Anonymous wrote:What age do children start getting carded? I've seen bad slide tackling and breakaways where the defender pulls the shirt of the offensive player to slow them down, but have yet to see a card.

Anonymous wrote:do you give reds for fouls that laws call for automatic reds? at every age level?

I'd say they're getting carded earlier and earlier than what I've seen in the past, mainly because the kids seems to have a better understanding of the game at a younger age now.
In the past, I'd almost never card a kid in the younger age groups, because even when there was something that might have been card-worthy, it was probably an accident, and you could just have a quick talk with the player.

Now, I'm seeing more cynical fouls in younger groups...grabbing a player that has gotten by them, hard slide tackles, dives, etc. I think carding is important...not just to minimize injuries, but to teach the kids what's acceptable and what isn't.

I know some refs that have a policy not to card anyone in an a U-9 or U-10 game, and think a talking to is the way to go.
I don't agree.

As for the "automatic red" comment, well, first you have to consider what an automatic red is. Most RC violations are subjective, but obviously if I have a kid hitting or spitting on another kid then yeah, I'm going with a RC.
Things like denying an obvious goal scoring opportunity are different. It would have to be a REALLY obvious goal scoring opportunity and a clearly intentional foul for me to give a RC for something like that.

Anonymous wrote:What do you think of the Arlington or Mclean soccer clubs, any similarities or differences? Which one would you sent your kid to play at a young age?

MASSIVE generalization, but the Arlington teams seem well organized, and try to play within a system, while Mclean seems to value one on one play more and just let the kids play.
I'd send my kids to the team that had practices closest to my house.

Anonymous wrote:If a team is winning 6 - 0 against a lesser team, do you stop calling obvious penalties against the losing team?

No. That's a great way for things to escalate and get someone injured.

After attending my first tournament of the season, to watch kids, not to ref, I thought I'd open this back up.
So much terrible refereeing, and so many parents that don't know the laws.
Worst this weekend...parents screaming for offside on countless thrown ins. There is no offside on throw ins.
Anyway, happy to answer any soccer related rule/ref questions.

I know the dates vary, but when does futsol normal start up?

Anonymous wrote:Referees like to use their knowledge of the intricacies of the Laws of the Game as a cudgel to batter anyone who dares to question their authority, but, tbh, for our travel teams we're only asking for this minimum of professionalism (and it's usually not there). Referees should:
Arrive on time.
Correctly identify the field where the game is to be played.
Not reek of cigarette smoke or body odor.
Make eye contact during pre-game interactions with coaches and players.
Know how long the game is to be.
Be physically able to jog box to box (approximately).
Call fouls.
Protect the keeper.
Show cards.
Keep track of the score.
Don't make female players and fans feel uncomfortable by being creepy.

And that's about it. We can let the errant sideline calls and a lot else go if refs can just get those things right. Showing up to the game on time in itself would be a step in the right direction.

Your list of expectations is entirely reasonable, and if those expectations aren't met, you should make sure that the coach contacts the league assignor and/or officials and lets them know what happened.

As for your opening comment, I'd like to hear some examples of what you're referring to.

As a ref, my expectations are simple:
Parents, set a good example to your kids by not arguing with the ref or complaining about any calls.
Coaches and players, feel free to disagree with me respectfully, and I'll happily explain why I'm calling things the way I am.

And to everyone, learn the Laws of the Game. There's no excuse for parents, coaches and players that put so much time and effort into soccer, not to understand offside, or the difference between a direct or indirect kick, or many, many other basic issues.

The vast majority of the time when I'm cudgeling parents with my knowledge of the laws, (where's the sarcasm font when you need it) it's because, simply, I'm right and they're wrong.

Anonymous wrote:

SoccerRef wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Now this is a good article: https://www.topdrawersoccer.com/world-cup-articles/us-soccer-failures-has-an-easy-fix_aid43012

There's an big difference between an easy fix, and an obvious fix.
Pro/rel is an obvious fix, but it's certainly not easy to implement.
I'm sure that there isn't an current owner that would allow it...why would they risk a massive financial hit?
MLS could require that new owners buy into it, but I'd imagine prices would tank, and it would take forever until the new owners are in the majority.

So doable? Maybe. Easy? Heck no.

It shouldn't be up to MPS, or their franchise owners. Pro/rel isn't a league decision, it's a US Soccer Federation decision. If MPS doesn't like it, they can always opt out. They just wouldn't get the Fed's D1 sanction.

And you'd have to build up a new first division from scratch, essentially.
Again, possible...but far, far from easy.

Anonymous wrote:Now this is a good article: https://www.topdrawersoccer.com/world-cup-articles/us-soccer-failures-has-an-easy-fix_aid43012

There's an big difference between an easy fix, and an obvious fix.
Pro/rel is an obvious fix, but it's certainly not easy to implement.
I'm sure that there isn't an current owner that would allow it...why would they risk a massive financial hit?
MLS could require that new owners buy into it, but I'd imagine prices would tank, and it would take forever until the new owners are in the majority.

So doable? Maybe. Easy? Heck no.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You should volunteer to be a ref then.

It appears that you are addressing me kid, I can say that at 70 years old. I've coached and refereed for over 36 years so take your comment and shove it and played throughout that time until I was in my late 50s.

Great!
As a person with so much experience, can you share some ideas on how to improve the quality of refereeing?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

SoccerRef wrote:

Anonymous wrote:^^ America is not responsible for Pulisic’s talent or development. That’s been said over and over again. Try to catch up.

How do you figure?

Pulisic was in the DA system (PA Classics) from 2008-2015, age 10-15.

Those are formative years, so it's hard to say the US system has no responsibility for developing his talent.

That said, it is beyond dispute that if he had stayed in the US system instead of going to Dortmund at age 16, his development would not have accelerated as it did.

He only trained in official practice 2 days per week. He first learned the game in England. His parents did most of the training and Christian did most of the work in his own backyard. He took several overseas trips to train with the best along the way---even including the famed 'La Masia'.

Nope. It wasn't a system of Us travel/DA coaches that made him the player he is today. I love how they are now trying to glom onto him and claim the credit. It's laughable.

Nope---323 million people in the Country and they don't even get to truly claim the one shining star that made it. And, it's telling at the young age of 15 he hightailed it the hell out of here. That is Freshmen HS age for many.

It's utterly ridiculous to say the US was solely responsible for his success, and it's equally ridiculous to say the US had nothing to do with it.
And he didn't "hightail it the hell out of here."
He was playing for the US U17 team when Dortmund, there to scout a different US player, fell for Pulisic instead, an signed him.
Again, playing in the US system helped him to get to where he is.

Anonymous wrote:^^ America is not responsible for Pulisic’s talent or development. That’s been said over and over again. Try to catch up.

How do you figure?

Anonymous wrote:

SoccerRef wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Who cares? It's just soccer.

I care.

This is not about "My team should've/would've won if that ref were on top of it!"

It's about avoiding injuries and calling dangerous/illegal plays. It's about teaching kids the rules of the game so they actually know what the hell they're doing (and 8 isn't too young to do that...I've seen 2nd graders correct refs). It's somewhat about avoiding parent/spectator upset when there is an egregious call.

We've had refs to ignore dangerous play, don't call clear violations (handball, improper throw-ins, etc...) and in a recent case one ref who did not know the score of the game when it was over.

It's a it ridiculous.

Great, but do you know the Laws of the Game? Because if so, you're in the vast minority of the parents.
I've had parents scream at me to call dangerous play when a player kicks the ball when he's on the ground. That's not a violation.
I've had parents scream at me for a hand ball when a ball inadvertently hits a players hand. That's not a violation.
I've had parents scream at me for a foul throw when a player puts spin on it. That's not a violation.
And I've been screamed at by parents to protect their players after screaming at their own players to tackle harder or play more physical.
And yes, I've had U8 players "correct" me, when they clearly don't understand the basics of offside.

Yes, there are some terrible refs out there.
But you should expect a referee to be at about the same skill level ref-wise, as your player is soccer-wise.
Your U8 player makes a million mistakes a game, but you expect a 13 year old ref to get everything right?
Imagine if a ref yelled at your kid every time he missed a pass, or scuffed a shot.

When was the last time you went up to a ref after a game, and told them they did a good job?

Look, I have a U10 player on a top team, I know how bad the refs can be. But they're not going to get better if they get chased off. They're going to get better with years of experience, and that's never going to happen if they get scared to blow the whistle becasue they know they're going to get screamed at by someone.

You sound like a decent ref, though.

In reference to the bolded above, umm, how is that relevant? Even U8s deserve to have refs that are adhering to the rules they are taught. If not, why have rules?

Because refs screw up. Shocking, it happens. You think they're ignoring laws on purpose? They're just learning the game too.
Refs get very little training, and get thrown into the fire.
Yes, occasionally a ref will misapply the law. That's bad, and the coach should calmly talk to the ref, or the referee assignor if it comes to that.
But let's be honest...99% of the time a parent is screaming at a ref is because of a judgement call that they don't agree with.
And that has no place in youth soccer.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:no, the women are actually good, the men's team top to bottom sucks and have no desire to work hard.

I am sure the women could give them men a run for their money playing head to head.

The women lose in scrimmages to U17 Academy teams. I have the utmost respect for them, but let's be real.

And yes, the women could have similar problems. Youth national teams aren't doing as well as they used to. They won't lose to Trinidad and Tobago tomorrow, but they're no sure thing to avoid a second straight early exit from a major tournament in 2019.

Yup, this.
The rest of the world is catching up to the women as soccer-centric countries start to embrace women's soccer.
Germany and France are both better at this point, and England is catching up fast.
I'd be really surprised if the women win another major tournament.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Who cares? It's just soccer.

I care.

This is not about "My team should've/would've won if that ref were on top of it!"

It's about avoiding injuries and calling dangerous/illegal plays. It's about teaching kids the rules of the game so they actually know what the hell they're doing (and 8 isn't too young to do that...I've seen 2nd graders correct refs). It's somewhat about avoiding parent/spectator upset when there is an egregious call.

We've had refs to ignore dangerous play, don't call clear violations (handball, improper throw-ins, etc...) and in a recent case one ref who did not know the score of the game when it was over.

It's a it ridiculous.

Great, but do you know the Laws of the Game? Because if so, you're in the vast minority of the parents.
I've had parents scream at me to call dangerous play when a player kicks the ball when he's on the ground. That's not a violation.
I've had parents scream at me for a hand ball when a ball inadvertently hits a players hand. That's not a violation.
I've had parents scream at me for a foul throw when a player puts spin on it. That's not a violation.
And I've been screamed at by parents to protect their players after screaming at their own players to tackle harder or play more physical.
And yes, I've had U8 players "correct" me, when they clearly don't understand the basics of offside.

Yes, there are some terrible refs out there.
But you should expect a referee to be at about the same skill level ref-wise, as your player is soccer-wise.
Your U8 player makes a million mistakes a game, but you expect a 13 year old ref to get everything right?
Imagine if a ref yelled at your kid every time he missed a pass, or scuffed a shot.

When was the last time you went up to a ref after a game, and told them they did a good job?

Look, I have a U10 player on a top team, I know how bad the refs can be. But they're not going to get better if they get chased off. They're going to get better with years of experience, and that's never going to happen if they get scared to blow the whistle becasue they know they're going to get screamed at by someone.

Anonymous wrote: Unintentional headers is a drop ball. !

I've never heard that before.
The only official guidance I've seen is that a deliberate header restarts with an indirect kick for the other team.
No violation for an unintentional header.

It's possibly that your association has different rules, but it's not standard.