OT: US Soccer, Highway Robbery
I know there's an open thread, but, this was such an outrage it deserves it's own thread so everyone can bitch about this horrible atrocity.
Seriously, what the hell was that!?
They took a perfectly legitimate goal, and for no reason whatsoever said, "Nope, doesn't count." Completely ridiculous. Not only did the US not commit a foul, but, there were at least 2 Slovenian players holding ours.
Not only was this an affront to sport, but, will probably once again set back the popularity of soccer in the US. I finally actually started to care about US soccer, but, now I'm like damn, what's the point of even becoming invested in a sport where the result of a game can hinge on something like *that* rather than the performance of the players on the field?
Boom. CCHA'd.
said in the postgame, that the ref wouldn't even tell them what the call WAS (foul, offsides, whatever), much less give any, even a fallible, explanation. It's one thing to have a reason, however wrong or misguided, to call off a goal, it's a completely separate thing to call one off without a reason. That's what is most infuriating to me.
that I'm glad I'm not a soccer fan. I believe I would be quite outraged now if I was.
Why do non-soccer fans feel the need to comment all the time about how they are not soccer fans and talk shit about the sport. I have read and heard tons of shit from non-fans my whole life. If you don't understand the game, fine. Don't watch. Don't comment. Spend your time doing something you enjoy. But let the rest of us enjoy it.
Because you NEED to know he doesn't like it.
Just in case you were wondering about my feelings on the sport: I don't really like it that much, but I enjoy watching the world cup. I am glad I'm not a die-hard fan today though, or I'd be furious. As it is, I'm a little disappointed, but it won't stop me from enjoying the rest of my day.
There are things I watch that I am not passionate about, like the outcome of the Lakers-Celtics game last night. I just wanted to see a good game but didn't really care who won. I get that but I don't think people need to post then. It is unecessary and annoying.
And I am pissed that the ref screwed us, but overall, I am happy that we played so much better in the second half. People who don't like soccer might not appreciate how important the tie was, but it makes all the difference. I suspect England is going to kill Algeria and beat Slovenia so I think even if we had won 3-2, we would have come in 2nd place. In the end, a tie can be just as good as a win, if we beat Algeria
how important a tie is. It's 1 point. You need to be in the top 2 to advance, I get it. This isn't calculus here. And I understand enough about the game to watch and understand...I just don't follow soccer of any kind. So my point was, in this instance, that I'm happy I don't care, or I would be quite pissed ala Desmond Howard getting interfered with and a subsequent no-call.
Such that it is, I'm going to drink a beer and watch golf.
follow soccer, fine, there just isn't the need to come on and post about it.
I could care less about the NBA and didn't even bother watching the game, so I'm not going to go onto a Laker/Celtics thread and make sure everyone there knows i don't care about basketball.
I was just venting really. I hear and read so much crap from people who hate soccer it makes me a wee bit sensitive. Can't wait to get home and watch the US Open myself.
you guys gotta relax a bit. I didn't say that I "hated" soccer. I wish I liked it...just can't get into it. I like golf. If someone said that they hated golf and thought it was for old people in funny pants, I wouldn't give two shits, or get all hostile.
I think sometimes you guys make it worse on yourselves with the over reactions. JMO. I hope the US does well. It would really piss in the cornflakes of all the countries who live and die soccer.
Worst call of the year goes to A) John Gravallese B) Jim Joyce C) Koman Coulibali?
Bottom line. Don't go down two goals to Slovenia.
No need to become logical. I demand you make up for this by starting a facebook group and inviting/annoying all your friends.
and never start a land war in Asia.
I preach to my girls: life is full of inequities.
disgraceful whistle.
Better than iniquities, I suppose.
The guy saw something. We're going through. That's all that matters.
Assuming England pounds Algeria today they have 4 and a game against Slovenia next week
Slovenia now has 4 pts. We have 2.
Obvioulsy every scenario requires we win next week over Algeria (go to 5pts) and England beats Slovenia (england to 7 and Slovenia stays at 4) and we're in.
But if England and Slovenia tie. England goes to 5, Slovenia is 5 and we're 5. Which two of the three go on???
Slovenia only beat Algeria by one. If we win by two, I believe we advance.
England beats Algeria by 1-0 and ties Slovenia 2-2 and we beat Algeria 1-0. Then US, England and Slovenia are all 1-0-2 with 4 GF and 3 GA?
Basically, very high stakes rock-paper-scissors.
I believe. Royal Rumble style.
of vuvuzelas.
Maybe a US player committed a foul before any of the other stuff happened, but otherwise that should have been a goal for Edu and a red card for the guy who mugged M Bradley. It's unfortunate, but it's easier to screw up a call like that when you have a lot of players bunched up in front of the goal and everyone is fighting for position. I think it would help to add an additional official behind each goal.
If you can find a call against the US in that play, please let me know. I can't.
It doesn't look like any US players did anything wrong if you look at the 0:57, 0:59, or 1:01 frames in that video that wile8 posted below. More likely, that ref just f'd up that call in a big way.
Exactly. And the thing is, both of those calls are ones that would have went against Slovenia, not against us. So far no one - including the referee who made the call - have been able to point out anything the US did wrong on that play. The goal may as well have been disallowed on the whim of the ref, just because he didn't want to count it. It was that poor of a goal.
Also soccer should have instant replay. In this day and age where the technology is readily available to ensure the outcome of a game isn't determined by bad officiating, and it can be utilized in a way that isn't too disruptive to the flow of the game, there's no excuse not to have it.
The ref doesn't even react until the goal is scored.
long before the ball got to Edu. Why it blew I have no idea. I think he was calling Edu for pushing off his man, but it was an awful call.
...if England wins tonight against Algeria (expected), we advance if:
- USA defeats ALG by two or more goals (regardless of the SLO-ENG result)
- USA defeats ALG and the ENG-SLO match results in a win for either team
Other scenarios depend on the number of goals scored by ENG tonight. If they only score 1, then it's going to get really interesting with the tiebreakers. If they score 2 or more, then the tiebreakers if needed will likely come down to USA and SLO.
Thanks for laying that out - now it doesn't seem so bad. I would say both scenarios seem fairly likely.
After two hours of vuvuzelas I could not possibly have thought that through on my own.
the guy was obviously paid off. there is NO WAY you blow that many BLATANT calls. i'm so pissed off.
This is not Jim Joyce. Jim Joyce is a good man who made, well, one of the worst mistakes in sports history. He made a terrible, awful mistake, but he and Galarraga turned the experience into one of the most valuable teaching moments in recent sports history.
If you've followed international sporting events over the years, then this incident of anti-American bias shouldn't be a surprise. IMO, this is just another in a long line of crooked cheating in int't sports competitions that goes back to the state-sanctioned doping of Eastern Bloc athletes (against the athletes' knowledge!) and the 1972 basketball game between Russia and the US, even though, admittedly, that was probably far more egregious than what happened here and can never be excused as just a bad call. (The British asshole who called the game was adamant that the Americans should get over that horrible injustice.)
Honestly I thought that the ref played it extremely fairly besides the hand ball call and the offsides. Besides that he was very even-handed and honestly played toward the USA and let them play the game.
To say that this is anti-american bias from a black guy from the middle of nowhere when he's probably never even met an American in his life is... Well just stupid and arrogant. Also why would a black guy from the middle of nowhere prefer one all white team over the USA. Do you think that FIFA just got together and said "call the games to screw the USA".
This wasn't egregious officiating with an American bias, this was an honest mistake that any soccer referee could make. If you think that this match was bad then you clearly didn't watch the Germany game prior to our game. That was just BAD officiating.
No, as someone that has reffed soccer for 10 years you are so wrong. That was a very well called soccer match. (And yes we should have won that was a terrible call).
Why are you talking about black and white? Do you have some kind of issue? Not that I agree but the poster's point (I think) was that there might be an anti-American bias, not an anti-white bias. Why are you bringing race into this?
Sorry if that's not PC but he was of African descent.
My main point was why would a guy from a third world country hate the U.S.A. That's my point. It's not some conspiracy, dude fucked up.
The image of this ref being a KGB plant thats been bred for years to screw the US is making my day. I expect the tanks to be rolling through Red Square any day now.
100% your words, not mine.
Eh, if he really were biased/bought, Dempsey would have been sent off in the first minute for that elbow.
If it were the ref from the earlier game, he likely would have been.
On second thought, maybe the guy really did just fudge the call.
Can look at this game and understand that mysterious penalties or non-calls "just happen" and that we as Michigan fans should just understand that, otherwise we're whiners.
It's so simple when we look at it that way...
Well, we definitely won't be starting Findley next game, what with the bullshit yellow on him.
You obviously did not watch the Germany game.
Besides that blown call I think he actually called a good match (besides the handball too).
As a far you are never going to get them all right since there is only one real ref who calls all fouls. As someone who has reffed soccer for about 10 years I think he actually did a pretty good job.
how was the play Mrs. Lincoln
Could there have been more cards on the USA? Dude was giving cards out to Slovenia like they were candy.
Just because the ref made ONE bad judgement decision doesn't mean that he reffed a terrible game. All in all he did a very good job and I wouldn't mind him reffing another American game. But I'm sure you know soccer and soccer reffing too.
Who gives a rat's ass about yellow cards in the middle of the field? He could call useless midfield yellows on every single Slovenian player for all I care. This is worse than when Klose got taken off earlier; at least that didn't directly take a goal away.
Bouje, remind me again, have you reffed soccer games? For how long?