After putting two games in the books the WC is off to a running start. Four yellow cards, total, with little to no “referee” controversy in either game.

There were times during the Germany vs. Costa Rica game that I thought Horacio Elizondo was too far from hot play but in those instances he was still in control. At on point he was easily 30 yards away from play and where was some, just off the ball, action happening. He was on it in a second. I know I wouldn’t have caught that action from that far away. One yellow card in the whole game, with constance presence. Even when seemingly far from play he was still very aware of action happening on the ball. No question about his calls or ability at the end of the game.

There was a time, that if I saw a referee from one of the weaker confederations, Asia or Cent/North America, working a European or South American game I would cringe. In the past the level of games they would have experience with wasn’t up to the same level as a Poland vs. Ecuador game. This is no longer the case. Toru Kamikawa, Japan, showed the level of fitness that all referees’ should hope for. He was up with play on a constant bases and communicating with the players at most of the break downs (rugby term). There were a few set pieces close to the attacking 18 where he would hold up the kick until he was happy with where the players, offensive and defensive, were and most importantly how they were behaving. There was one instance that I remember fairly well. Ecuador had free kick just off of the end line outside of the penalty area. There were two players, one offensive – one defensive, around the penalty arch. Toru held up the kick till he had a chance to talk to each of them. I’m not sure how well either of these players spoke English or Japanese but Toru was not going to leave them alone till he was happy with their behavior. My favorite part was when one of the players points at the other player with a shrug. I’ve seen kids do that same thing to communicate, “It’s not me, watch him.” Three cards and two goals later the only thing anyone could complain about was the play of their team on the officials team.

In Summer of 1979 my father took my brother and I to a Chicago Sting game, at Comiskey Park. He had taken us one game some years before, played on the dirt floor of the old Chicago Amphitheater. All I remember from that game was leaving early and playing soccer with box after we left. The Sting game had a little more impact. I don’t remember the score or who they played but I was hooked, possessed, taken in. I had it bad and it’s never gotten better. That was the start of a life trial that I’m still working through. I desperately wanted to play. The only problem was that there weren’t any teams or leagues where I live, far south-side Chicago. The only soccer at school was during gym class. The park districts didn’t offer it. We (my brother and I) finally found a team to play on that practiced 11 miles from our home. We would ride our bikes to practice three times a week and one of our parents would come and pick us up when it was over. We played Club ball all through high school. In my senior year, ’83, we finally got a team at out high school. We went 1-11 in our first year. I played in goal for the first 6 games. Prior to the 7th game I had to come clean with a medical problem that I’d had for some years. It had finally gotten bad enough that I could stand upright. After the doctors visit and operation I ended up missing the rest of the season.
When I went to college I was a walk on, “practice dummy”, at a very mediocre Div 1 team in Chicago. After the fall season we got a new coach and the enforcement of the NCAA rules about not being able to play Club ball in the off season while we where still in school. That was the end of my college playing days. Never really got any playing time as it was.
About the time soccer was starting to take root in our area and people would ask if I could officiate (referee) their games, kids games for the most part. It was a great training ground, I had no mentor and no idea what I was doing. It wasn’t until I went away to college I became involved with an “Officials Association” that I really started to figure out what it was I was doing as a referee. I’ll tell you more about that some other time.

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