Game Assignment US Soccer

 

Depending on the game assignment for US Soccer the work begins weeks out with the crew contacting the host facility, introducing ourselves, and arranging for accommodations.  Each referee in every season is responsible for having read and comprehended the League Manual, so we all know the various protocols.  To a greater or lesser extent these same protocols exist at every level of game management.

This PDL assignment requires we understand the League and the teams--Referees call this:

The Homework

  http://www.uslsoccer.com/standings/66628072.html

The Homework: The Teams

South Atlantic Division	Pts	GP	W	L	T	GF	GA	W	L	T	GF	GA	W	L	T	GF	GA
West Virginia Chaos	17	9	5	2	2	16	11	4	0	1	11	5	1	2	1	5	6
Cincinnati Dutch Lions	15	7	4	0	3	15	7	2	0	2	10	6	2	0	1	5	1
Carolina Dynamo	10	7	3	3	1	8	11	3	2	0	4	5	0	1	1	4	6
Southern West Virginia King's Warriors	8	7	2	3	2	8	10	2	0	1	6	2	0	3	1	2	8
River City Rovers	5	6	1	3	2	9	12	1	1	0	3	2	0	2	2	6	10
SC United Bantams	5	8	1	5	2	11	16	1	0	2	8	5	0	5	0	3	11

 

The players we will see have personalities by which we do not want to be surprised, so as much as we can learn about teams--how they attack, who are the ballholders, which players can a referee use an ally?-- we try to learn.

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Preparation: The Kits

Three days out we begin to Pre-Hydrate.  Also the kits need packed for travel.

Travel: The Cars

Travel is a significant aspect of any assignment. Travel involves assuring transportation, planning a route, timing arrival, planning for contingencies such as meals, fuel, traffic, and getting lost.

Transportation can become significant in itself, days before this assignment my transportation became an issue.  I had to drop one of two games in this assignment because for transportation I rely on machines, and they break down.

"Dropping" a US Soccer Assignment is a misnomer.  Everyone including the crew works to fill the game with the best possible referee available.  In my case, The assignor was able to cover the Saturday game, but for the Friday game, no cover was found.,and I borrowed a car.  Thanks, Steve.

Travel: The River

Travel along this river is sublime. If it were not for the game timeline and the League protocols, I could see myself stopping and taking photos of the 'Hillbilly-Wal-Mart' I pass and seeing what it is like to live on the river.

Arrival:  The Stadium 

 

VETERAN’S MEMORIAL SOCCER COMPLEX

  ( HUNTINGTON, WV)

The Stadium sits where the Veterans's Memorial Fieldhouse sat in Huntington, West Virginia.

 The stadium is on the Marshall University campus; tomorrow night the team play at their home stadium in Charleston, WV, but for tonight this is their home venue.

Pre-Game: The Crew

Mistake number one, I arrive too early. I should have timed it better, but I didn't. So I am here early and breaking down the team dynamic. I should go across the street and shop for some things I do not need, text the crew or call them to arrange to arrive in a professional manor.

But I don't do that. I take a picture and a video of this stunningly beautiful field.

 

  Pre-Game: Communication Uniform

 

The Pre-Game is all about Game Management.  Just as a referee's ability to communicate with players will suffice as a lubricant when the game gets cranky.  Likewise, the ability of the crew to communicate with each other can expedite decision making during those moments of fast-paced action.  Here we attach the microphone system so we can talk during the match.

These referees are dedicated and professional. They have driven seven hours to get here for kickoff, and they will spend their summer traveling and getting their game performances reviewed.
Each of these pieces of Professional Grade equipment have been purchased by them, and these boys brought some cool gear with them.

Halftime: the First Debrief

From the moment we are enclosed within these doors we process the first 45 minutes.  Who are the players rising to our attention?  Which minutes in the half became critical and how did we work as a team?  The best part about the first half, at this point, is that it is over, and the other part is that the real game has just begun.

So we settle in for some moments, and let go. Walking out for the second half can be difficult for a referee because the sweat has dried and the mind has wandered.  I tend to make my flag-errors in the second half, and this is just one reason I do not consider myself a Top-League Professional. I love the game, but when these referees who are learning at every turn step in, I am very often impressed.

Post-Game: The Last Debrief

The PostGame is one reason I love to referee. We sit and discuss minutes in the match that mattered. The essential basis of this process is that there is no right or wrong.  Just as in the game the players may seem to squander a touch, yet come out a star in the end, so, too, can the referee arise from the ashes of a perilous ninety minutes with a renewed vigor.  We support each other so that the next time we can work better together.

This game went well and there were no calls for emotional recovery in the postgame locker room.  But each game is for the players, and each outing is for the crew.  If I take away one thing from this eleven hours, it is about how to become more lucid with what the game will expose to me, and it is within that part of me that can't wait for the next ninety minutes to begin.

Paperwork: Reports

The minutes of the match get recorded; the rosters, substitutions, cautions, goals, are all replayed on a document in triplicate. It is for this record, we are here.

Departure

Even though this photo is taken pre-game, it illustrates the final tenet of Game Management, which is Departure.

Though the Match lasts for ninety minutes, the Cauldron of Control and the bubble we referees sustain of objectivity lasts until we are free from the grounds and again have as much authority as the plain-clothes citizens we disguise ourselves to be.

TAD ALBANO,
This is a reminder of your upcoming game(s) for U.S. Soccer - Assignment.
If you have a problem working the game(s) listed below, you must contact your assignor immediately!

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GAME INFORMATION #1
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League: PDL
Game #: 343
Date: Jun 20 2014 7:00PM (Friday)
Level: ADULT - M - REGULAR SEASON (Soccer)
Location: VETERAN’S MEMORIAL SOCCER COMPLEX ( HUNTINGTON, WV)
Home: WEST VIRGINIA CHAOS
Away: RIVER CITY ROVERS

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