Dissent in MLS

       By now most of you have read the article by freelance-writer Steve Davis from Dallas.  It is being circulated among referees here in northern California, and I am sure that elsewhere in the country, officials are nodding their head at Davis’s comments.  If you haven’t seen it, check out the link I provided in my last blog on this site.  Let me add a little different perspective to Davis’s comments.

       First, note that Steve Davis is not a beginner at soccer-writing.  He has covered the game for years, and his views are those of a mature observer, neither some strident beginner trying to make a controversial name for himself, nor some hack jumping on a bandwagon of others’ opinions.  So pay attention to his words.

Second, dissent in MLS has a history, and as the philosopher George Santayana said many years ago: Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it.  (As an aside, I can write that that statement by Santayana is one of the most-often cited, but most-often ignored pieces of wisdom you come across from the mouths of politicians or the pens of writers.  More on that in a moment.)

Third, understand that the game you see in MLS is a victim of the advice referees have been given over the years.  They have been told to back off punishing stars for dissent.  They have been exhorted to try to talk their way out of disagreement, rather than flash a card.  In the words of Esse Baharmast: “Use your personality—(aka man-management)—in situations that get difficult.”

That’s good advice . . . up to a point.  By all means, use your personality, or your charisma, or sense of humor to defuse situations, but if the players don’t respond, then don’t hesitate to take appropriate disciplinary action.  Too many referees in MLS try the management approach and keep on trying it even when it is failing.  No one seems to have told them that once the players get a sense that the referee is not going to issue cautions, then control of the match passes from the referee to the player. 

       (Remember that notorious match in Chicago where Marco Echeverry took over the refereeing from the inexperienced and ill-trained Jair Marrufo?  The player ran the show for the hapless referee because the man-in-the-middle was afraid to take action against the star midfielder and World Cup veteran.)  (As another aside, rumor has it that Marrufo is next for our FIFA list . . .  Imagine him with his MLS training trying to deal with a Wayne Rooney or Cristiano Ronaldo. . . )

       So when you read the list of the biggest whiners in MLS, notice that it is not as list of average players; it is a list of stars, with Landon Donovan at the top.  Referees are obeying their instructions to the letter, and the principal victims of the policy are the fans and the game itself.  The players also suffer, because they never have to learn the discipline necessary to compete at the international level.

       Listen to what Steve McClaren, new Coach of England says when talking about Wayne Rooney’s recent difficulties, and notice the attitude that puts responsibility for professional behavior on the shoulders of the players, not on the backs of ill-trained referees.  "In international football, you have to be extra careful with referees," said McClaren. "The most important thing (for a team) is keeping 11 players on the field, so I've talked to Wayne and all the players about their responsibilities and the discipline they must show.”  Imagine how MLS would look if all the coaches in the league said that to their players!

It won’t happen, of course, because the powers-that-be are afraid to get tough with players, even though years of experience has shown that strong refereeing changes the behavior of players and improves the game for spectators.  But as George Bernard Shaw, the political and historical playwright mused many years ago: We learn from history that we learn nothing from history. Especially by looking at MLS and the training of its referees.

Not too long a ago a telling moment arose when one ex-NASL and FIFA referee, and a very sharp observer of referees, was talking to a current MLS referee after a match.  After being encouraged by the observer to get a lot tougher on ill-discipline among the players, the referee told the observer that “..you and the others like you wouldn’t survive in this league!”  No, he didn’t mean that they weren’t technically capable of surviving, but that the league wouldn’t keep them if they were as tough as they had been in the NASL !

Q. E. D.

Comments

[Kenny Stern]

Spot on, Bob! And sadly, absolutely nothing is gained with a protectionist (of stars) attitude by those who are charged with overseeing the product. We've had 10+ years of this crap, and at some point MLS must hopefully learn that the dissent is ugly, contributes significantly to the slowing down of the games, and cheats their customers (fans) from the entertainment they pay for.

[Chuck Fleischer]

I was asked, by a gent who wishes to become a national referee, to come and watch him on a high school match. I did. He told me he was working on his man management skills and asked for comments after the match. A match in which the players controlled the discipline because they had to, a match in which one player threw the ball at the head of an opponent after a heavy challenge at midfield, a match in which there were no cautions or sendings-off. I said he will do well in the MLS and other professional league matches here, but please don't go to Europe and referee there because there he'll not survive.

I offered three things at the interval to assist him in gaining better position with respect to play, look around when there is little chance of foul play around the ball, don't signal for a throw-in when the assistant's got it and continuing a run for better position would help, don't automatically set the wall and delay a restart. He chose to not take any advice. One wonders why help was needed...

[Eric Larson]

I became a referee too late in life to have any illusions of ever taking part in the professional game. I spend most of my time with youth games, high school, and recently college. My experience at the youngest ages points to the fact that if our youth leagues don't rein in their coaches, all we will be doing is developing the next generation of players with no respect for referees.

[Anonymous]

I don't think there is any way Jair is next on the FIFA list (at least I hope not). Wasn't he suspended from MLS a while ago? Trouble seems to follow him wherever he goes. I think Abbey Okulaja should be next on that list.

[Anonymous Person 456701234]

Mr. Okalaja is supposedly too old. And, considering he had three position papers written solely about him and his inability to recognize and punish properly DOGSO infractions, I doubt anyone would want him representing the USA. That is, unless, you're one of the Powerful Pentad Mr. Evans refers to a lot. They seem to love him. Ahhhh, isn't that special?

[Ed Bellion]

Abbey is not alone in this failing. When I assessed in MLS (2001-05) I personally observed and included in my assessment write-ups several incidences of failure to apply the DOGSO laws correctly, in clear cut cases. All the officials concerned are still refereeing in MLS. I am no longer invited to assess at MLS games (neither is Bob Evans!). Instead they prefer people with little to no experience refereeing in top professional leagues. Draw your own conclusions!

[Anonymous Person 456701234]

Mr. Bellion: We anonymous referees are well aware of yours, as well as Mr. Evans, attempts to correct the failings of certain MLS referees. Although neither of you are assessing MLS matches anymore, we all know that you both are dedicated to this profession. We also know that sometimes the truth hurts. That's probably why you were both relieved of your assessorial duties. The Powerful Pentad is kind of like Rummy and Bush, they keep making mistakes but they never want to admit they're wrong. Instead of listening to the wind, the Powerful Pentad continues to put the same referees in the middle of MLS games even though they've proven it's too much. Look at Mr. Jair Marruffo. He has not only given a double caution during a match and been suspended (not the first, by the way. The illustrious Mr. Prus was the first referee in the MLS to give two cautions to the same player and not send him off), but Mr. Jair Marruffo was standing five feet from Clint Mathis when he pathetically hacked off the lower leg of a Galaxy rookie defended in the 2005 season. That should have been a send off, but Jair gave a yellow. I guess because he can run from corner flag to corner flag faster than the players, he must be a good official. Either that, or it's all the hair gel he wears.
Anyway, the point is this: the Powerful Pentad don't want anyone to dissent. They don't want to admit they're wrong. And, they want to stay in power as long as possible. We've had one referee who was amazing and went to the WC 02 and represented this country marvelously. But, as Mr. Evans is fond of saying, Mr. Brian Hall was not a product of this Pentad Regime. They can't claim his as a success. And, unfortunately, they can't claim any others as successes at the international level, either.

[Ed Bellion]

To Anonymous Person 456701234:
Thanks for your support. But until more people
like you come out and let everyone know how
dissatified you all are with this situation, it will just continue. I know there are a lot of referees and team officials who are unhappy with the situation. In fact I have not met anyone who is happy with it. Bob & I are only two voices. I tell everybody: get on board, and work in whatever way you can for change. Otherwise the gross embarrassment to the US Soccer Referee program that is shown weekly in MLS, continually questioned in the press and resulted in the serious error that occurred at the 2006 WC will never be lived down. This is a shame, after the hard work that was done to improve and get recognition for our program and to have our referees selected for WC's since 1982. Up until this year they all did very well.

[Ed Bellion]

As for the two cautions issued to the same player by Jair Marrufo, I was at that match in person as a spectator. The 4th official informed the AR-1 and they both informed the referee of the error, but Jair ignored them, and insisted he had cautioned two different players. When the video was checked and it was clear that the same player had been double cautioned, he was suspended and so were the rest of the crew even though two of them had stopped the game to tell Jair of the error, and the AR-2 was not involved in the discussion. How can this be justified in any way?

The first sting in the tail is that the other three officials on the game in question did not return to MLS officiating the following season, and now are no longer working at the top level.
The final sting in the tail is that Jair was rewarded at the end of the season with the A-league final game! Never mind all the A-league referees who had been working hard all season, not making errors, and who deserved the recognition of a championship match. What message did that send? Make a major error and you get a nice reward? Work hard, point out serious errors to the referee and you get nowhere. Go figure!

[Giancarlo Penninella]

Wow, apparently this has been a major topic of discussion. I do rememeber the Jair incident where the entire crew got suspended. What sucks is two of those officals knew and tried to do the right thing and they suspended them anyway. I wouldn't want to come back to the MLS next year as well had I been one of those crew memebers.
Dissent....Been an epidemic in this league called the MLS which is beginning to stand for Major Laughing Stock. The players do it far too much and there are still referees who let them get away with is. Guess what? The message trickles down to the lower leagues. I look back to the first 5 years I was refereeing and look back on the last 5 and there is a huge difference in how much we let get away. My point...and I do have one...MLS needs to stop thinking of themselves as an entertainment business and act like a high ranking soccer league. The fans are not going to deplete if Donovan gets his first red card. How do I know? Well the MLS suspended him for comments after the game and fined him while he was playing for the Earthquakes. The Attendance didn't change.

[Anonymous Person 456701234]

Yes, Mr. Bellion, it was a sad state of affairs. Roger Itaya was one of our best Asst. Referees and the Powerful Pentad threw him under the bus. The other officials were also in the same situation, and it's a darn shame.
As for Jair's reward of getting the A-League final, you are very correct to point out how unfair this was to other hard-working A-League officials. David Simon was, if I remember correctly, the A-League referee of the year that season (maybe the next, but either way he was doing a stellar job officiating in the A-League) and you'd think he may have a shot at the final? Instead, one of the worst errors in US refereeing was rewarded with a final appointment.
David Simon subsequently retired from refereeing and it's another shame on the list of shames from this Powerful Pentad. People like Cory Dean, Simon, and Ryan Keck were on the cusp of MLS but instead have all stepped down from high-level USSF refereeing. Why? Because after all of their hardwork they get to see people like Lee Suckle, Jeffrey Mellen, and Mark Geiger move ahead of them in line because someone had a "stiffy" over one of their U-14 games at the Nike Friendlies. Look at Suckle, three MLS centers - all flunking assessments - and he's done for. Mellen? Who knows what's happened to him? And Geiger? He's the only one half-successful, and I am being kind to him with those words. Dean may have his issues, but he was (still is) one of the best referees around. He was in his early 30s when he was forced out. Too bad, because whatever supposed deficiencies he had on the field could've been easily corrected within a 3-4 season period and then he could possibly go to FIFA.
Ryan Keck was sent to Europe to represent the US at Toulon international tournament (again, if I remember correctly) and then he suddenly quits? Glad to see that investment worked out well.
The biggest problem that I, and all my anonymous referee friends, have is the hypocrisy. If the Powerful Pentad is going to make decisions, they should stick by them. If they say things to referees at National Camp, they should follow up on their word. If they're going to spend USSF money on an administrative handbook, they should obey what's written inside it. Instead, we have blatant breaking of the rules that are laid down in the administrative handbook. If the Powerful Pentad made a decision to side-step these regulations in a referee committee meeting, then they should tell everyone instead of making us all wonder why someone who'd not refereed a game in seven years is now wearing a National Badge and doing more MLS assignments than anyone else.
Fairness is a good word. I like it. I wish that the Powerful Pentad would learn that. Be fair, follow up on your word, and don't punish an assessor for doing their job. I am anxiously waiting to see which assessors who flunked Terry Vaughn this season (an estimated four failing assessments from my understanding)get the axe for speaking their minds and doing their jobs.

[ohio ref]

My referee instructer knows Jeff Mellen personally and said he is an excellent referee. I would love for him to get an MLS center. Also, how do you know who fails an assessment in MLS?

[Anonymous Person 456701234]

Thanks, OhioRef, for the comments. You know, that's a funny thing about referee instructors. It seems that every one of their students is an "excellent referee."
On a serious note, what exactly is an "excellent referee?" Is it Brian Hall? If so, then Mr. Mellen cannot be an "excellent referee" by that definition because we all know Mr. Hall is the best out there. OK, so is an "excellent referee" someone who never makes a mistake in a game? I doubt it because we all make errors - some less than others, some more than others. And, for the top referees in the world, those mistakes are few and far between. I personally have never seen Mr. Mellen referee. For all this anonymous referee knows, Mr. Mellen could be the next Pierluigi Collina. I highly doubt that, though. I am not here to bad-mouth Mr. Mellen's skills. I will only say this: he wasn't ready when he was pushed and I doubt he's ready now.
Not only was he not ready for the MLS, neither were Lee Suckle, Colin Tait, Mark Geiger or a few other folks. When your referee resume is highlighted by 8-10 W-League center assignments, trust me, you're not ready for the MLS. Referees who have worked hard, paid their dues, worked their way up the PDL, D2 (D3 Pro), D1 (A-League for we old geezers), and MLS reserve matches and then finally to the MLS. People who have been dedicated and committed and who've worked their butts off (i.e. not me) should be moved up, not jumped over or ditched in line by some "excellent referee" who made the "right call" and ran faster than the little kids in a U-14 game at Nike Friendlies. Make sense? I hope so.
Ryan Keck was one heck of a young, developing referee, and like all of us, sure, he had things to work on. But the man was dedicated, had paid his dues, and could run something like 3,600 meters in 12 minutes. Hey, what's not to like about that? Somehow this promising referee who was what, 25, when he quit, was made to feel unwelcome. Or, maybe he saw things as being unfair. You'll have to ask him.
I can tell you this, though, "excellent referees" aren't born that way, they don't become that after one good game, and they don't grow on trees. And, one last thought since it's past my bedtime, there really aren't that many of them.
As for assessments and how do I know who passed what. It's simple: in this game, this business we call refereeing, people talk. Especially in as politicized an environment that the USSF Referee Program has turned into. Every SRA, referee instructor and mentor out there wants their guy to get to the next level. That's probably what your instructor told the Powerful Pentad: "hey, got an excellent referee here, he should be in the MLS."
I have heard that phrase so many damn times it's not even funny. But, I digress, on to the assessments.
OhioRef, not to say you're naive, but people talk. Assessors tell other assessors, who then tell their mentees, who then do a high school game and tell someone else, and so on and so forth. Or, a higher ranking referee works with one of these newbies as fourth and sees him flunk, then goes back to their home state and says to the latest promising National: "Shoot, Billy, I just worked fourth for Suckle in Salt Lake and he was terrible, (insert assessor name here) flunked him bad.
If you know enough people in high positions, you'll know that Mutiny on the Bounty will soon be a play coming to a soccer referee assoc. near you. Do you think people in this business believe that the referee program is going in the right direction? A lot don't, and what ends up happening is they sit at home, watch a game and say to themselves, "shit, what the hell is Abby watching?" when Mr. Okalaja messes up his third or fourth DOGSO in one season. Or, they are in a stadium for an Open Cup game and see Okalaja freak out on whatshisname with the bad hair that used to play for United (Ben Olsen?).
People talk. Assessments aren't as secret as you think. And, if you have MLS DirectKick and watch the games each week, you're going to see the referees who make terrible errors.
And, don't forget the website. Administrators with access to the website and referees' assessments aren't always looking at them to see how someone's doing. They're often times checking out other referees' progress to compare to their own., from their state.
Just to refresh you: the referee program has become dysfunctional. People everywhere are unhappy. That breeds dissent and criticism. Well, it's after midnight, past my bedtime, so that's all.
OhioRef, I wish you the best. But I have one bit of advice for you: if you want to make it to the next level, you shouldn't be reading - let alone posting - on this website.

[andrew ohmer]

I was just told about this website who holds a National refere badge from USSF and a national badge from NISOA. So obviously, important people are reading this and tell others about it. He told me it was titled The Integrity of the Game. When I read the postings on keeper involvement I was impressed and enlightened by Bob Evans comments on fouls on keepers. Then I started reading the postings about MLS and the referee program. It struck me as ironic that a website dedicated to the INTEGRITY of the game would allow several postings from an anonymous source. This anonymous source disparges referees by name but then hides behind anonymity. How can anyone lend credence to his or her arguments if you that person doesn't have the courage to let us know who he or she is? My suggestion would be to censor any postings made by an anonmyous source.

[Anonymous Person 456701234]

Mr. Ohmer:

Thanks for your insightful comments.

I will address them as best possible.

1.) You're obviously not on the level of refereeing yet to be able to really see inside the "business" of the National Referee Program and also see everything that is going wrong within it.

2.) Not only am I anonymous, but 95 percent of the people who post on this site are also anonymous. Why? Because of the nature of the Powerful Pentad. If they know who all of us are, they'll unofficially black-ball us from refereeing. In fact, Mr. Ohmer, if you tell anyone of importance that you think Mr. Evans is correct in his teachings, well, you better kiss your career good bye. (reason No. 2 why I believe you're a young, naive, not-in-the-loop-yet referee).

3.)I am in no way disparaging or insulting my fellow referees. What I am doing is telling the truth. I am guessing that you're unaware of all the issues I've - and others - have referred to on this blog. (Abby's continual failure to understand DOGSO; Jair's repeated major mistakes; the failed assessments of all those "promising referees" who moved to the top after one season of 'spectacular' refereeing in the W-League or at the Nike Friendlies.)

4.) You haven't matured as an official enough to know that the best thing any referee can do on the field is to tell a player that he or she (the referee, that is) made a mistake when you make one.

Mr. Ohmer, a few words of wisdom for you.

1.) If you value your referee career, Never - and I stress NEVER - repeat to anyone of importance (read Mr. Baharmast, Mr. Tamberino, Ms. Ilaqua, or Mr. Kleinaitis) that you agree with Bob Evans. (OK, if you're out drinking with Mr. K, of course after a few you could probably tell him that you do think some of Mr. Evans' advice is valid. After all, Mr. K - deep down inside (think Darth Vader) - is a good guy. Mr. K is just like the folks in the Eastern Bloc before the fall of the Berlin wall who agreed with Communism just to have an easier life because the Communists were in charge and if you disagreed with them it was off to the Gulag.

2.) If you did use your real name on this site, don't ever do that again. Why? Because even referees who have written negative posts on this site about Mr. Evans have been busted by the Powerful Pentad. And, since you've already agreed he's got good advice, if it is your real name, you're already busted. Welcome to the club.

I hope you have a great day, Andrew. And, don't forget to get a good aerobic work out in tonight. Fitness is really important to being a good referee.

[Gwen Keck]

Interesting reading. The correct distances on the 12 minute run at National Camp for Ryan Keck would be: 3470 meters, 3500 meters, 3450 meters. 8 2/3-8 3/4 laps.

The sad part is being scolded like a child for running the Fitness Test (Beep Test)as trained by the person he was directly competing against. Only 2 people were left running at the end. Neither one was ready to stop. USSF Officials stopped the test, because Ryan "embarrassed a FIFA Referee". I do not believe this test has been used at National Camp since.

Lesson learned: Do not run the Fitness test to be first, even if you are the fastest. The price is simply too high.

[Anonymous Person 456701234]

Ms. Keck:

How true your words are. I also would like to thank you for your son's correct 12-minute run distances.
I can now update my BlackBerry with his results for future reference.
I was present when Ryan did the "beep" test. Ms. Keck is correct in her comments.
Ms. Keck and Ryan are good people and are an asset to refereeing soccer. It's too bad that they were treated in a manner that led to Ryan's eventual non-participation in the referee program.
I hope you both are well.

Sincerely,
Anonymous Person 456701234

[ryan keck]

just a few thoughts from an old whistle blower who sleeps well now.......

1. "Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it"
with that said, young guns (and old) listen and learn from my mistakes as i have nothing to gain or lose as a result of posting here.

2. "Spot on, Bob!" maybe the reason i am writing this from a coffee shop on the beach at 3:30 in the afternoon is because i would, and did, send off a world cup player. ask my mom, she will be happy to send pictures. truth be told, it is great picture. :)

3. only my personal opinion but referees gain respect not from keeping players in the game who deserve to leave, but instead for having courage, character, discipline, honesty and most of all integrity. none of these is worth anything if every person involved in the game cannot tell that the referee possesses all of the aforementioned.

4. reply to post by Anonymous, Oct 11 at 2:53 pm. is it not the right of passage to be given a fifa badge just because you father had one, while ignoring off the field behavior? PLEASE, say hello to Abbey for me. in my humble opinion, Abbey leaves the field with respect every game because he possesses all of the aforementioned.

5. response to Anonymous Person 45601234, Oct 13 at 3:42 pm: my question is were the papers in reference written in response to calls that Abbey made in an MLS game? as we all know, what is or is not called on any given sunday in the MLS is NOT what is taught monday thru sat on the fields and in the classrooms. with that said, i will note that i have NOT watched any MILS since my retirement, so it is simply a question. lets keep in mind that i am sure Abbey is happy doing his MLS games, and to continue to do these, the players must remain in the game. for a referee to obtain the white crest, they must referee at the top level, so he must conform to MLS to have any chance of dawning the white badge. is it possible that Abbey recognised these issues, but rather chose to not call them due to the fact that it was an MLS game?

6. Mr. Bellion, welcome to the sidelines, have a seat next to me for doing the right thing.

7. Mr. Bellion, in response to your question posted at the end of your post on oct 17th "what message did that send? Make a major error and you get a nice reward? Work hard, point out serious errors to the referee and you get nowhere. Go figure!" Yoda, where was your guiding light when i was blowing a whistle? i would believe it is hard to admit a mistake when one believes they are perfect.

8. Mr. Anonymous, after returning from the tournament in France, of which i was TRULY BLESSED to have been a part of, and refusing to rewrite a report, my pro games posted on the web went from 19 in '03 to 5 in '04. two of which the assessors failed to show up to assess, one being the syra and the other being the sra. with the inability to obtain assessments to even qualify to return to camp, i believe the writing was on the wall! let me know if you have heard differently. i have no shame in showing my name. that is not a crack at your being anonymous, but for the youngers to learn from. youngers, heed Mr. Anonymous's advice on posting your name and most other postings on this website. although i will vehemently disagree with the integrity, not referee abilities, of his golden '02 child.

9. the fab five does have their agenda but i will say, Ms. Ilaqua was more than supportive, went above and beyond the call of duty for me personally and for that i am thankful. Mr. K, i would love to have a Stoli with you in Chi town some day. Tambo, i too have become a BUD man, so lets grab a beer when i am on the east coast. no hard feelings as i am sure you were following directions.

10. young ones, even if you train for years with a fifa referee, who tells you to beat him if you can, thus making him work harder, please for your sake, forget what you learned when the fab five is around. stop and bow down to the powers that be and you will go far.

11. young ones, are you seeing a trend here yet?

12. to those who chose not to listen i will try to pad your fall from grace. i believed i had many friends in the referee community, some who i still hold dear to my heart. i am sure that you up and comers have a following who are curious as to what successes you are having. some are genuine and others are self motivated questions. will all my my "friends" and all of my success, i only received two phone calls to inquire about my situation. this i found disgraceful, but in reality, i am sure that many rejoiced as it meant that my position had opened up for them. do not expect your phone to ring when you hang up the shoes, unless it is your local assignor who needs help.

Mr. Anonymous,

thank you for your kind and unprompted words. i am well. i now sleep wonderfully at night. i am sure you are aware, being at the point were i was, and it seems that you have been there too, there were many restless nights prioritizing honest and integrity over what call to make or not make. not to mention trying to figure out why 12 yrs of training and execution were exactly the opposite of the desires of certain members of the fab five.

sure, i made mistakes, we all have, but i sleep well knowing that i made decisions on the field that i believe were correct for that individual game and not others played on prior days (ask your glory '02 boy about that one). i sleep well knowing that there are those carrying on the the fight for honest referees such as Mr. Bob Evans, Mr. Ed Bellion, Mr. Hintz Wolmerath, youself, the honest administrators and a long laundry list of national referees who have been tossed to the wayside due to a conscious inability to conform to the lack of integrity of which is desired at the top level.

for those of you who may be young in your years on the field and are looking to advance: realize that your actions and abilities do not always decide what game you are assigned, so do not worry about who is blowing a whistle on what game and you will sleep well. apply what you have learned and been taught, or at least until you are being looked at for the highest level. at this point, forget what you have learned, lived and breathed, as it is a different game which has it's own set of rules.

[Anonymous Person 456701234]

Ryan:

Very well said. I have to apologize for not calling. But, you did tell me some of your dilemma at your last National Camp. It's great to hear you're sleeping well. What you have reported here makes a lot of sense.
Best of luck in all your endeavors. Although you aren't involved anymore, we still think about you and I hope that the words and advice you posted will be heeded by someone who is still young enough to make the move to the next level.
Yours in refereeing,
AP456701234

[anonymous horseracing]

It is interesting, Mr. Keck seeing how I was at the same national camp you and Mr. Stott were running a simulation of the Beep test and you cannot even think that running in a parking lot equates to the real beep test. And they told you both to stop because we had more boring training. And I think there was a bet on that as well. The beep test is not a test being used anymore to test the referee's fitness.
As for the France tournament I just checked the Archives and when did you go to Toulon, they do not have your name listed.
Yes these are all good statements, and correct in some instances. Mr. Prus was not the first one to give 2 yellows in 1 game and not send off. How about 2 yellows in 1 half and that being the first half.
As for Abby he is too old.
And for Jair it is not only who you know but as well as who you Bl_ _. You all enjoy watching him on the MLS CUP FINAL 06. When the BEST AMERICAN BORN AND BLOOD AND RAISED is watching from the stands. Did Jairs dad win his election?

[ryan keck]

Thank you for verifying what Ms. Keck previously stated that the beep test has not been run since.

The physical and scientific data shows that the beep test is a more stringent and rigorous test than jogging in a circle for 12 minutes. There is a reason the MLS and our National teams were using this test to assess fitness as opposed the 12 minute jog. I do believe everyone at camp had the same circumstances to deal with in the parking lot, thus making the playing field fair! In response to your claim that we were instructed “stop because we had more boring training,” I will stand by my previous statement as I have a witness. Mr. Tamberino is my witness to a conversation in which I was chastised by Mr. Baharmast for “embarrassing a FIFA referee.” I was then instructed that in the future I should show respect and “bow out,” i.e. quit, when competing against a FIFA referee. I choose to not make my way to the top by ass kissing because someone has a different color badge, period. Show respect yes, but “bow out”, never. I had trained personally with Mr. Stott in which all of his students were told to perform their best, i.e. not bowing out, but instead to push your fellow referees. You Mr. Horseracing are exactly correct in your statement that there was a bet. Mr. Stott and I had a bag of chocolate riding on the test. If you know anything about Mr. Stott you would know this was a huge motivating factor for him. How did you come out on your bet that day? Where did your horse place? Just an assumption, but I am guessing you are still refereeing at the top, thus you are a great example of how one may rise to the top in US Soccer by showing respect and “bowing out!”

Simply my opinion but the beep test is not used any longer because it exposes just how poorly the majority of our referees train, as their physical fitness is embarrassing! The proof is in the results. I support this statement by the fact that the last 5 people testing that morning were students of Mr. Stott. This is significant because we all trained together on a regular basis and thus performed at a higher level than the other members of camp.

I have no comment in regards to Mr. Prus or Jair as I did not post about cards being giving so please repost ad address that to the individual that commented on such.

In response to your question about me going to “Toulon”, correct, I never did go, nor did I claimed to do so. I am sure you must have your own source of game history in France in ’03 as the US Soccer archives do not list international assignments played outside of the US. The tournament of which I was honored and blessed to be selected to officiate was ‘03 Tournoi du Val-de-Marne. Feel free to confirm with the FFF or would you like me to prove this with documentation, pictures or references? My contact info is still in the database. However I will admit, I am having a very difficult time finding anyone listed in the data base by the name of Anonymous Horseracing.

[Anonymous Person 456701234]

Hi Anymous Horseracer...

Sorry to rain on your parade, but I was at that camp, too, and what you report is incorrect. The folks who were still going after Stott dropped out were the Anderson "We run like gazelles" brothers and Ryan.
As for the first double caution in a match by Prus, yes he was the one. Game was LA Galaxy at Columbus Crew, inaugural season of MLS. Prus was a Grade 5 newly into the program from Poland. Not only did he not send off that player, he didn't send off Jorge Campos who was playing keeper at the center circle and football-tackled Brian McBride on a break-away. Should have been a DOGSO send off, but it wasn't.
AP

[Ed Bellion]

Since this has turned into a discussion about do's & don'ts at fitness tests, I will chime in again. I am at loss to understand this approach, but I do believe it.
It was never an issue in the old NASL fitness tests. The up and coming young guns all ran the pants off the older FIFA referees, and nobody thought it was offending or embarrasing to anyone. Certainly not anyone in the administrative side of the program thought like this. In fact it was expected. If you couldn't out run a person several years your senior, on what basis could you expect to take their games away from them? They had us beat on refereeing experience and savvy with players etc. And far from trying to embarrass people, younger officials would run with the older guys, encouraging them on. This was in the days of the 400 m run, which was tough for many people. Sometimes the older guys actually did better. In one memorable case, an established member of the FIFA list closely beat a newer list member in one of the 50 m sprints. He triumphantly yelled out as he crosed the finish line "F@@k you XXXXXXX" right at his younger colleague, such was the delight at this unusual accomplishment!

Unfortunately what is described by Mr. Keck above is indicative of the current approach, and has been discussed previously in these blogs. An attitude of intimidation, fear and humiliation, prevails, and banishment for anyone who presumes to have a different viewpoint. What a shame!

[anonymous horseracing]

Since mr Prus was not in the MLS for the first year and the 2nd year he was a AR to translate for his friend your information is incorrect. Ask him he will tell you the samething since i was sitting in a Q and A and he said he did not start in the MLS until the second year

[anonymous horseracing]

MR. Keck
I have retired and no I was never at the top level. I was a national referee before the MLS was ever around and was never given my chance to be at that level. And as for the Toulon part you did not deny that statement either. This horse stopped because it was not mandatory and because what do you prove by an unneeded practice or example.
And to reply to your witness. I trust him as far as I could throw him he is nothing but a union type yes sir man. So if Mr. B told him to lie about it he would and if he told him to only assign people with Italian and German last names he would. He is nothing but what Mr. Evans has called him and the rest of the Pentad.
Mr. Keck I am sorry you were mistreated as everyone else has been, It is funny that when Esse and Paul took over they said they would not make the same mistakes there predecessors had made. They were right they have made worse mistakes