- Joined
- May 8, 2002
- Posts
- 1,192,622
- Reaction score
- 59
SANTA CLARA, Ca. — Folarin Balogun's red card would be a whole lot more palatable if the referee hadn't been so inept the rest of the game.
Brazil's Raphael Claus lost control of the game from the opening whistle of the U.S. men's national team's 2-0 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina on Wednesday, July 1. Hell, probably from when he got the assignment. Tyler Adams got bodied as if he'd wandered into a WWE fight and Balogun was repeatedly pushed around. A Bosnia and Herzegovina player pushed Matt Freese's head into the ground as he ran by.
Malik Tillman's right foot bled through his sock because he got stomped on right before he scored the insurance goal in the 82nd minute. And that wasn't even the foul that earned the U.S. men's national team the free kick!
More: USA just won the kind of game America can't resist | Opinion
Through it all, Claus was oblivious. Despite the bruising physicality, there was only one yellow card issued in addition to Balogun's red. That's unacceptable in any World Cup game, much less a win-or-go-home one.
Balogun raking the back of Tarik Muharemovic’s calf and stepping on his ankle was a foul, even if it wasn't malicious. Or intentional. A red card? Possibly.
But it's hard to swallow the U.S. men's national team losing their most dynamic player — for the final 36 minutes of this game and for the round-of-16 match against Belgium on Monday, July 6 — when Claus let so many other abuses go.
It's a fast-paced game, no doubt. Making calls in a split-second is hard. But if you're not up to the task, and it's clear Claus wasn't, then you shouldn't be here.
This isn't a case of American homerism. Well, not completely. When refs lose control of games it's dangerous. Players are going to be physical, knowing they can get away with things. That's how people get hurt.
The USMNT and Bosnia and Herzegovina both deserved better.
Follow USA TOAY Sports columnist Nancy Armour on social media @nrarmour.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trash refereeing made USA red card a whole lot harder to swallow | Opinion
Continue reading...
Brazil's Raphael Claus lost control of the game from the opening whistle of the U.S. men's national team's 2-0 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina on Wednesday, July 1. Hell, probably from when he got the assignment. Tyler Adams got bodied as if he'd wandered into a WWE fight and Balogun was repeatedly pushed around. A Bosnia and Herzegovina player pushed Matt Freese's head into the ground as he ran by.
Malik Tillman's right foot bled through his sock because he got stomped on right before he scored the insurance goal in the 82nd minute. And that wasn't even the foul that earned the U.S. men's national team the free kick!
More: USA just won the kind of game America can't resist | Opinion
Through it all, Claus was oblivious. Despite the bruising physicality, there was only one yellow card issued in addition to Balogun's red. That's unacceptable in any World Cup game, much less a win-or-go-home one.
Balogun raking the back of Tarik Muharemovic’s calf and stepping on his ankle was a foul, even if it wasn't malicious. Or intentional. A red card? Possibly.
But it's hard to swallow the U.S. men's national team losing their most dynamic player — for the final 36 minutes of this game and for the round-of-16 match against Belgium on Monday, July 6 — when Claus let so many other abuses go.
It's a fast-paced game, no doubt. Making calls in a split-second is hard. But if you're not up to the task, and it's clear Claus wasn't, then you shouldn't be here.
This isn't a case of American homerism. Well, not completely. When refs lose control of games it's dangerous. Players are going to be physical, knowing they can get away with things. That's how people get hurt.
The USMNT and Bosnia and Herzegovina both deserved better.
Follow USA TOAY Sports columnist Nancy Armour on social media @nrarmour.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trash refereeing made USA red card a whole lot harder to swallow | Opinion
Continue reading...
