My First USL Division 1 Game
July 9, 2006
Toronto Lynx vs. Charleston Battery
Game Report
It was Thursday afternoon and I got a call from the OSA asking if I was free Sunday, July 9th at 6PM. I had originally kept that date free for the World Cup Final as did many others, but then the OSA said the CSA was having problems finding officials for the Toronto Lynx vs. Charleston Battery game. They were looking for a second assistant referee.
My first ever appointment to a USL Division 1 game, so I was not going to turn that opportunity down. The nice thing about the appointment was that national referee Isaac Raymond was going to be in the middle. So half of the crew was being represented by Scarborough! The rest of the crew consisted of FIFA assistant referee Denise Robinson and fellow Class 1 Vito Curalli as the 4th official.
USL Division 1 games normally consist of officials that are FIFAs or national program members, so to be even asked in this situation was a great honour and I was really excited about it. I heard from others before how the USL game is much faster and more intense than other games I am accustom to, so I knew this would be a challenge. What made it even more interesting was that after my 3-week layoff in June for holidays, this was going to be only my second assistant referee appointment of the season!
I talked to Isaac as soon as I got the appointment to let him know the good news. We also went over the expectations the league has of its officials. The most important one being arriving at the game 2 hours before kick-off wearing a shirt, tie and jacket. We also discussed what uniforms we needed to bring, as well as proper warm-up attire, as it is expected that all 4 officials dress in a professional manner at all times. The last thing Isaac so kindly pointed out was that this game was going to be televised on the local Rogers network across the Greater Toronto Area. In the past, some of my CPSL games in other areas such as London and St. Catherines have been televised, but to be on television in the GTA for a USL Division 1 game just felt different.
On game day, I tore myself away from the World Cup Final to leave on time to make the 4pm arrival time. Actually, it was not that bad seeing that all what I had on my mind was the Lynx game. Once there, the stadium was somewhat deserted and stadium personnel were putting up the advertising boards, Rogers was getting the media equipment set and the Lynx cheerleaders were going through some practice routines.
USL games have a strict game day protocol so that everything works like clockwork, especially for the sake of television. The referee change room is supplied with this protocol form as well as all the basic things we need for the game. I was the first person at the stadium and shortly after I met the rest of the crew.
Pretty much the first little while we just sat around and talked about how our seasons were going and then we went out for our field inspection. In this case, we spent more attention to making sure advertising boards and players’ benches were the right distance away from the field. Other than that the field was looking good at Centennial Stadium in Etobicoke.
Every USL Division 1 game has an assessor, so following our field inspection we met up with our assessor and just did some more chatting. At this point, we found out that Italy had won the World Cup, so the talk focused on that for a while. We were closing in on one hour before kick off and so we slowly got ready for our warm-up, which lasted about 15-20 minutes and consisted of light jogging and stretching. We also talked a bit about the teams and some of the players, so we had an idea what to expect today.
Our 4th official, Vito, in the mean time got all the information about the teams organized, so when we came back into the room Isaac went over the pre-game instructions. Fortunately, we have all worked together before, so there were not too many details to go over, but enough to cover the key events that could happen during the game. I was getting a bit nervous, but Isaac and Denise did a great job of keeping the mood calm and relaxed, so when we hit the field for player announcements I was focused on the game and ready to go.
The game seemed to start out in a somewhat fast fashion and was intense from the get go. The Lynx were attacking my end and Charleston, who won a tough game the night before, seemed content to soak up pressure. The toughest thing I found in the early parts of the game was keeping an eye on the offside line and also the near touchline. The wind was also quite strong and it was blowing into my half, which kept play often down with me.
Everything at this level seemed to go much faster than what I was originally used to. The Lynx attackers often straddled the offside line, which meant if I took my eye off the line for one second to look at play on my touchline, the attacking and defending players seemed to have moved a mile. My concentration level was definitely tested, as there were 3 early close offside debates, in which I left my flag down for all of them. Seeing that I was a new face to the players, they were quick to test my tolerance as they enjoyed “talking” to me. Fortunately, I did not let it bother me and just made me feel more comfortable as I was starting to become part of the game. Finally, I got to make my first offside call and after that point the “butterflies” were gone. The rest of the half was still fast paced, but I was getting accustom to the style.
The half ended 0-0,. At half time, we discussed my adventures, and the crew mentioned that this was one of the more calmer games…. looks like I was showing the typical rookie feeling of adjusting to a higher level of soccer. But, it was re-assuring to hear that I was doing a good job and fitting in.
The second half was easier than the first half. The wind died down and the Lynx put more pressure on Charleston, in the other half. The Lynx scored mid way through the half and after the goal, I was a little bit busier, but I still had to keep my concentration level high, but I did not have to make as many close calls.
One lasting incident in the second half took place in front of me just before the game’s end. A ball was played in the air to a Charleston player and the Lynx player was working him a bit with his hands from behind. This was right in front of me so I was yelling out to watch the hands. After the ball was cleared, the Lynx central defender who was a little bit away from the play just roasted me to either call the foul or to keep quiet. He was definitely in the game and it was my initiation into the league. I had heard similar stories of this happening from other referees when they first entered the league, so I was unfazed by it and was waiting for it. After the game, all four of us had a laugh about it.
The game ended 1-0 for the Lynx and it felt good to be done. I was quite tired because I had did a bit of running up and down the line, and mentally I was in the game for the full 90. The assessor talked to us about our performances and both he and the crew agreed that for my first game I did a good job. Isaac did not look too bad either.
Overall, for my first game, I was satisfied. I learnt a lot about where I am now and where I still need to improve in my referee development. Games like this are a definite eye opener in comparison to the normal games we all do. I was fortunate I was able to get this early introduction and look forward to my next. It was also a pleasure to work with an experienced crew that made the experience even more fun.
When I got home after the game, I was told I looked good on television too.