The Art Of Not Being Noticed

Refereeing soccer is a thankless job. The ideal is not to earn plaudits, but to go essentially unnoticed, managing the game, being in the right position, keeping things flowing. There will always be missed or controversial calls, but the game should roll on. For referee Paul Ward, tonight's match between San Jose and Colorado will be one he won't want to remember.

San Jose was enjoying the best possession and looked dynamic with a 1-0 lead late in the first half when Colorado's Pablo Mastroeni made a run to the end line to cross the ball into the box. San Jose's Sam Cronin was in pursuit and slid to try to get in the path of the ball. Mastroeni's cross was low and angled back behind Cronin, deflecting against Cronin's trailing arm and going out of bounds. Everyone was prepared to line up for a corner kick, but Mastroeni angrily appealed to the Assistant Referee, saying it was a hand ball in the box. After a moment's consultation, Ward pointed to the spot, to the shock of the Earthquakes. Mastroeni was attempting to influence the referee's decision, and it worked. It is a part of the game, but a cynical one. The referee should have been stronger, because that was not a good call, but Mastroeni lost the respect I had for him from his days with the national team.

Technically, the ball did hit Cronin's arm, but it was more like the ball played the arm, not the other way around. It was certainly not intentional. Furthermore, it was not denying a clear goal scoring opportunity, with plenty of defenders in the middle. It was a very harsh decision to award a penalty.

The Earthquakes would feel hard done by again in the second half, when Cronin was sent off with a red card in controversial fashion. A sliding tackle took the ball away from Mastroeni, who went down in a heap over Cronin's legs. The camera angle was not entirely conclusive, but again, it looked like a harsh decision.

This again interrupted a flow of creative, attacking play by San Jose, and when Colorado later scored a goal to go ahead, the wind was out of the Earthquake's sails, as their long streak without a win continued.

To be fair, the referee cannot be blamed for San Jose not scoring when Chris Wondolowski blazed one over the top from 8 yards out, and the referee cannot be blamed for San Jose conceding a silly foul just outside their penalty area which lead to the winning goal. Nevertheless, the referee did not have the best of days, and that is a shame.