I guess we could just do this on the MLS thread, but eh. I'm sure there are people on the forum privy to assignment information for USOC, so it'd surely be nice if it were posted here. These are the assignments so far: USOC Final Wednesday, August 8 Sporting Kansas City vs Seattle Sounders FC - Ricardo SALAZAR / Corey ROCKWELL / Peter MANIKOWSKI / Michael KENNEDY USOC Semifinals Wednesday, July 11 Seattle Sounders FC vs Chivas USA - Chris PENSO / Frank ANDERSON / Mike KAMPMEINERT / Baldomero TOLEDO Philadelphia Union vs Sporting Kansas City - Hilario GRAJEDA / Kermit QUISENBERRY / Peter MANIKOWSKI / Daniel FITZGERALD USOC Quarterfinals Tuesday, June 26 Philadelphia Union vs Harrisburg City Islanders - Daniel FITZGERALD / Corey PARKER / Brian DUNN / Eric WEISBROD Sporting Kansas City vs Dayton Dutch Lions - Fotis BAZAKOS / Chris STRICKLAND / Jared PEELER / Kyle ATKINS Chivas USA vs Charlotte Eagles - Chris PENSO / Fabio TOVAR / Marlene DUFFY / Juan GUZMAN San Jose Earthquakes vs Seattle Sounders FC - Yader REYES / Ian ANDERSON / Veronica PEREZ / Vicente CORTES USOC Fourth Round Tuesday, June 5 Seattle Sounders FC vs Cal FC - Daniel RADFORD / Mike ROTTERSMAN / Raymond MOFFATTE / Timon BERRY San Antonio Scorpions vs Charlotte Eagles - Jasen ANNO / Ricardo MERCADO JR. / John DEARMOND / Leszek STALMACH San Jose Earthquakes vs Minnesota Stars FC - Alejandro MARISCAL / Frank ANDERSON / Ian ANDERSON / Said RAVANFAR Carolina RailHawks vs Chivas USA - Ted UNKEL / Mark BUDA / Jude CARR / Daniel FITZGERALD Harrisburg City Islanders vs New York Red Bulls - Robert SIBIGA / Kevin KLINGER / TJ ZABLOCKI / Brandon SMITH DC United vs Philadelphia Union - Jose Carlos RIVERO / Corey PARKER / Jason CULLUM / Mark GORAK Michigan Bucks vs Dayton Dutch Lions - Kevin TERRY JR. / Igor REZNIK / Matthew FOTIA / Marc LAWRENCE Sporting Kansas City vs Colorado Rapids - Matthew FOERSTER / Chris STRICKLAND / Paul SCOTT / Jon FREEMON USOC Third Round Tuesday, May 29 Real Salt Lake vs Minnesota Stars FC - Tyler PLOEGER / Brandon MAJOR / Alex KRELO / Brad JENSEN Ventura County Fusion vs Chivas USA - Jesus CISNEROS / Luis GUTIERREZ / Bernhard HOSU / Elliot RENO San Jose Earthquakes vs Fort Lauderdale Strikers - Yader REYES / Said RAVANFAR / Colin ARBLASTER / Joe DICKERSON FC Dallas vs Charlotte Eagles - Jorge HERNANDEZ / Jonathan JOHNSON / John DEARMOND / Leszek STALMACH Carolina RailHawks vs Los Angeles Galaxy - Kevin TERRY JR. / Danny THORNBERRY / Ben WOOTEN / Brandon MARION Harrisburg City Islanders vs New England Revolution - Ayodji OBISESAN / Albert CALISE / Eric WEISBROD / Jaroslaw WEREL Tampa Bay Rowdies vs Colorado Rapids - Donald DELLAVIA / Kermit QUISENBERRY / Mark CAHEN / Jonathan WEINER Richmond Kickers vs DC United - Kai GOODRICH / Robert VELBIS / Mark GORAK / Matthew FRANZ Charleston Battery vs New York Red Bulls - Daniel FITZGERALD / Eric PROCTOR / Howard ASH / Wayne PAVLISCHEK Columbus Crew vs Dayton Dutch Lions - Sorin STOICA / Cory RICHARDSON / John SAFAR / Hilario GRAJEDA San Antonio Scorpions vs Houston Dynamo - Ismail ELFATH / Chris GORDON / Greg BOLES / Hayden EDWARDS Sporting Kansas City vs Orlando City SC - Younes MARRAKCHI / Mark BOYKO / Jared PEELER / Jon FREEMON Philadelphia Union vs Rochester Rhinos - Robert SIBIGA / Kevin KLINGER / TJ ZABLOCKI / Mark TREILMAN Michigan Bucks vs Chicago Fire - Britton MAIER / Jason WHITE / David ESSHAKI / Donovan NOOCHA Wednesday, May 30 Seattle Sounders FC vs Atlanta Silverbacks - Josh WILKENS / Jeremy HANSON / Ronald LAGRAFF / Chipalo STREET Portland Timbers vs Cal FC - William NICCOLLS / Baboucarr JALLOW / Desmond MILLER / Carlos TERCERO
Can't claim this as my own analysis, but here are some good thoughts regarding USOC assignments: Referees for USOC third round will likely be MLS 4ths and rookies. That means we're looking at DeClouet, Ploeger, Villarreal, Chapman, Foerster, Elfath, Rivero, Stoica, F. Bazakos, Radford, Wiley, McCloskey, Terry Jr., J. Hernandez, Unkel, Mariscal, Fitzgerald, and Stalmach. 18 referees there to fill 16 games. I'm told Stalmach has a 4th. Chapman has a 4th. Hard to see Elfath getting a game after the debacle in Montreal. Guys like Chapin, Anno, and R. Hernandez may be used as well to fill in gaps, but they're more likely to be saved for later rounds in MLS vs MLS games. Another thing to think about: could we possibly see Seitz or Domka pop up on a game? Probables: Northeast - Richmond, Harrisburg, Philly - Rivero, McCloskey, _____ Southeast - Cary, St. Petersburg, Charleston - Terry Jr., Unkel, Fitzgerald South - Frisco, San Antonio - J. Hernandez and Stalmach, Villarreal and Foerster Midwest - Columbus, Kansas City, Pontiac - Stoica, Wiley, F. Bazakos West - Sandy, Ventura, Stanford, Seattle, Portland - Ploeger, Radford, Mariscal, ____, _____ Not my analysis, but a pretty smart one IMO. I think the "probable" assignments were filled in based simply on referees' homes (e.g. Stoica is from Ohio, Wiley is from Iowa) unless the person who wrote this has more inside info than me, but I could certainly see quite a few of these assignments turning out to be correct.
5/29/12 7:30pm (Tuesday) OPEN - M (OPEN CUP) FC DALLAS SPORTS PARK - S... (FRISCO, TX) FC DALLAS vs. CHARLOTTE EAGLES REF: JORGE LUNA HERNANDEZ AR1: JONATHAN JOHNSON AR2: JOHN DEARMOND 4TH: LESZEK STALMACH
I'm told Allen Chapman won't be on the RSL-Minnesota game tonight. In fact, oddly enough, he doesn't have a game at all tonight. I'm 100% sure this isn't a performance-based change.
5/29/12 7:07pm (Tuesday) OPEN - M (OPEN CUP) WAKEMED PARK (CARY, NC) CAROLINA RAILHAWKS vs. LOS ANGELES GALAXY REF: KEVIN TERRY JR AR1: DANNY THORNBERRY AR2: BEN WOOTEN 4TH: BRANDON MARION
5/29/12 7:00pm (Tuesday) OPEN - M (OPEN CUP) SKYLINE SPORTS COMPLEX (HARRISBURG, PA) HARRISBURG CITY ISLANDERS vs. NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION REF: AYODEJI OBISESAN AR1: ALBERT CALISE AR2: ERIC WEISBROD 4TH: JAROSLAW WEREL
5/29/12 7:00pm (Tuesday) OPEN - M (OPEN CUP) RICHMOND CITY STADIUM (RICHMOND, VA) RICHMOND KICKERS vs. D.C. UNITED REF: KAI GOODRICH AR1: ROBERT VELBIS AR2: MARK GORAK 4TH: MATTHEW FRANZ
OPEN-48 5/29/12 7:00pm (Tuesday) OPEN - M (OPEN CUP) RIO TINTO STADIUM (SANDY, UT) REAL SALT LAKE vs. MINNESOTA STARS FC REF: TYLER PLOEGER AR1: BRANDON MAJOR AR2: ALEX KRELO 4TH: BRAD JENSEN OPEN-41 5/29/12 7:00pm (Tuesday) OPEN - M (OPEN CUP) SKYLINE SPORTS COMPLEX (HARRISBURG, PA) HARRISBURG CITY ISLANDERS vs. NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION REF: AYODEJI OBISESAN AR1: ALBERT CALISE AR2: ERIC WEISBROD 4TH: JAROSLAW WEREL OPEN-43 5/29/12 7:00pm (Tuesday) OPEN - M (OPEN CUP) VENTURA COLLEGE (VENTURA, CA) VENTURA COUNTY FUSION vs. CHIVAS USA REF: JESUS CISNEROS AR1: LUIS GUTIERREZ AR2: BERNHARD HOSU 4TH: ELLIOT RENO OPEN-44 5/29/12 7:07pm (Tuesday) OPEN - M (OPEN CUP) WAKEMED PARK (CARY, NC) CAROLINA RAILHAWKS vs. LOS ANGELES GALAXY REF: KEVIN TERRY JR AR1: DANNY THORNBERRY AR2: BEN WOOTEN 4TH: BRANDON MARION OPEN-45 5/29/12 7:30pm (Tuesday) OPEN - M (OPEN CUP) AL LANG FIELD (ST PETERSBERG, FL) TAMPA BAY ROWDIES vs. COLORADO RAPIDS REF: DONALD DELLAVIA AR1: KERMIT QUISENBERRY AR2: MARK CAHEN 4TH: JONATHAN WEINER OPEN-42 5/29/12 7:30pm (Tuesday) OPEN - M (OPEN CUP) BLACKBAUD STADIUM (CHARLESTON, SC) CHARLESTON BATTERY vs. NEW YORK RED BULLS REF: DANIEL FITZGERALD AR1: ERIC PROCTOR AR2: HOWARD ASH 4TH: WAYNE PAVLISCHEK OPEN-37 5/29/12 7:30pm (Tuesday) OPEN - M (OPEN CUP) COLUMBUS CREW STADIUM - S... (COLUMBUS, OH) COLUMBUS CREW vs. DAYTON DUTCH LIONS REF: SORIN STOICA AR1: CORY RICHARDSON AR2: JOHN SAFAR 4TH: HILARIO GRAJEDA OPEN-38 5/29/12 7:30 OPEN-33 5/29/12 7:30pm (Tuesday) OPEN - M (OPEN CUP) HEROES STADIUM (SAN ANTONIO, TX) SAN ANTONIO SCORPIONS vs. HOUSTON DYNAMO REF: ISMAIL ELFATH AR1: CHRIS GORDON AR2: GREG BOLES 4TH: HAYDEN EDWARDS OPEN-35 5/29/12 7:30pm (Tuesday) OPEN - M (OPEN CUP) LIVESTRONG SPORTING PARK (KANSAS CITY, KS) SPORTING KANSAS CITY vs. ORLANDO CITY SOCCER CLUB REF: YOUNES MARRAKCHI AR1: MARK BOYKO AR2: JARED PEELER 4TH: JON FREEMON OPEN-40 5/29/12 7:30pm (Tuesday) OPEN - M (OPEN CUP) PPL PARK (CHESTER, PA) PHILADELPHIA UNION vs. ROCHESTER RHINOS REF: ROBERT SIBIGA AR1: KEVIN KLINGER AR2: TJ ZABLOCKI 4TH: MARK TREILMAN OPEN-34 5/29/12 7:30pm (Tuesday) OPEN - M (OPEN CUP) ULTIMATE SOCCER ARENA - F... (PONTIAC, MI) MICHIGAN BUCKS vs. CHICAGO FIRE REF: BRITTON MAIER AR1: JASON WHITE AR2: DAVID ESSHAKI 4TH: DONOVAN J NOOCHA
At the FC Dallas game. Not sure if we'll get this one in. Lots of lightning to the northwest. Crew is doing a good job. On an interesting note, FCD coach is getting heckled and booed by Dallas fans.
In Dallas at the 68th. Three rapid potential ball-in-and-out of the goal situations in about 10 seconds time. AR1 was all over it. Good job.
Jackson red card for a shove to Charlotte GK, however no red to the Charlotte defender that ran in and tried to punch Jackson.
Both decisions looked correct from Jorge, and I believe Johnson did well on the goal line decision. Great job by the officiating crew.
Ben and Brandon are in my association. I thought Ben in particular had a great game. Terry did a good job in the center - giving two yellows while probably missing one. Pretty easy match in my opinion. RAILHAWKS!!
Greg Boles sighting! Unrelated: I remember watching Kai Goodrich do an NCAA women's match between Texas and Texas A&M. He tried to call a foul on Texas before the ball was put into play on a corner kick. Petrucelli went absolutely ballistic. Fourth official was Curt Berry that night, and he more than earned his money. Petrucelli was right, of course, but I still don't know how he managed to avoid being ejected. He was several steps on the field with Berry in front of him trying to keep him back.
I honestly don't understand why 1) the ARs and 4ths are LAC assigned and that many of the referees are not on the MLS list when an MLS team is participating.
Because the federation still doesn't treat the USOC like a premier domestic cup tournament. It's more or less that simple (if it's any more complicated, it's that they want to treat it as such, but the money just isn't there).
Clearly most of the MLS teams don't treat it that way either. Since most of them just bring out their reserve teams it probably makes sense to use reserve league-type officiating crews.
Feels like a chicken or the egg argument - if the Federation took it more seriously, then others would - if others took it more seriously, then the Federation would....
The problem, as I see it, is that it's not that marketable insofar as television rights. American audiences are still coming around to MLS in general. Trying to layer in a midweek cup tournament that involves minor league teams is not something that your garden-variety North American sports fans understand or are interested in--at least not yet. So even if the federation wants it to be a marquee event, it's hard to accomplish. I suppose USSF and MLS could play weekend cup matches and scrap a few weekends of league play, in order to drive up attendance and get some matches on national television... but is anyone asking for that and is that something the league would really want to do? I think the answers to both questions are "no." Federation is kind of stuck here insofar as developing the tournament. Once soccer as a whole is more prominent, then there will be an opportunity. Let's not forget that this tournament has survived for nearly 100 years without much national fanfare ever--I think it can chug along for a few more while still being viewed as a "second-rate" competition in the eyes of most fans.