The Soccer Thread (VI)

The refereeing at the Women's World Cup has been iffy to dreadful. Anyone watching the Australia-Equatorial Guinea game? The Aussies are getting beaten to a pulp. Might get worse. But that doesn't compare to the missed handball. Remember the biffed handball call during the USA-Germany game in 2002? Nothing compared to what happened in the first half. An Australian shot hit the post and rebounded into the arms of an Equatorial Guinea defender. She HELD THE BALL for at least two seconds I'd say, even turning around away from the goal with the ball in her arms. Then she dropped the ball. No whistle.

And I thought that Mali referee was incompetent last summer.

 

This AUS-EOG is easily the worst reffed game I've seen. Not just the hand ball, either. There was a pretty blatant takedown of an EG player just before the third Aussie goal.

 

Two games in Copa America today, zero goals.

 

Looked like something happened right before the Aussie's second goal too, and that's before we get into the Brazil-Norway game where Marta should have been called for shoving the defender down before the first goal.

Refereeing is always a big issue at the WWC because there are simply a lack of qualified women's referees, particularly from certain confederations. I'm not surprised at the quality in general but I am surprised that the one doing the EOG-AUS game is a UEFA ref. They and the CONCACAF refs tend to be the better ones because they get more high-end friendlies and even some league games.

 

That missed "two-hand hold and carry" ball makes Jim Joyce's blunder look like no big deal.

Please never ever bring up the U.S./Germany missed handball. I can still chew nails over that one.

 

You must be loving Torsten Frings signing for Toronto FC, then.

 

After that match, I went into work and told this old fellow there that was a WWII vet, "I wished you'd met Frings' grandfather in 1944 because his ass wouldn't have been standing on the line today."

 

Clichy undergoing a medical at Citeh:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/13984029.stm

 

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/writers/steve_davis/07/04/usmnt.plateau/index.html?eref=sihp&sct=hp_t12_a1

 

As the son of a pretty fair soccer referee, I'm embarrassed at what I've seen go on at the Women's World Cup. Awful so far ...

 

England looks tremendous, taking Japan to the cleaners. Could be 3-0 had it not been for the save of the tournament by the Japanese goalie.

England women with more wins in this World Cup than their men had last World Cup.

 

Japan had plenty of chances. They were just severely lacking in finish and final pass. But England played its style to perfection and scored two beautiful goals.

A note to whatever woman had the PBP of the New Zealand-Mexico match - shouting the entire game is just cringe-worthy and needs to stop. Seriously. I wanted to watch Mexico a little more but I just couldn't stomach her trying to emulate Gus Johnson.