MLS obfuscated the quality of referees, to the point that I don't think very many MLS fans really KNOW how consistent this level of referees can be. My complaint with USSF is that we have zero assurance of accountability. There is no communication between fans and the Federation so that fans know that (excuse my bluntness) refs that score poorly are tossed out of the pool. I can make a case that because fans WERE NOT involved, MLS influence went unchecked. Your missive implies that well rated referees were not given games, and that referees that bent to the whim of MLS (and by definition) got lesser evaluations ended up getting more games. But since no one outside the evaluators ever knew the story, we the fans had nothing to hold the system accountable. I'm not saying every fan should know the evaluation of the referees exactly. But since you don't really care what fans think about an individual referee's performance (right?), what difference does it make that we do know? If games had been assigned by merit, and the numbers didn't jive, we'd have figured it out. If your actions results in the improvement of on-the-field performance, good for you and good for MLS.
Viking, you raise some very valid concerns. The issue of accountability with regards to assessment ratings is a legitimate question. How do we as fans know what the assessors thought about a given refereee's performance. I believe that at the professional level we need to take they mystery out of the evaluation process. Now in order to protect individual referees from having their tendencies or weaknesses known to the teams and players and thereby creating an advantage for teams over the referee, we should be willing to accept that the details of the evaluation should not be published, but we should know whether the referee and crew received a passing or failing grade. This scrutiny comes with the territory of being a professional referee. FIFA should do the same too. It would go a long way towards showing that both the Federation and FIFA are open and honest with fans.
You answered your own question. It is MLS. Of course they are that stupid. Remember: The reason for secrets is the protect the malfeasant.
I call it "allegations". I'm asking for "evidence". I would point out that while this is "public", it is also preaching to the choir. I submit that getting referees on your side accomplishes nothing. I submit that MLS FANS should be your target audience. If you wish to encourage MLS to change, you have to hit them in the wallet—that means us. After all, for whose benefit are MLS games staged? It's not for the benefit of USSF referees, I can guarantee you that. Fine. Verify them. You are the accuser. You provide the evidence. That's the way these things work. FURTHERMORE, you will have to establish the direct connection between MLS pressure and the lack of consistency. I've watched a few A-League games in my time. I've seen one or two international matches. I've seen NO evidence that USSF referees are more consistent outside the MLS framework. I have seen frequent examples of blatant incompetence. That's not to say that I disbelieve the whole premise—just that it should be proven, if you want positive action to take place. Let's face it—I can allege that all USSF referees are incompetent by definition, and point to examples in A-League play. That doesn't make me right. Here's a grand example—there was an A-League match refereed by none other than Brian Hall, with a thread including video footage here on BigSoccer and everything, where a goaltender lost his cool and attempted to strike the AR on the near sideline with the ball. Hall pulled a yellow. Under the Laws of the Game, that is violent conduct—a sending off offense. That’s a crystal clear example of a misapplication of the Laws of the Game by one of our most senior referees. And yet I doubt many folks would label Mr. Hall as incompetent after his World Cup performance. Nor does it prove or disprove the notion of A-League interference with referees. It’s simply an example of a misapplication of the Laws—something that happens on a regular basis. Don’t get me wrong—I’m not defending MLS here. If MLSHQ has been systematically pressuring referees to make calls a certain way, then that diminishes the integrity of the game, and must be stopped. But don’t expect me to take your word for it. Give me the proof.