I see everyone grabbing everyone else. Where's the foul?
At the risk of deviating from my usual statistical discussions, I feel compelled to comment on the most exciting and controversial game in the World Cup so far. So much about the match goes to the heart of the game itself, which is my ultimate concern. Numbers are nice, but they're meaningless if the game isn't beautiful.
Other than a few tweets, I've generally restrained from commenting on the Slovenia/USA match. I am not interested in sounding like a sore loser, and while there certainly appeared to be plenty of bad officiating it is always best to wait a day or so to see what kind of opposing points of view might emerge. In doing so, one gets a complete picture and makes a more informed commentary. In this case, I must mention how grateful I am for Erik Renko's feedback.
Erik started following my twitter feed a while ago in the run up to the World Cup. Erik being Slovenian, he and I were bound to have some interesting discussions about this inevitable group play clash. As my previous posts indicate, I have a healthy bit of respect for the Slovenian national team for outperforming the Soccernomics model. The discussions with Erik, and the insight he has provided me both pre- and post-match into the Slovenian supporter psyche, have been a wonderful experience made possible by our Web 2.0 world. If you want great soccer insight, I suggest following Erik.
To begin my reaction, I must refer to this NY Times blog entry that Erik sent me this morning. In it, the author provides some pictures and video that show some of the grabbing and pulling by the US team that may have led to the referee's call to disallow the goal. The author of the blog post argues half tongue-in-cheek that there might be some offenses worthy of such a call, while also acknowledging that similar actions were being taken by Slovenian players.
I think any objective fan can look at the two photos and agree that there was a lot going on during that free kick that isn’t allowed. So maybe some of us didn’t like what Coulibaly saw, or that he chose to pluck out a foul by a United States player instead of one against a United States player. But you can’t say nothing happened.
While there certainly are such offenses on both sides, I fall on the side of the referee not taking action for the exact reason that everyone was holding and grabbing. The Slovenian player holding Michael Bradley was probably the worst offender from either team, and Maurice Edu's footwork for the goal really didn't seem to benefit from any US player's hold. In fact, it was quite the contrary as he too was impeded (even though the official FIFA ruling said the foul was by Edu). On balance, it looks like the usual pushing and shoving on a set piece that should have resulted in a no call.
These pictures and the insight they provide also bring up the sensitive topic of instant replay. Many in the United States are used to instant replay due to its use in American football and to a lesser degree in basketball, hockey, and baseball. Many would like to see it applied to soccer for situations like those in the USA/Slovenia match. There are a lot of logistics for instant replay - would it be reviewable only by FIFA officials in a booth upstairs, or would managers have the ability to throw a flag to challenge a call a la the NFL? To me, any implementation would be a travesty of the first order because it wouldn't really resolve the subjectivity of fouls in soccer. Applied directly to this case, what would be the grounds for reversing the prior call? As already discussed, other than Landon Donovan who was taking the free kick, everyone was violating the rules of soccer in some way or fashion on that set piece. It's likely the call would have stood, and would we really want to stop the game for five minutes for an equally arbitrary reversal based upon one of the likely ten infractions committed on the play? This is where the American fan needs to think like a global fan, respect the game as it is on this topic, and move on.
The emphasis shouldn't be on instant replay, but instead on better officiating. I don't hold any conspiracy theories about this referee, but I have read enough to know this isn't Koman Coulibaly's first run in with controversy. The call against the US goal also wasn't the first questionable call in the sequence, and much of the match was marred by inconsistent officiating that often didn't make the calls that should have been made. No cards or fouls were given to Clint Dempsey's body slam of a Slovenian defender, nor Slovenian defenders' several tackles at the edges of the penalty box. The card given to Robbie Findley for a handball in the first half was ludicrous. In general, the first half was light on cards while the second half saw Coulibaly dealing them out as if they were going out of style. It's clear to me that Koman Coulibaly isn't experienced enough nor has good enough discernment to be a World Cup official. He reminds me more of the quality of referee we have to deal with in MLS.
Finally, Erik was able to relate how the second half of the Slovenia/USA match was deja vu for Slovenian fans. In Euro 2000, Slovenia went out to a 3-0 lead before conceding a draw after Yugoslavia came back with three goals later in the match. Erik used this as an example of a "lack of finishing instinct" in the relatively new Slovenian national team. As he said,
[Number] of [international] matches, short history and relative lack of winning habit prevented [Slovenia] from winning [the] match vs. USA.
As I said in my response,
Oh that darn third term in the Soccernomics equation!
It's clear to me that if the Slovenian team continues to outperform expectations, it will get the necessary experience it needs to close the gap it has to the other European national teams in its backyard. Regardless of the bad officiating, I have acquired a healthy respect for the Slovenian national team. We Americans like underdogs, and we love to embrace nations like Slovenia who have successfully transformed their nation since the fall of authoritarianism. Sadly, this match may mar many US fans' outlook to a team we all should be rooting for if they make it to the knockout round.
No comments:
Post a Comment