Commentary
MOST COMPLICATED RULE
I was an assistant referee and Yellow was up 1-0 in the closing seconds of a Boys High School Summer League semifinal game. A Maroon attacker was at the top of the penalty arc and he played the ball to a teammate a half-yard offside on my near side of the field, inside the penalty area. Years ago, with a different wording and interpretation of offside, I would have raised the flag then as he was the only other attacker around, and there would have probably been no issues with dissent. But in order to increase scoring chances, the AR has to delay raising the flag now to see if the attacker touches the ball (offside) or interferes with an opponent (offside) or if a defender deliberately plays the ball first instead (not offside) or if the ball goes untouched over the goal line (not offside), etc., before the flag should be raised. Consequently, with this delay, I am raising the flag for offside a good deal less often than years ago. Also, the AR needs to continue his/her run and not stop, as in the past, when the attacker is offside, as the indirect kick is now taken where the attacker became involved in the play. The ref said to me after the game that he could tell when the ball was passed that the attacker was in an offside position. So the attacker runs on to the ball and his first touch is an angled shot from eight yards, which is when I raised the flag. The ref blew his whistle as the ball entered the goal. All these complaints from Maroon as the offside decision determined the outcome of the game so I wish there was a video so they could have clearly seen the player was offside. Law 11 on offside is soccer’s only complex rule and it has become more complicated of late as the AR must delay raising the flag as many things could occur before the attacker in an offside position becomes involved in the play. He becomes involved by interfering with play (touching the ball), or interfering with an opponent (such as challenging for the ball with a defender right there or being in the visual path of the goalkeeper when a shot is taken), or gaining an advantage (the attacker is in an offside position when a teammate takes a shot and the ball rebounds off the crossbar or upright to that attacker or comes to the attacker from a deliberate save). The only time with the offside decision that the flag should be raised quickly is if the attacker in an offside position could collide with the opposing team’s keeper.—Excerpted from Soccer America, article by Randy Vogt, author of "Preventive Officiating," who has officiated more than 10,000 games.)
MARTY ESPINOZA GOLF POSTPONED
The annual Marty Espinoza Memorial Golf Tournament, usually held in the fall, has been postponed until the spring of 2018, primarily due to Hurricane Harvey, it was announced by Dynamos Director of Training Olivier Finidori. “We have many families still coping with damages from the storm, as well as the Longwood Golf course being closed, and potential participants and sponsors focusing their time and efforts in the recovery process,” he said.”We will update you all as soon as we have more details available.”
Bring Your Own Keeper
FREE WORKSHOP
Coaches and parents are invited to bring boys and girls who are aspiring goalkeepers to the “Bring Your Own Keeper,” a free workshop scheduled for Sunday, October 8, at 3:30pm at Dyess Park. Moderator Jim Walker will lead activities which will help prepare young keepers to prepare for games; also discussed will be the psychological side of this special position. All ages are welcome for the workshop which will run approximately an hour and a half. It's free, but attendees are requested to register by emailing jwalker332@aol.com with the name of the coach or parent, and name and age of the keeper. Workshop activities will be held at the Dyess Park gazebo and nearby fields.
LOOKING BACK
2001—Dynamos and Keeper Club alumnus Brandon Renken, worked in the criminal justice department in the Governor’s office in Austin during his summer vacation from Harvard. The college junior who attended Cy-Creek HS is a varsity keeper for the Crimson.
2011-A record turnout of 40, including 21 keepers and prospective keepers along with coaches and parents, attended the “Bring Your Own Keeper” workshop to discuss ways to handle pre-game warmups for the special position. Thanks to Coach John Booker for his input, Keeper Club member Noah Schroer for his help as a demonstrator, and Stephanie Thetford for administrative assistance.
THE BUZZ
Attention Dynamos Goalkeepers: a group photo of all Dynamos keepers will be taken by Wade's Photography at Dyess Park on Thurs., Oct. 5 at 5:30pm. Please report to Jim Walker, Roland Sikinger or Eddie Bloise when you arrive to be included in the photo. . .Schreiner and Southwestern universities battled through double overtime to a 2-2 tie last week with Dynamos alumnus Gregg Gutierrez scoring the second goal for the Mountaineers of Schreiner in the 63rd minute. and Christian Lopez, another ex-Dynamos player, assisting on both Southwestern goals. . .Soccer America's Paul Kennedy reports that Fox Sports will include 350 hours of programming for its World Cup 2018 coverage, with most games on Fox and three studio shows. Fox Sports previously announced that John Strong, Stuart Holden, and Landon Donovan--three "American voices"--will be the lead announcing team. . .The rise to international prominence of United States national team midfielder Christian Pulisic, will be featured on CBS television's “60 Minutes” this Sunday. In it's promotion of the segment, which will air at 6:30pm (or following NFL), 60 Minutes said: “Meet Christian Pulisic, the future of American soccer.”. . .Want to learn more about how the Dynamos do soccer? On this website, click on ABOUT, then PHILOSOPHY, and read about the Dynamos approach to The Beautiful Game. The Dynamos make every effort to adhere to these principles.. . .If you have items for The Buzz or the Coaches Memo, email to jwalker@dynamossoccer.com
Dynamos goalkeeper Zac Cannon reaches above everyone for a save.
QUOTABLE
“There is no 'I' in team. But there are two in motivation. ”--T. Jay Taylor
THOUGHT ON COACHING
"What do you think I should do? Right then and there take them off the field, burn a few substitutions? What happens if four guys take a knee? What do I do? If we need to discuss it, we'll discuss it, but I don't think that's an issue we're going to deal with. We've got enough to worry about on Oct. 6 besides kneeling and stuff."--U.S. national team coach Bruce Arena, asked what he would do if any of his players chose to kneel before the World Cup qualifier against Panama in Orlando. He said demonstrations by players were "appropriate" but acknowledged that national teams are different than clubs, citing U.S. Soccer's policy that players respect the national anthem.(Goal.com)
ANOTHER THOUGHT
Q: Why did Humpty Dumpty have a great fall?
A: To make up for a lousy summer.
IT’S ONLY FAIR
I just wish there were more coaches with humility, declared Coach Cy Fair, there are so few of us left. Coach Flo muttered after a recent loss that she’s had a perfectly wonderful afternoon, but this wasn't it.