Was the Canadian soccer team robbed?

[Upton]

Stewards working the match at Old Trafford – and remember, these folks know their soccer – said they had never seen a referee give a free kick for a goalkeeper violating the six-second rule as happened to Erin McLeod and set the stage for a tying goal by the U.S.

Time-wasting is treated a little like the time between pitches in a baseball game or the time each batter takes to get ready: an umpire or referee of sufficient ego who feels the need to introduce themselves into a game’s narrative can use it. It is a bookable offence; it results in a yellow card. Pedersen didn't book McLeod on the call that led to the indirect free kick.

Grant Wahl of Sports Illustrated, one of the soccer writers of record in the U.S., wrote Tuesday that he could only find one example in the past 10 years of a keeper being penalized thusly. It was an English Premiership match.

The BBC’s commentary team for the match was shocked at Pedersen’s decision and her subsequent decision to award a penalty kick for a handball when Marie-Eve Nault of Canada couldn’t get out of the way of a hard line drive from Megan Rapinoe. Nault crossed her hands over her chest as the ball struck her and was called for a hand-ball, a play that you can see overlooked many Saturday mornings.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/olympics/shocked-angry-canadian-soccer-team-still-has-much-to-play-for/article4466444/?cmpid=rss1

I've never seen that call made either..ever. Mighty strange...and that it came right after Canada had taken a late lead, then a penalty awarded (another shaky decision) as a result of the free kick, makes the delay call look even more suspicious. A lot of odd things happening at this Olympics..

[KamaAina]

1. Olympic officiating favoring the U.S.?

Last edited Tue Aug 7, 2012, 01:17 PM - Edit history (1)

That'd be a first.

Examples of the reverse, of course, are legion: Roy Jones, Jr., the '72 men's basketball team, etc., etc.

[Upton]

2. I don't know that it's a first..

and yeah, the '72 thing and the Roy Jones decision were outrageous. Doesn't clear up what was going on yesterday with the Norwegian ref however....

I just hate seeing matches or games of any sort being decided or impacted greatly because of poor calls by officials. I guess it wouldn't be the Olympics without a bunch of controversy..

[joeybee12]

3. Sour grapes from the Canadians...

Their coach readily admitted that she had been warned about it prior to getting the penalty coach...the coach's lame excuse? "I didn't think it was an official warning."

That said, your sources are all part of the British Empire, so of course they're gonna take the Canuck's side. Get over it you crybabies.

[Upton]

4. How much soccer do you normally watch?

It's all sour grapes..we'll just ignore the fact that virtually nobody, including US coach Pia Sundhage, has ever seen the call made. The way to deal with a stalling keeper, is a warning, then a yellow card...

The penalty call off the wrongly given indirect free kick was a poor call also. Even on the coverage this morning the soccer commentator (I forget his name) admitted Canada got jobbed on both calls. Though he did the patriotic routine and cleaned it up by saying the US probably would have won anyway.

Oh, and you'd be screaming bloody murder were the situation reversed..

[joeybee12]

5. Read the link..this person knows more than you do...

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1288145-us-canada-womens-soccer-controversy-referee-right-to-call-goalkeeper-violation

[Upton]

6. And I can give an opposing link..

http://www.thestar.com/sports/london2012/football/article/1237877--london-2012-canada-loses-4-3-to-us-in-olympic-soccer-semifinal

And don't worry, there's plenty more to choose from..

Really, the fact that a US soccer writer following the women's team, has to write a piece in defense of the ref...tells you something right there...

[joeybee12]

7. Thanks for yet another link to a CANADIAN newspaper!

[Upton]

8. And thanks for the link from the US!

No bias there...

[joeybee12]

9. Hey, where's the plenty more to choose from?

Eh?

[Upton]

10. You probably wouldn't like them since they're not American enough...

right Lee Greenwood? Sorry, but unlike yourself, I don't take sides in Olympic sports based on country. Sometimes I root for Americans, sometimes not..other factors play in...such as fairness.

[RockaFowler]

12. Have you seen Joey's other posts??

He blasted the American Men's B-Ball team for scoring too many points. Why would he be so gung-ho American now??

Sometimes you post some crazy stuff Upton. I watched the match. The Canadians were wrong. And they were warned beforehand. Sorry!

[RockaFowler]

11. FIFA investigating Canada's comments as bitterness continues

http://www.nbcolympics.com/news-blogs/soccer/fifa-investigating-canadas-comments-following-semifinal-loss-to-u-s.html

So I get it now - Abby Wambach knew the rules of the game and she was counting out loud. The Ref heard her get to 10 and boom - penalty. I see nothing wrong with this. Canada is crying for no reason. They were warned, so Abby took advantage of it. Again I see nothing wrong with this. Maybe the Canadians should follw the rules next time.

[Upton]

14. Here...

It's a rule rarely enforced, akin to an umpire in baseball deciding the batter hit by the pitch didn't make a sufficient attempt to get out of the way of the ball. It gave the U.S. an indirect kick, which turned into a hand ball, which turned into a penalty kick.

The call is virtually never made. The US coach has never seen it made. Few have...even in England. To have it suddenly being applied late in a close match at this level of importance is hard to imagine. Both teams were done a disservice. And if the ref allowed Wambach to influence her decision, that explains much..and also is a demonstration of buckling under pressure to go along with her ineptitude. Not exactly a good combination in a ref..

[RockaFowler]

16. It's still a rule

Oy - my head hurts now

[Upton]

18. If I'm not mistaken..

there are some states with sodomy laws still on the books. Should those be trotted out whenever convenient?

[RockaFowler]

19. What??

I think you've lost your mind

Abby Wambach knew the rules. The Canadian team was warned - don't do it. They did it. They got caught and guess what they were wrong. Just as much as you are wrong now!!

[trumad]

24. Dude ---you're arguing with a guy

who used the same debate tactic about Barry Bonds for years....

That tactic was the race card.

Now he throws in Sodomy...dudes a piece of work.

[trumad]

23. Oh Jesus Christ dude

Constantly reminding us why you are the biggest douche in the sports forum.

[frylock]

27. shouldn't that be taken up with the IOC?

[hughee99]

29. If done in an internationally televised event with referees watching, they might trot it out.

Especially if the refs had already warned them to cool it with the sodomy or they're going to get a penalty.

[joeybee12]

17. Tell me why a Norwegian ref would want the Americans to win...

She's certainly not biased and she did warn them.

[Upton]

20. I don't know..

I think she just choked under the pressure. Though considering the IOC's past, and with the ratings bonanza of a Japan/US rematch on the verge of being lost, you never know..

American ex soccer player and now commentator for NBC sports, Kyle Martino:

“My heart goes out to Canadian players, because it was such a tough moment,” Martino said. “To be playing so well, to bring your best game, against the best team in the world. And then to have the game flipped on its end because of a call like that? If I was playing in that game, it would have drove me nuts.”

http://prosoccertalk.nbcsports.com/2012/08/06/ahem-awful-call-in-u-s-canada-olympic-classic-erin-mcleod-time-wasting-goalkeeper/

[joeybee12]

15. Uh-oh...FIFA!

Even if there was something to investigate, you can be sure as heck that FIFA would NEVER get to the bottom of it!

[Dr. Strange]

13. I'd say more of a case of bad officiating.

If the official wanted to "rob" Canada, she could have sent Tancredi off with a red card:

http://www.nbcolympics.com/video/soccer/highlight-melissa-tancredi-stomps-carli-lloyds-face.html

[KamaAina]

21. Canada's Tancredi should have been sent off for a boot to the head of the USA's Carli Lloyd

in the 55th minute.

[Upton]

22. Judgement call..or perhaps it was missed..

just like the failure of the ref to call the Rapinoe handball inside the box. Disputes of that sort happen all the time in the sport.

Completely different from a ref choosing to apply a rule virtually nobody has ever seen enforced anywhere, let alone late in a close Olympics semifinal..

[HuckleB]

25. Meh.

http://www.latimes.com/sports/olympics/olympicsnow/la-sp-on-us-canada-soccer-referee-20120807,0,2900543.story

Canada has bigger problems. Its coach has clearly created an ugly culture on the team.

[Dr. Strange]

26. Okay, Samuel L. Jackson has weighed in.

SamuelLJackson: “Don’t know enuf about Soccer refs to know, but TV dude says he’s never SEEN that call made! Wow….we ll… TUFF S***!”

https://twitter.com/SamuelLJackson/status/232591666006089728

I think that settles it--no need for FIFA to investigate further.

[Union Scribe]

28. I hate the petty time wasting that goes on

and I'm happy it got called here. It needs to be called more often.

[JonLP24]

30. My thoughts

It is technically the correct call though it is very rarely made. I know I never seen it. I think the penalty was too harsh - no yellow card but a free kick? Doesn't seem right.

I think the bigger issue is the handball. The Canadian defender couldn't get out of the way(but tried), it wasn't deliberate.

Also you have that missed call that went against the US. You really hope officiating is at its best at this level.