Poor Officiating Plus Minnesota Mistake Leads to Another San Antonio Win
The Stars’ Cristiano Dias fights off the Scorpions’ Blake Wagner. Photo by Jeremy Olson – www.digitalgopher.net.
San Antonio Scorpions 1-0 Minnesota Stars
It’s widely understood in the world of soccer that goal scorers cost money. Usually, a lot of money. That’s something the NASL Minnesota Stars do not have much of as a league-owned team. So it’s no surprise Minnesota have struggled to find goals as the season has pushed beyond the halfway point and the other 7 teams in the league have solidified their defense.
In the past, goals for Minnesota have come from multiple players in different positions. It’s something Stars fans have gotten used to. They have also gotten used to close matches which is a credit to the spirit, team play and coaching.
One thing the Stars cannot afford to do is make mistakes. Another thing they cannot afford is bad decisions by the officiating crew. They got both on Saturday night as a good crowed of 3,221 watched Minnesota lose 1-0 to the leading San Antonio Scorpions after dominating most of the match.
Minnesota started the game brightly with numerous chances. The best seemed to go to rookie Miguel Ibarra who in dying moments of the first half had 3 different opportunities to score. The first, a one-on-one chance that saw him hit a hard-driven waist-high shot just left of the far post. The next saw him hit a wild shot into the stands. On the the third chance, the former UC Irvine player stayed calm and hit the ball low and hard as he tried to beat Scorpions goalkeeper Daryl Sattler. But the Texas keeper made a fine drop save and smothered the hard-struck ball, keeping the game tied as the two teams went into halftime.
Minnesota outplayed and outshot the Scorpions 7-3 in the first half, forcing Sattler into 3 saves.
The Stars kept the pressure on in the second half and just three minutes in it looked as if the Stars had grabbed the lead when Martin Nunez, who had a quiet first half but a very good second half, received a ball, dribbled through the defense on the left side of goal and beat Sattler who had come out to cut down the angle. Nunez played the ball back across goal to Stars defender Justin Davis who made the run and made easy work of the square ball played perfectly to the Stars left back. The referee pointed to the center circle signalling goal but then the assistant referee’s flag went up well after the play. Center referee Daniel Fitzgerald consulted with AR Kyle Burkhardt and the play was called offside. Stars players, coaches and fans were incredulous as there was no indication that either player could have been offside throughout the play. Still, the goal was called back and play continued.
It looked as if the Stars might have another goal in the 55th minute when Cristiano Dias crossed the ball to Nunez who headed home from close range. But the goal was again called off for offside.
In the 70th minute the screws turned on the Stars when San Antonio made a break down the left side of the field. Brian Kallman cut between the ball and played the ball back to keeper Matt VanOekel. But the Stars keeper played a very poor clearance ball low and directly to the feet of NASL leading scorer Pablo Campos (16 goals) who the Minnesota defense had done a good job of shutting down up to that point in the game. Campos took off with a full head of steam toward the Stars penalty box and was squeezed by central defenders Kyle Altman and Dias, with the latter having a particularly excellent night on the field. The ball was tackled away, Campos went down in a heap and and Minnesota was called for a penalty kick.
Hans Denissen, who had come in at halftime to replace Esteban Bayona, took the kick and guessed right when VanOekel went left. Denissen celebrated in front of the Stars fans by pretending to sink a basketball free throw which drew the ire and boos from the crowd.
Even though Minnesota out-shot the Scorpions 16-7, the penalty kick goal was all that was needed to sink the struggling Stars and give another three points to San Antonio as they continue their march through the stretch run. VanOekel was never called upon to make a save for Minnesota throughout the 90 minutes while Sattler made 6.
“He was on,” said Stars outside midfielder Miguel Ibarra regarding the called-off goal from Davis. “It was a good play between Martin (Nunez) and JD (Jason Davis), he came from behind the play. I thought it was a goal but I guess we just got unlucky. We never let off but they got lucky, got the penalty kick and put it in.”
“It’s very hard to come here to Minnesota and beat them. This is I think the first time I’ve ever come here and beat them at their house,” said league-leading scorer Pablo Campos who was with the Carolina RailHawks for two seasons before moving to San Antonio this year.
Campos says he and his teammates will take some time to rest when they get home after a tough 2-game road trip and losing to the Islanders last Sunday at home. “Puerto Rico and Tampa are right behind us in the standings. So we cannot make any mistakes anymore. We have to win every game from now on.”
Former Thunder player Jonathon Greenfield, who now plays midfield for the Scorpions, said the Stars have a very good team but believes the difference is experience and the ability to play error free. “This is a totally different team from when I played here. They are well organized and move the ball very well. They looked to get in behind the defense all the time and kept possession for long periods of time. I give them credit. They played fantastic and we just got a little fortunate with the goal. Sometimes soccer is a cruel game.”
“This is a very experienced team,” said Greenfield about the expansion San Antonio squad. “To be honest with you this isn’t really a surprise to me that we are where we are right now even though we are a new team. Football is often about managing the game. We definitely know how to manage the game very, very well. We’ve won a lot of games one-nil and we’ve kept a lot of clean sheets.”
Stars player/coach Kevin Friedland also talked about matches coming down to not making mistakes and capitalizing on opponents’ mistakes. “I think the last run of 2 or 3 games we’ve made that one mistake that has cost us the game,” said Friedland. “On the flip side of that we need to do a better job of taking advantage of the other team’s mistakes. Last week in Edmonton we did that. But then at the end of the game we make our own mistake again. Obviously we have to start banging some more goals. As a team we play good soccer, but we are going to have to find ways to dig down and win.”
“They had the better of the chances, but sometimes the game comes down to one break,” Scorpions head coach Tim Hankinson said. “We were able to maintain the lead and three points feels pretty good right now. Our possession picked up in the second half and we continued to stay in the fight.”
Stars midfielder Miguel Ibarra chosen as the Brit’s Pub/IMSoccer News – Minnesota Stars FC Man of the Match
Miguel Ibarra, who was named the Brits Pub/IMS Soccer News – Man of the Match, said after the game that he is trying to remain positive despite having three out-right goal scoring opportunities on Saturday night which he wasn’t able to convert on. The Stars outside midfielder created havoc with the San Antonio defense which has a knack for keeping clean sheets this season. Ibarra was active throughout the match, breaking down the Scorpions defense and getting off shots or crosses.
“I had three opportunities I could have put away but I just have to keep shooting and stay positive and it will come. Manny and my teammates keep telling me, keep going and eventually the goals will come. I thought we played well, I was making runs and it felt good after having the last game off (red card suspension) and I just wanted to help the team win. I tried my best but I’m just going to keep pushing and pushing.”
Ibarra will receive a $50.00 gift certificate from Brit’s Pub and Eating Establishment for being chosen the Brit’s Pub/IMSoccer News – Minnesota Stars FC Man of the Match
Comments are closed.
I have to say it is getting frustrating as a paying fan to come to these games and see the improving quality of the playing and coaching but then to see no improvement in the officiating.
It is ruining the games. This is a game that the Stars clearly outplayed the Scorpions and yet didn’t get a result.
I am anxious to see the replay of both goals that were called back. The first seemed like a backward pass across the goal mouth and the second one was a header that the player had to run onto at pretty much full speed so it very likely was not offside.
While I can’t complain about the PK, what was left out of this article was the fact that with about 5 minutes to go, Neil Hlavaty was driving into the Scorpions box and was pushed with a two handed shove with no attempt to get the ball. Neil tumbled and the ref refused to call anything….that was a shame because it was a clear foul. (To be fair, the ref also didn’t award SA another PK just a few minutes later in the Stars box but on that one the attacker appeared to take a dive).
It was a large crowd and it was ‘referee night’ where refs got in for $5 and its too bad that the ref on the field did such a poor job. He was a young guy who was fairly assertive and did a nice job with game control (until the very end) but during the game his execution of just a few calls changed the outcome of the game.
The league really needs to do something to help improve the officiating. Casual fans will turn away if it doesn’t seem more fair.
“The referee pointed to the center circle signalling goal but then the assistant referee’s flag went up well after the play.”
I had a great look at the AR and the goal. To say he was late putting his flag up (and being behind the play) is a huge understatement. While it might be easy for some to blame a clear terrible call (of the year), I do think the Stars need to step up and start scoring more goals. They are simply trying to get too fancy around the net and that is costing up big time. Gutted!
In the same regard, I disagree to some extent on Ibarra and the Man of the Match selection. My issue is the fact he has sent several balls over the net or off target the last few weeks (he was out last match due to a red card suspension), where I think the ball otherwise should have been on frame.
I also wish the Stars had some more size up front. They seem to lose out on a lot of opportunities late in the match with balls being played into the danger zone. I would like to see Manny throw someone like Kevin Freidland into the game. While small in stature, Kevin gets airborne and certainly knows how to handle himself once he is up in the air. Another candidate of mine would be Ernest Tchoupe. The guy is stacked and can out muscle people!
I guess if there is a bright spot, it was that the Stars rendered Pablo Campos ineffective for a vast majority of the time he was on the pitch. Regardless of where you loyalties lie, you have to hand it to Campos for creating opportunities for his teammates and himself.
Mark, the video was available after the match last night as are most video replays of NASL matches. Go the the NASL site/schedules/scroll to the match/click the field to the right that says Match Recap / Video.
There you will find the video, video highlight package, (usually about 24 hours after the match) Preview/Recap, Play by Play minutes of match, Box Score, Goals and Cards. It’s a nice feature that the NASL has been running since early in the season.
http://nasl.com/index.php?id=488&getGameID=223
I was not aware of the fact that it was referee night. That made it all the more interesting, didn’t it?
For as much money that Traffic spends on its front office administration, one would think they could at least focus on the referee issues and get it resolved.
This seems to be a continuous complaint throughout the league on almost any pitch.
Hmm first one is just bizarre. The AR was in the right spot, level with the ball about four yards off the goal line. He must have really thought that Davis was ahead of the ball when it was played which is mind boggling.
We know he called offside because play restarted with an IDFK ruling out the ref seeing something like Nunez fouling the GK.
The ref must’ve been related to Christina Pederson. Maybe her father?
It’s said that MSL doesn’t control the calibre of referees, USSF does. (Although the MLS Board is stacked with USSF Directors, so they’re not as much distinction between the two.) Is it the same way with NASL?
Cody, that’s the only possible thing I can figure out, that he thought the keeper had control and Nunez kicked the ball out of his hands. The problem with that of course is he isn’t in the position to see it and the referee is, so he should have overridden the AR at that point. I just don’t understand this one at all.
I still think Minnesota has a chance to beat tampa, san antonio, and puerto rico in the playoffs to win the tournament
Minnesota is good team, good uniform, good history, and the best damn logo in American soccer today (add it with sporting kansas city) that many wealthy owners would love owe but Wilf is messing everything up with that MLS clause in its stadium
I think that clause is stupid it proves Wilf cannot handle competition
You don’t see New York Red Bulls denying MLS a NY2
I just want all the NASL teams to be financial sound or sold to a good owner by the end of the year
David Downs still needs to find his 10th team because the loundon county team wont be ready until 2014
I saw he should promote the rust belt derby team from NPSL (their division is the best and most fan orientied division) its similar to the seattle sounders, portland timbers, and vancouver whitecaps rivalry
Detroit CITY FC, AFC Cleveland, and FC Buffalo would be a great addition to add
All three teams already have field experience all they need is money
That should be easy because it is reported that AFC Cleveland created a store for the team
And Traffic Sports USA needs to step its game up and try to sell its teams to potential investors and truth is if Don Garber and MLS were able to do that then Traffic Sports and David Downs can do it
Officiating has been by far the biggest problem for the league this year. It seems like every single game has multiple instances of just outright terrible calls or non-calls. It is of course easier to swallow when you win despite the poor job by officials. Andy Herron was taken down in the box on what was a crystal clear foul in the second half of our game Saturday night, but the ref allowed play to continue. But I think as fans we’ve all been on the wrong end of some blatant ones this year that we felt cost us a game.
Not sure there is much the league can do about this. Officiating has a lot of room for improvement right now.
Actually, if you stop the video (Part 1) at 1:09:06 and 1:09:07, it appears that Dustin may have been behind the keeper at :07, the keeper having come out would now have been the 2nd to last defender. The angle of the camera would tend not be helpful in this case, but it’s definitely not a call you could argue based on the camera angle. The AR was in adequate position, so that’s probably not one you can win without the same angle as him.
Neil’s potential PK was a poor angle by the center referee, from where I standing. I think Neil would have gone down at that point in the game if someone had looked at him sideways, but the center ref should have been in a better place to convince everyone of that call either way. That was a head-scratcher.
@Spence, still photos take at the time the ball was played clearly and indisputable show the AR and the ref made terrible calls! The Stars were robbed!
@John – That is not an excuse. The Minnesota Stars were looking for ownership well before the Vikings got their stadium. The idea that Wilf is keeping wealthy people from buying the Stars is laughable since anyone could have come forth and bought them the past year. Nobody bought them despite that amazing logo you talk about.
As for the refs, every American fan knows the caliber of play is way better than the standard of the refs. The USSF and MLS are working to improve the quality of the refs from the top to bottom.
And this will trickle down to the NASL and the poorer refs get pushed out. At least that is the hope. Until then there is little the NASL can do. It is not like these people are getting paid good money to ref or work the line of a minor league soccer game. Remember where we are.
@Spence
It’s possible that Davis was behind the keeper at the time he put the ball in the net, and that’s likely what made him decide to raise his flag (about 30 seconds later). But the reality is that on that particular play, the position of the goalkeeper became irrelevant once Nunez passed him on the way toward the endline. It doesn’t matter where the keeper is, so long as Davis was behind the ball itself–which he clearly was.
In the heat of the moment, it can be a pretty confusing call to make. But it’s the center referee’s job to realize that no matter where Davis was, the ball must have been ahead of him. Even if his AR makes the incorrect call, the center should automatically override him and then explain his decision after the match.
It’s really Fitzgerald who proved that he lacks the ability to assess all of the factors at play on the field and make the correct decision.
I’ve heard through the grapevine that basically this was just a screw up on the referee and AR’s part. What the AR was thinking other than seeing second to the last defender and not tracking ball, I’m not sure. But several sources have told me that they have both been talked to and told they were in error on the play.
People make mistakes, it happens. I do have a problem with it when it can effect attendance, scoring bonuses in some cases and who knows, could even mean a team doesn’t make the playoffs. As has been pointed out, these are pro players and pro coaches and organizations that trying desperately to make a profit in soccer, which isn’t an easy task in this country. The level of officiating has to get better.
NASL needs one more team
I say bring in the rust belt derby teams or get calgary united to field a NASL team
Or Downs want St Louis get the St Louis Scott Gallgher team to go pro
I heard their academy is one the best and they just but themselves a soccer field from jeff cooper
Hey guys, I appreciate all the comments and passion for the home team, but some of the remarks about the quality of referees are out of line.
If you are not a current referee at a grade 7 or lower, I am extremely confident that you have not read or discussed what USSF’s positions are on some of the most controversial issues. Just look at the discrepancies in the above comments and in the remarks about the US Canada game.
A big part of why spectators, coaches and players are so frustrated with referees is the lack of education for non-referees, on what is and is not expected from referees and AR’s.
You are also making judgement calls using hindsight, video, and stopped photography, none of these are available to either referee or assistant referees. They are all human and speed of play doesn’t allow perfection.
If you want better refereeing, you need to be willing to add resources and lots of money to the issue of training, mentoring, and assessment. Currently the referee has to pay for assessments and feedback. Upgrading to even a grade 6 can wipe out 4-5 games worth of pay, (the gear alone wipes out 4-5 games, recertifying each year wipes out a game, etc) and involves a lot of time in the off season to attend training and meetings when the referee could be spending time with family or their real career.
If you want professional referees, you need to pay them and treat them as professionals. I guarantee many will step up to the plate if it becomes financially worth the time and effort. You cannot expect referees to improve if no parent, club, or professional team is willing to put their money where their mouths are and bankroll mentoring and constant feedback, while at the same time paying a referee enough to make it worth all the time they put into fitness, education, travel, and gear along with listening to upset, rude spectators, parents, coaches and players who expect perfection in the referee crew but make constant mistakes themselves on the field, on the bench/at training, or in what they are even cheering about (think about all the mistakes the opponent makes and how loud the cheering gets . . .).
Being upset about a call is fine, but blanket statements about poor refereeing fixes nothing. Take responsibility for improving the game you love. If you truly think refereeing isn’t at the level it needs to be, tell your favorite team(s) to add money in their budget for referee improvement (like the EP club has done) and secondly, sign up, take the courses, spend the time to get fit, buy the gear, and push out those that are worse than you are (or are tired and not 100% due to the lack of referees).
Old Ref, I have to pipe in for this one. First of all, isn’t this what PRO is all about?
http://www.insidemnsoccer.com/2012/03/02/u-s-soccer-and-mls-to-announce-newly-organized-professional-referee-organization-pro/
Improving the quality of refereeing because it was obvious that it wasn’t keeping up the level of improvement from the players. I have heard this first hand from coaches in the Development Academy all the way up to coaches and players in Major League Soccer.
The assessor for this group talked to the refereeing team the very next morning. There were several bad calls in this match and the above offside was not the only blown call. On top of that, from what I have learned from the referees at the very top, assessors and instructors, is they are encouraged to keep their flag down if it is close. Calling offside on every close infringement kills the game and sends paying fans home disappointed.
I don’t think anyone is saying it’s an easy job, but again, these are pros are getting paid to score goals and get into the playoffs and more importantly, draw fans to try to make a profit. I am wondering where this extra money comes from in the teams budgets to pay these refs that you talk about, when most D2 teams are losing between $.75 and $1.5 million a year?
That’s why USSF is stepping in and even more so why MLS stepped in to create PRO and improve the overall quality of refereeing in this country.
@Old ref
I have to pipe in as well. If money is the incentive needed to improve the level of referees on the pitch, then we have lost sight on why most of these referees come to the game anyway.
It is not for the game money, but for the love of the game. As you move up in the levels of the referee game, you need to be more sharp, more in tune and ready to do what is needed to call the game correctly.
Sure, mistakes happen, but blaming this on lousy pay and poor training is a union flub.
Dear Lord help me I’m agreeing with Bart…. Old Ref, your entire post sounds like a ref’s union promotional statement. With a bit of whiny sarcasm thrown in (I’m going to guess you’ve been learning from Bart’s posts on that front! LOL). We all know reffing isn’t an easy job. People do make mistakes. But those of us who have been watching soccer at every level for many years can easily ascertain that what we have seen on a pretty consistent basis has been below what we would expect. That becomes frustrating game in and game out.
Wow, guys try not to read so much into it. All I am saying is that if you want to improve the game you love, (and yes, I agree the vast majority of the referees do love it or they would not be involved anymore), you have to take some responsibility and unfortunately money is needed.
You cannot expect successful, intelligent, fit, younger men (or women) to choose to put the effort into something that will not pay them back in the long run. They will put their efforts into “normal” careers, that include things like medical benefits and reliable income. Again, I am not advocating paying for health care-just an obvious common sense point. Young referees have to make a choice, and most leave because they cannot afford to pursue a part-time career that takes a lot of time and effort to improve.
If all you want to do is critique an AR and referee crew that you feel made a mistake, you are not doing anything positive for the game.
By the way I am in no way a union supporter.
PRO- good start, but you cannot expect instant results.
My main point, let’s get together as fans, coaches, players and improve the referees, knowing that all of us need to contribute rather than just complain.
i agree with old ref but NASL should partner with MLS on PRO
it will benefit both organizations
John, Pro is assigning refs and if you read the link I left above in another of my comments you will see that NASL pays their referee’s to travel and are using up and coming MLS referees whenever possible. I think PRO will eventually get more involved with NASL as well.