guncurug: Maret 2016

FIFA World Cup 2018 Qualifiers � CONCACAF (Round 4)

21.54

Opportunity knocks for Barwegen

07.09

Michael Barwegen goes for a chance to become an assistant referee at the highest rank of North American soccer. He will be in Texas for the Generation Adidas Cup, a tournament hosted by FC Dallas of Major League Soccer. The competition is a 10-day tournament featuring MLS youth academies and top international youth teams. For Barwegen, it is essentially an MLS tryout camp. He�ll work the sidelines as an assistant referee and at the end of it all; a chosen few will be added to the list by PRO � the Professional Referee Organization � which provides officials to MLS.
Barwegen is already a nationally certified soccer official, coloured badge and all. He�s in his 19th season as a referee, starting at 12 years old in his hometown, Coaldale. �It was a way to make money,� he said. �I was 12, what other job can you get at that age that makes you any money at all?� Barwegen is already a staple in the local soccer community, being the best in show for university, college and Alberta Major Soccer League games. In those instances, he�s usually in the middle of the pitch but nationally, he�s an AR, patrolling the sidelines or working as a fourth official. That�s the capacity he�s in when travels to Edmonton to do games for the North American Soccer League�s FC Edmonton. Those games, he jokes, have put his bald spot on national TV. But the next 11 days could give the back of his head a whole new profile. If Barwegen is chosen to work games for MLS, he could wind up at games with the Vancouver Whitecaps, Seattle Sounders or the Portland Timbers.
Barwegen has to fit his officiating around his career as a teacher at Coalhurst High School. He was notified after Christmas that he was on the list of Canadian officials sent to Dallas. Of course, with school out of session for the holiday, making the necessary arrangements to let Soccer Canada know he�d be there could have been messy. �I got a hold of him and he said �Wow, that�s brilliant you have to do it, how are we going to do this?'� said Barwegen. �But everyone�s been supportive the whole way and I�ve put in a lot of work to make sure my students and my subs are well prepared�. Barwegen has been across the country as a soccer official, and it�s definitely been worth the time and effort. There is sacrifice, too, and not just in time away from the school. Barwegen is a teacher, a board game fanatic � he teaches a board game option at Coalhurst and runs the tabletop gaming club after school � and a vintner. Somewhere in all that, he also plays rec hockey. Juggling all that and a career as an national referee takes sacrifice. �Mostly my sanity,� he said. �And my family. I don�t get to go to family Thanksgiving because that�s when nationals are. That�s probably what I miss most, obviously, I hate missing school but yeah, I don�t get to the big family events a lot.� He said the last Thanksgiving he spent with family was when Lethbridge hosted the national championships. But any sacrifice has been worth it. If he doesn�t get chosen to work for the MLS, Barwegen said he�s still one of less than a dozen Canadians on the shortlist in the eyes of Soccer Canada. And it means more time for teaching, family, friends, board games and winemaking. �I�m going on a trip to Dallas that isn�t costing me anything. I get to watch some of the best soccer players in North America. It�s a fair trade�.

Source: The Lethbridge Herald

News

PRO priorities: Key match incidents, offside, bench behaviour and dissent

20.39

The 2016 MLS season just started. Much of PRO�s strategy heading into the 2016 season revolved around continuing to improve officials� detection and adjudication of what the organization�s general manager, former Premier League referee Peter Walton, describes as �key match incidents.� That is, incidents that have a significant impact on the outcome of any given game. People don�t normally get upset if we get a throw-in wrong or a midfield free kick wrong, items of that nature�, Walton said. �They get upset when we get a game-changing decision wrong, such as a penalty kick or a send-off or something of that nature�. Walton highlighted the improved performance of referees across the board in this area in 2015, noting that the rate of incorrectly called key match incidents (KMIs) dropped 21 percent from 0.28 missed KMIs in 2014 per game to 0.22 missed per game last year. Still, there is room for improvement, as any fan that�s railed over a controversial call will tell you and Walton is perfectly comfortable pointing out. To that point, PRO gave four major points of emphasis to its referees as they prepared for another season: (1) improving detection of those key match incidents, (2) improving offside decisions, (3) addressing bench behavior and (4) dealing with dissent.

Key Match Incidents

In 2015, PRO�s evaluation of its MLS referees found that 72 percent of warranted red cards were detected and 28 percent were missed. A "miss" includes fouls that were spotted, but incorrectly adjudicated, e.g. a foul for which a referee showed a yellow card but PRO later determined should�ve earned a red card. Following that logic, it is no surprise to hear Walton note that more red cards can be expected in 2016, though it�s a change that will likely only be noticed in a year-by-year analysis unless, of course, players and coaches modify their behavior. Much of it comes down to positioning, according to Walton, who points out that, based on PRO�s evaluations of its officials, 87.4 percent of the incorrect calls in the league come down to a �positioning deficiency�. Walton and his team at PRO say they work with referees on improving their ability to identify and correctly call such incidents: positioning 20 meters from the ball as the optimal viewing point for a play and keeping the ball between himself and the sideline referee. All of this goes �hand-in-hand� with improved referee fitness, said Walton. �Fitness nowadays is much more about the acceleration and the burst of speed over 10 yards, whereas before the referee would methodically run around the field � and that was his job,� he explained. �Now you see � and you should see � a lot more bursts of speed through this middle section to be within this 20 meters.�

Offside Decisions

The offside call is one of the toughest for any official to make, and perhaps one of the most thankless tasks to perform in front of thousands of rabid fans. And while MLS assistant referees have done well in this aspect � better than in the English Premier League, claims Walton � there is still room for improvement. In 2015, assistant referees were correct on 97.7 percent of �active� offside calls (when an official raises his or her flag to signal offside). However, that number drops to 90.2 percent for �inactive� offside calls, where an official does not raise their flag for offside. In an effort to help assistants improve when it comes to these split-second calls, PRO has introduced specialized coaches and camps to help hone the decision-making process.

Bench Behaviour & Dissent

Of course, a strong understanding of the game and top-level fitness are only two parts of a match official�s job. Referees at any level, but especially in the professional ranks, must be able to control the personalities present on the field and the sideline. This speaks to PRO�s other two points of emphasis for the 2016 season � bench behavior and dissent. To combat bad behavior in what Walton describes as the �privileged� territory of the technical area and sidelines, PRO is actually having its fourth officials spend more time focusing on the game itself and adopt a three strike-style �ask, tell, dismiss� approach to dealing with unruly technical staff. As far as dissent on the field is concerned, there will be an emphasis this season on �dissent by action.� That means the focus will be less on verbal elements, to a certain extent � Walton acknowledges that players can get caught up in the heat of the moment � and more on the physical elements. In other words: running up to referees and players to argue or wild gesticulations that often accompany calls, usually the most public and visible type of dissent, and therefore a point of emphasis for PRO.

As with every other professional sport, officiating is not a perfect science. �We don�t work in a normal environment, we strive for 100 percent", Walton said. "We�ll never get 100 percent right because it�s a subjective game and it�s played and officiated by humans and there will be mistakes, but invariably we want to get those percentages as high as possible�.

Source: MLS

News

CONCACAF appoints Hall as Director of Refereeing

19.57

The Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) announced today the appointment of Brian Hall as Director of Refereeing. Hall will lead all aspects of refereeing in the Confederation, playing a key role in improving the Refereeing Department�s operations and developing a professional workforce that enables CONCACAF referees to achieve and maintain a consistent, high-quality performance on the field.

�Refereeing is one of the most critical functions for the Confederation and we are confident that the department�s reorganization under Brian�s leadership will establish an efficient structure to continue strengthening our operations,� said CONCACAF Acting General Secretary Ted Howard. �Brian has a deep understanding of our region and an intense passion for refereeing. We look forward to having him lead the assessment and development of referees, while ensuring that our community of referees receives the necessary support to perform professionally and effectively on the field.�

In January 2016, CONCACAF announced the results of its Refereeing Department review, which included a recommendation to hire a new Director of Refereeing. The appointment of Mr. Hall is a result of a rigorous and public search undertaken by the Confederation, which included the screening of 10 candidates over a three-month period, followed by a thorough selection process focused on the top five candidates. This process included comprehensive interviews and evaluations from a selection panel composed by regional stakeholders, to identify the best suited individual.

Brian Hall has a successful track record over the past 10 years as both a referee and referee development manager within the CONCACAF region, and has forged a strong relationship with the community of referees. Mr. Hall�s experience includes serving as:

- Match Official Development Manager at the Professional Referee Organization (PRO), where he was responsible for training, developing, and identifying professional referees, and assessing match officials in Major League Soccer (MLS);

- Director of Refereeing Administration at CONCACAF with oversight of all refereeing activities throughout the region, including developing training programs, assessing referees, and assigning referees for CONCACAF matches;

- Manager of Assessment and Training at the United States Soccer Federation, with responsibility for training and assessing referees in both Men�s and Women�s Professional soccer; and

- Referee at the 2002 FIFA World Cup in Korea and Japan, and for over five years in MLS.

Commenting on his appointment, Brian Hall said: �I�m eager to work alongside CONCACAF�s staff, and the entire refereeing community, to continue building a professional Refereeing Department that raises the quality of refereeing for every competition across the region. As a Department, we must also prioritize the implementation of a robust referee development program that is tailored to assess and meet the needs of all 41 CONCACAF Member Associations.�

Source: CONCACAF

Appointments

CONCACAF U-17 Women's Championship 2016

21.27

News

Petrescu remains the only full-time Canadian referee in MLS

15.21

PRO has released their roster for 2016 with 88 match officials: 23 referees, 50 assistant referees and 15 fourth officials. Canada is represented by four referees (Silviu Petrescu � full-time, Drew Fischer � part-time, David Gantar � part-time, Geoff Gamble � part-time), seven assistant referees (Joe Fletcher, Philippe Briere, Daniel Belleau, Richard Gamache, Gianni Facchini, Marco Arruda, Oscar Mitchell-Carvalho) and one fourth official (Mathieu Bourdeau), as well as two referee evaluators: Hector Vergara and Amato DeLuca.

Canadian PRO Match Officials

Referees
2016: Drew Fischer (FIFA), David Gantar (FIFA), Silviu Petrescu (Nat), Geoff Gamble (Nat)
2015: Drew Fischer (FIFA), David Gantar (FIFA), Silviu Petrescu (Nat)
2014: David Gantar (FIFA), Silviu Petrescu (Nat), Drew Fischer (Nat), Geoff Gamble (Nat)
2013: Silviu Petrescu (FIFA), David Gantar (FIFA), Geoff Gamble (Nat), Drew Fischer (Nat)
2012: Silviu Petrescu (FIFA), David Gantar (FIFA), Paul Ward (FIFA), Geoff Gamble (Nat)
2011: Silviu Petrescu (FIFA), Paul Ward (FIFA), David Gantar (FIFA), Geoff Gamble (Nat)
2010: Paul Ward (FIFA), Silviu Petrescu (FIFA), Steven DePiero (FIFA), David Gantar (Nat)
2009: Paul Ward (FIFA), Silviu Petrescu (FIFA), Steven DePiero (FIFA)
2008: Mauricio Navarro (FIFA), Silviu Petrescu (FIFA), Paul Ward (FIFA), Steven DePiero (FIFA)
2007: Mauricio Navarro (FIFA), Silviu Petrescu (FIFA), Steven DePiero (FIFA)
2006: Mauricio Navarro (FIFA), Silviu Petrescu (FIFA), Steven DePiero (FIFA)

Assistant Referees
2016: Joe Fletcher (FIFA), Philippe Briere (FIFA), Daniel Belleau (FIFA), Richard Gamache (FIFA), Marco Arruda (Nat), Gianni Facchini (Nat), Oscar Mitchell-Carvalho (Nat)
2015: Joe Fletcher (FIFA), Philippe Briere (FIFA), Daniel Belleau (FIFA), Marco Arruda (Nat), Richard Gamache (Nat), Gianni Facchini (Nat), Oscar Mitchell-Carvalho (Nat)
2014: Joe Fletcher (FIFA), Philippe Briere (FIFA), Daniel Belleau (FIFA), Marco Arruda (Nat), Gianni Facchini (Nat), Richard Gamache (Nat), Oscar Mitchell-Carvalho (Nat)
2013: Joe Fletcher (FIFA), Philippe Briere (FIFA), Daniel Belleau (FIFA), Darren Clark (FIFA), Kevin Duliba (Nat), Marco Arruda (Nat)
2012: Joe Fletcher (FIFA), Philippe Briere (FIFA), Daniel Belleau (FIFA), Darren Clark (FIFA), Kevin Duliba (Nat), Marco Arruda (Nat)
2011: Hector Vergara (FIFA), Joe Fletcher (FIFA), Daniel Belleau (FIFA), Darren Clark (FIFA), Philippe Briere (FIFA), Cameron Blair (Nat), Kevin Duliba (Nat)
2010: Hector Vergara (FIFA), Joe Fletcher (FIFA), Daniel Belleau (FIFA), Darren Clark (FIFA), Philippe Briere (FIFA), Cameron Blair (Nat)
2009: Hector Vergara (FIFA), Joe Fletcher (FIFA), Daniel Belleau (FIFA), Darren Clark (FIFA), Philippe Briere (Nat)
2008: Hector Vergara (FIFA), Joe Fletcher (FIFA), Daniel Belleau (FIFA), Darren Clark (FIFA)
2007: Hector Vergara (FIFA), Amato DeLuca (FIFA), Joe Fletcher (FIFA), Daniel Belleau (FIFA)
2006: Hector Vergara (FIFA), Amato DeLuca (FIFA)

Fourth Officials
2016: Mathieu Bourdeau (FIFA)
2015: Mathieu Bourdeau (FIFA)
2014: Mathieu Bourdeau (Nat)
2013: Mathieu Bourdeau (Nat)
2012: Drew Fischer (Nat), Mathieu Bourdeau (Nat)
2011: Drew Fischer (Nat)
2010: Geoff Gamble (Nat)
2009: Carol Anne Chenard (FIFA), David Gantar (Nat), Mathieu Bourdeau (Nat)
2008: Carol Anne Chenard (FIFA)
2007: Paul Ward (FIFA), Carol Anne Chenard (FIFA)