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Worst...referee...ever

By RJ Warner, Section Journals
Posted on Sat Jun 17 2006 at 8:36 PM EST
More on: (all tags)

The final is in from Kaiserslauten, Germany:

Italy 1
U.S.A 1
Referee: A complete zero

Referee Jorge Larrionda of Uruguay was handing out more cards than a black jack dealer during the match, which finished with ten Italians and nine Americans on the pitch instead of 11 on 11.

Brian Mcbride (AP)

Imagine a (American) football player being kicked out of the game for a holding call. Imagine a hockey player getting thrown out of a game for tripping. Imagine Jerry Stackhouse getting suspended for fouling...well nevermind.

After Italian player Daneile de Rossi was tossed for a flagrant elbow of Brian Mcbride, the ref decided to even it up or no good reason by assesing a red card to Pablo Mastroeni for a slide tackle, which happens about 76,239 times during a soccer match. Larrionda continued his incessant carding by showing Eddie Pope the door with his second yellow card of the tournament - an automatic red card and one-game suspension.

There's been been some rumbling about Larrionda already in the wake of this game. Following the game, ABC reported that Larrionda had been suspended before for "irregularites" in his refereeing. I'm sure there will be more to come on that.

All venting aside, the American's were able to put the loss to the Czech's about 26 million light years behind them; they looked fantastic against the Italians today and showed they could play even better. Kasey Keller was brilliant in goal and I haven't seen a faster player in the world than Landon Donovan. Demarcus Beasley almost went from zero to hero but had his would-be winner disallowed after Brian Mcbride's left skate was in the crease. I mean he was offside and he screened the goalie...brilliant in hockey but a no-no in soccer.

The Americans are still alive for the knockout round. They need the diving, flopping, acting-like-they-were-shot-by-snipers-in-the-stands Azzuri (is that Italian for sissy?) to defeat the Czech Republic while the U.S needs to beat Ghana to claim second in the group and move on.