The End of a Journey

Yesterday, we arrived back home with mixed emotions: we are very happy to return home yet we are sad that this great journey has come to an end.



On Sunday we attended the World Cup final between USA and Japan. It was an amazing experience to be able to see the match in the stadium, especially since this is a game that will be remembered for a long, long time. This match demonstrated to the world the beauty, organization, strategy, and athleticism of two very tough opponents. This match was packed with excitement: USA scored, Japan equalized, USA scored, Japan equalized. The winner was decided with kicks from the penalty mark with Japan as the victor. Women's football has a new world champion. Though we are a bit sad that Team USA did not win, we were happy to see that the USA players gave it their all and fought hard until the very end.





We are proud and honored to be a part of US Soccer and have had this great opportunity to represent US Soccer at the World Cup. We are thankful for all the support, emails, and messages we received from friends and family throughout the tournament. We have been really happy to be able to share the experience of this journey with you.

We are also very thankful for Official Sports International and their generous sponsorship. Thank you!!!!

An Incredible Day

We just finished a really incredible day and are nearly at the end of our  WWC 2011 journey.

As many of you know, we had our final match of the tournament today.  Sweden v France for 3/4th place. As I've said on earlier posts, we are so proud to be select to officiate this match; the highest honor with USA in the final.  And to my knowledge the highest a FIFA referee man or women (and crew) from the USA has achieved to-date at a World Cup.

It all started with early breakfast, followed by 8:30am pre-game in the hotel in Frankfurt.  The 5 person referee crew then set out to Hieldelberg in order to arrive in plenty of time for the match, with rest relaxation and lunch at the hotel closest to the Stadium. We also got 5 minutes to see (from a great distance) our first and only castle we saw in our 33 days in Germany.

We were very fortunate to be heading back to Sinsheim, the place of our first match and also where we had last officiated France.  It felt like "our stadium" and we were thrilled that once again it was a sell-out crowd.  Nothing better than the comfort of "home".

Although not the best played match of the tournament we did our job, stayed concentrated and got the job done.  Kudos to Marlene and Veronica who called 10 correct offside decisions and made several more correct no calls.  As well as BIG props to Veronica for having great awareness, courage and conviction to correctly identify the contact between the French defender and Swedish forward; resulting in a very correct red card decision.

The 3rd place winner goes down in the history books.  Following the game they had a short ceremony which included the referee crew receiving medals for the game from the FIFA president, and president of the WWC.

We couldn't be more happy.  Sad our journey is nearly over, and happy that we had the honor of representing the USA at the highest level.

Now on to the final match of the tournament.  The best and final act we are hoping for is for Team USA to bring home the win.  GO USA

Video

US Soccer just produced this video.... Thought you might be interested in my own words, the importance of the WWC.

http://www.ussoccer.com/Multimedia/Media-Center.aspx#/id=b463a268-75d9-403f-9d85-22ae2afaa6c9

A Dream Come True

Finally it has happened.  USA in the final and the USA referee crew in the 3th/4th place match at the World Cup.  The ultimate representation of the USA on the world stage at every level in soccer (playing, coaching & officiating).

My dream since I set my sights on becoming a FIFA referee back in 1994 and I couldn't be happier to share the experience with my amazing USA referee crew Veronica & Marlene.

Please tune in to cheer us on Saturday, ESPN2 11am PST (11:30 kick-off).

Despite not competing for 1st place, these teams are going to want to win.  No one wants to go home so close to being in the history books.  We we are bracing ourselves for a fast and competitive match.  Always be 100% prepared for every game and take no assignment for granted, no matter how big or how small.

We plan to give it our all and make the USA proud!

Watching the Semis

Go USA! We're so excited, the USA won yesterday!

We began yesterday with a hard training session before settling in to watch two interesting matches. The facilities have been great and even though it was raining, we were still able to get in a good session beginning with a warmup inside the gym.

We watched the USA match on the television in the referee lounge. Unfortunately, we had to leave for the second match without being able to see the last goal to seal the US win, but we did follow along on the internet on the way to the stadium. Can't wait to see the highlights again.

On our way into the the stadium, Kari was asked for he autograph. Now, it's pretty rare for someone to ask for a referee autograph, and normally the people who ask have mistaken us for someone more famous...like a player. In this case though, the gentleman who asked actually had an action shot of Kari on the field and asked her to sign the picture. Pretty cool.

After the autograph session, we settled down to watch an interesting match between Japan and Sweden. Of course, the team we were cheering for was from CONCACAF...the referee team. It's always so cool to hear the anthem and watch your friends walk out on the field for one of these important matches and it's even cooler in person.

So, for now we continue to train, learn, and enjoy the chance to spend a little more time together.

The Final Stage of the WWC

Great news, the USA WNT had the win of their lives on Sunday and the USA referee crew survived the final cut.  We'll be staying until the end of the tournament, despite not being eligible for a semi-final with the USA team in the other semi-final (policy of FIFA).  The only option is one of the final matches, or a long holiday...  You never know in football.  We are just pleased that despite the success of our national team FIFA thought highly enough of our crew to keep us here.

As you know, the ideal assignment would be the USAWNT in the final and the US referee crew in the 3/4th place match.  We'll be ready and focused, what ever the outcome.

The Role of the 5th Official

This past Saturday, for the first time I worked as a 5th Official on the quarterfinal match between Germany and Japan.

As Marlene explained, the 5th Official is a reserve assistant referee. It is commonly known that if something happens to the referee it is the 4th Official who steps in to replace the referee. The game has evolved and so has the expertise of the referees and assistant referees. In many cases, the referees/4th officials have not worked as an assistant referee in many, many years so if they were to have to step in to replace an assistant referee they would be completely out of their comfort zone as they have not worked in this position in so long. So if something happens to an assistant referee it is the 5th Official who steps in who fully qualified for this position. Referees and assistant referees are also athletes and there is always a risk of injury.


Veronica, Carol Anne (Canada), Rita (Mexico), Quetzali (Mexico), and Mayte (Mexico)

As the 5th official is also part of the crew, I took this role very serious and assisted the team in other ways. Prior to the match, I assisted the crew in any manner I could such as checking ball pressure, helping the crew put on their communication system, and anything else that was requested. During the match, I took meticulous notes of the fouls, cards, and substitutions. Mentally, I had to be fully focused on the match so that if my assistance were required I am already on the same page as the crew, I am cognizant of the level of fouls being called, and aware of all the players in the book. During the game, I also wore my referee uniform under my track suit.


(Crew for the match right before taking the field)

I really enjoyed this assignment. During the match I sat next to the stretchers to the left of Germany's technical area. Since I sat field-level, I got to see the action very close. This was a very exciting match with lots of pace and an incredible atmosphere in the sold out stadium. This game went into overtime and Japan came out as the victor. This match reminded me that in the World Cup any team can win. Germany is the champion for the two prior World Cups, in 2003 and 2007, and had not lost a match in the World Cup since 1999. Therefore, Japan’s win was a surprise namely because the statistics were stacked against them. The fact that any team can win any game is what makes the World Cup so special.

The Next Phase

As some of you know International Tournaments have a few phases.  1) The First round 2) Quarterfinals 3) Final set of matches.  We started with 50 officials, but the group will be significantly reduced by the the 3rd phase (as there are less matches to officiate).

We had the first set of "releases" announced yesterday and we had  6 referees and 12 assistant referees return to their home countries today.  There are many factors for the decision but it is nearly impossible to predict.  The best course of action for any referee is to do their very best and hope the "ball rolls in your favor."

We have now officially moved on to the next phase of play - Quarterfinals.  Where every game must have a winner.

As you may know by now the US referee team was not assigned a quarterfinal, however Veronica will be serving as the 5th official (reserve AR).  We'll have Veronica explain her participation following her match on Saturday - Germany v Japan.

Following the Quarterfinals, is the last phase of play.  We'll have one more "release" and those that remain would have the possibility to work one of the 4 final matches.

Keep your fingers crossed for us.  Regardless of the outcome, we've had a wonderful experience and THANK EVERYONE for all your support.

GO USA.

Augsburg

Sorry for the lack of posts the past few days, things have been really busy. As VP mentioned, we started out the Fourth of July with a journey from Wolfsburg to Frankfurt. After a quick recovery session and changing laundry out real fast, Carol Anne, Kari and I were back on the train to Augsburg to officiate England v Japan. The weather was great in Augsburg. In Wolfsburg, the weather was a little less lovely as you can see in this photo Kari took on our VW tour.
Augsburg is a lovely place, but because the matches were so close together, we spent a lot of time resting and reading. Every game at this tournament is important and this match determined who got first and second place in the group. The game isn't just physically demanding, but it requires a huge amount of concentration and multi-tasking. There are more cameras watching the field than referees and we have to vigilant not just during the match, but in our preparation and even after the game as we walk off the field.

The game was really enjoyable and, even though we missed VP, it was great to have another opportunity to work. One of the cool things about visiting Augsburg was the chance the catch up with Jen Bennett. Just like back home, we get assessed on every game and in Augsburg, Jen was our assessor. Because there are only a few referee types at each of the venues, we end up hanging out with our assessor for meals so it was nice to spend some time with a familiar face from home.
As we were warming up, I thought back to all the games and the work, and time that went into getting here and how fortunate we've been to get the chance to work with fantastic people in lovely venues, and with really enthusiastic crowds. How often do you get applause when you warm up for a game? I can't be 100% sure, but I think they were actually cheering for us.

So, now we're back in Frankfurt. We went and watched the entertaining game between Brazil and Equatorial Guinea at the stadium and other games on tv.
The assignments have just been handed out for the quarterfinals. Veronica will be traveling back to Wolfsburg to be the fifth official (back up assistant referee) with the Mexican crew and Carol Anne (fourth official) for the game between Germany and Japan on the 9th at 11:45 am west coast time. Beginning with the quarterfinals, they've begun assigning a fifth official to be prepared to jump into the game if an assistant referee gets injured during the game. Fourth officials are referees and at this level, referees and assistant referees are very specialized. Many of the referees have not been an assistant in years and with the importance of each decision, having someone who knows the position is critical. We are looking forward to watching what should be some exciting quarterfinal matches.

Several Days of Travel & 3rd Assignment

These last few days have been extremely busy, so there is much for us to fill you in. On Saturday, we traveled by train to Wolfsburg, which is 367 kilometers north of Frankfurt (tournament headquarters). The next day, since the match did not kick off until 6 pm, we had plenty of time to explore our surroundings. The city of Wolfsburg was established to manufacture the VW Beetle and the VW factory is located right next to the hotel. Also located next to the hotel is the Autostadt, an automobile museum. We spent the morning in awe of beautiful cars, learning about their design, and spent the afternoon relaxing in the hotel preparing for our match.


(Carol Ann, Marlene, Kari & Veronica at the Frankfurt train station)

Below are a few pictures from the Autostadt...





It had rained the entire day, so went into the match knowing and expecting that the wet conditions could have a potential impact on the match. The match between Brazil and Norway turned out to be very exciting with a final score of 3-0. Luckily for us, even though it is was a bit chilly, the field surface drained pretty well and the wet conditions did not have too much of an impact.



Sunday, immediately after we completed our match we heard the news about the appointments for the 3rd round of matches. Kari and Marlene will be joining Carol Ann (Canada) and Ivonne (El Salvador) to work the match on Wednesday between England and Japan, in Augsburg. Kari will be working as a 4th official.

Some of you may be wondering why this assignment is not being officiated as a trio. In fact, in women’s refereeing we do not have a true trio system. As the tournament progresses, we may be asked to work with other officials again.

Today has been very hectic as we began our day in the northern part of Germany, in Wolfsburg. We traveled for over 3 hours back to Frankfurt. Upon arrival, we had lunch, had a recovery training session, and attended the debriefing for Sunday’s matches. Kari, Marlene, Carol Ann, and Ivonne then had to grab their bags and head right back to the train station to travel for their assignment in Augsburg, which is another 3+ hours, and is located in the southern part of Germany. So in total, the majority of the crew for the next match traveled close to 7 hours and covered 614 kilometers. What a day!

I know I will be glued to the TV on Tuesday. Please join me in wishing them luck in their next game.

Watching the Matches

As you may imagine, officiating at the World Cup is special for many reasons aside from actually officiating matches. As a group we watch each and every match of the tournament. It is an incredible experience to be able to watch matches with other high level referees and be able to discuss situations as they occur. We watch and study each game as way to prepare for our next match by observing the teams, tactics, and game situations. And of course, we enjoy watching beautiful football!



We have very strong camaraderie amongst the referees, so every time we see our colleagues make good decisions we cheer and applaud for our teammates.



Nine different venues are being used for the World Cup, which means it is not possible to watch the majority of the games live. Thus, up until this point, we have only been able to watch matches on TV. Yesterday we had a special treat. We went to our first match as spectators, to watch Germany vs. Nigeria at the Frankfurt Stadium. The atmosphere at the game was absolutely incredible! The sold out stadium had more than 49,000 spectators cheering loudly for their team--particularly, for the host country team.



Tomorrow we travel to Wolfsburg for our second match. Please wish us luck!

Day of Debriefing

Today, following training we had our debriefing session.  For all you non-referee types this is when the referee instructors show us the positive and negative video situations from our matches.  All the referees (who aren't on a game for that day) are in attendance.  During the debriefing session the instructors show video clips from the last 4 games, as opportunities for all the referees and assistance to learn.  From the moment the meeting kicks-off you are pretty much crossing your fingers that what you saw in the match in real-time is exactly what all 16 cameras picked up, including in slow-motion.   As a referee we only get one chance and it is a split second at that.  It is all on video, so no excuses only learning for the next time.  Needless to say the USA ref crew did well, with a few learning points.  And for all you referees out there, there is ALWAYS something to learn or improve upon - always.

Overall the games so far have been good as well as the officiating.  Some points of emphasis that we discussed today include taking care with elbows and good use of cautions for breaking up a promising attack.

Other News:  we received the second round of appointments and the good news is that the USA referee crew has been assigned a second match.  July 3rd, 9am PST on ESPN Brazil v Norway.  Should be an amazing match.  Set your DVRs :)

And of course the final great news from today - USA WNT beat North Korea 2-0.  A great start for both USA teams at the Women's World Cup 2011

Beyond Words

Okay, before I forget, there was a really cool article featuring Kari that came out today. If you have some time, it really is worth reading. http://www.fifa.com/womensworldcup/news/newsid=1461006/index.html

Wow, first Women's World Cup game in the books for me and VP. This really is an experience beyond words, but I'll try my best.

After a leisurely morning spent mentally preparing for the match, we were driven to the stadium by a fellow FIFA referee from Germany who we knew from previous tournaments. It was really nice to catch up and travel with someone who understands the pressures of the referees.

We also lucked out in having one of the closest venues possible which allowed us to spend the night at "home." Along the way to the field, we picked up a police escort for the last leg of the journey.

Since we had done our pre-game meeting last night, we had plenty of time at the stadium to take care of all the details like checking the field, checking the ball pressures, working out a few logistics of the stadium, and warming up.

We had a great fourth official who seemed to always be one step ahead and anticipated what we would need as a team. It was really nice to work with someone who was so on top of things and it gave us the luxury of spending all of our time focusing on the actual match.

When we were warming up, we noticed that the temperature was quite a bit warmer than during the training sessions since we arrived. I lucked out, and just as the game was getting going, the shade shifted just enough so that I was always in the shade. For a good portion of the game, the fourth official and I had a different climate from the rest of the team. We estimated that Veronica's side was probably 10 degrees warmer than we're used to (Fahrenheit, don't worry, we haven't allowed ourselves to be lured over to that whole Celsius thing completely yet).

It's strange how time seems to play tricks on you. When were getting ready for the game and driving to the field, and even a little bit while warming up, time seemed to move slowly. We were all looking forward to this match and it's kind of like Christmas morning when you can't wait for the moment to arrive. Things started to change when we were in the tunnel and during the walk out to the field. Somehow, time seemed to move both quickly and slowly. It seemed like each moment was experienced fully, the sounds of the crowd, the excitement of the players lining up behind us, the swell of emotion as the music behand to play and we stepped out onto the field, the national anthems, shaking the players' hands, and the coin toss. Everything was a full experience in and of itself, but suddenly it was over and we were running towards the nets for one last check. Then the game began.

For me, the match flew by. Like with the opening, each individual moment of the match seems so clear and crips in my head, but I couldn't believe it when the clock suddenly said 81:26. How could it have gone by so quickly? I remember the feel of that first run down the field, talking over the communication system to discuss match situations, and so many other things, but it felt like the game was over in a flash. When the final whistle blew, there were dualing emotions. Partly there was the thrill of successfully completing a match at the Women's World Cup. At the same time, there was this feeling of never wanting this to end. Even hours later, reliving the experience, I have goose bumps.

After the match, we caught up reading all the wonderful emails of support on our ride back home to the hotel. It's a special feeling to know there are so many people back home with us in spirit as we step onto the field.

Of course, this was not Kari's first game at the Women's World Cup. In fact, we have been told that by officiating this match, Kari has now officiated at more World Cups than any other referee. Other officials have done three World Cups, but this is Kari's FOURTH WOMEN"S WORLD CUP!!!!!!!!! It really is a privilege for me and Veronica as rookies to work our first game with her and share this experience.

Sinsheim Here We Come!

The first assignments were announced today and we are working Nigeria v France! Officially, this is game number 2 of the tournament, but it actually kicks off a few hours before the opening match. If you want to watch, the game will be showing at 9am eastern time (6am west coast time) Sunday on ESPN 2 and ESPN3.com. We're so excited and looking forward to what should be a great match. Thank you to everyone for your support so far. We really appreciate it and will do our best to make you proud.

Official Referee Dinner

On Wednesday we had the official referee dinner which began with a trip to the Mayoral Palace in Frankfurt, located in the historic center of the city. The Mayor graciously welcomed the referees to the city of Frankfurt and invited several dignitaries to the event. The dignitaries included individuals who have contributed significantly to the development of women's football in Germany, including representatives from FFC (the local women's football club) and from Eintracht Frankfurt (which is allowing us to use their football facilities where we do our daily training sessions).

Frankfurt'a historical area is very beautiful. Upon leaving the event, we stumbled across this mobile Beer Bike, which essentially is a mobile pub.



After the event with the Mayor, we attended the official referee dinner. The official referee dinner is always a very special night, as on this night we are awarded medals of participation at the Women's World Cup along with an Adidas watch. It feels incredibly awesome to hold the medal, as it is a symbol of the long road the led us to the WC and the culmination of dream come true.



Here is a close up of the medal. The front has the World Cup trophy in the center and the backside reads FIFA.


We are awaiting appointments to the matches. Please click on this link to view a TV schedule of the matches: http://www.socceramerica.com/article/42655/2011-womens-world-cup-on-the-air.html

On to the Games!

Today was the fitness test.  

No matter how hard you train, or how many times you run the FIFA Fitness test it is still daunting, as .01 seconds over the time limit can send you home.  Luckily our hard work paid off, in fact we improved our sprint times considerably and were well within the time limits.

Last night the rain hit us hard, waking many people during the night.  But a wet track and drizzle on and off did not slow us down.  In fact the wet, cool weather may have been a blessing in disguise, especially for me coming from the bay area and training these past several months in about 55 degree weather.

We did the test in 3 different groups.  Referees first and then the AR's are spit into 2 separate groups.  We left the hotel at 7:30am and returned by 1:30.  A long but very rewarding morning, where all but one offical past the fitness test (4th official, due to injury).  Unfortunately that referee will return to their home country tomorrow; heal and work hard and prepare for the next possible appointment.  We wish her the best of luck.

And now - On to the GAMES!!!

Referees after the Test

Assistant Referees after the test!

USA Referees post-test, waiting on the last group to finish their run.

Final Preperation

Well, the fitness test is Tuesday morning, so this mornings training was really focused on preperpation for tomorrow.  A good long warm-up, with some speed work.  Followed by a relaxation and positive thinking session.  Everyone is trained and ready to go, just one last hurdle before assignments are handed out.

This afternoon the referees had to particiate in a "moving head shot video".  I wasn't sure what it was either, but apparently prior to match kick- for each game they will show a 10 second video of the referee on the big screen in the stadium.  The referee is part of the show and FIFA has decided to include us in the pre-game video montage.  Lucikly I likely won't see this video of myself, as I'll be busy on the pitch preparing to blow the kick off whistle :)

Wish us luck tomorrow morning!  We are trained, fit and ready to go!

Medical Testing & Free Time

Yesterday we had quite a laid back day that began with an hour and a half of medical testing, training on our own, and then we had the entire afternoon free. The medical testing was very thorough consisting of an orthopedic examination and two different types of cardiac exams. These medical tests were very interesting, as we had a EKG and an ultra sound of our heart. We are still awaiting the results, but the initial results are positive.

After the testing, as we skipped the fitness and technical training with the group (due to the medical testing), we trained on our own--either in the gym or outside. It is important to stay on a training routine to stay mentally and physically sharp.

After lunch, we had the rest of the afternoon free which we took advantage of to walk around, explore our surroundings, and do some shopping. Of course there is a Starbucks here, so I had my customary Chai tea latte. Close to our hotel there are lots of shops, including this open air market.



We spotted this cool advertisement promoting the Women's World Cup, with Birgit Prinz heading an Adidas ball into a glass building. The Adidas ball is an actual replica of the Speedcell--the official tournament ball.



Below is picture of us below the Prinz replica.

Arrival in Germany

We've arrived here in Germany safe and sound. Veronica and I arrived at the hotel one right after the other. I can't tell if her driver was super fast or mine was just a little on the slower side since I didn't see her in the baggage claim and her van pulled up right behind my van at the hotel. Well, everyone got here which is the main thing. One of the benefits of living near a major airport like Los Angeles is having a direct flight...I never get tired of flying business class.

One of the challenges of travelling around the world is trying to deal with jet lag. One of the tricks we've tried to employ is to immediately get on the new time zone. Since we arrived around the middle of the night according to my internal clock, the challenge was to keep busy. I checked out the room and the view and unpacked before lunch. I took some photos of the room, but I'm having a little trouble uploading them right now. I'm hoping things will speed up once there are fewer people connecting. After lunch, there was the obligatory walking around the hotel to see what was what. The great about being one of the first people to arrive at a tournament is getting to welcom each new arrival. Even though it's been months since we last saw each other, it's almost as if it were yesterday.

Since I had seven or eight hours until I could legitimately go to sleep, I decided to go for a short jog around Frankfurt to loosen up a bit. Frankfurt has some lovely parks with cool statues, especailly right around where our hotel is located. The city is a really cool mixture of modern skyscrapers and historic architecture. At one point, I stumbled on what appeared to be a business district. I felt a bit out of place in running clothes, but I figured I could be forgiven as just another crazy American.

We had our first training this morning and the facilities are beautiful. We did a little technical training with some penalty area decisions working on teamwork and we also did standard running exercises to get back in the swing of things. Now that everyone is here and we're really getting into it, it's hard to contain the sense of excitement and anticipation. So, we're here and just enjoying every minute as it comes.

Final Send Off Match - USA vs. Mexico

This last Sunday, in New Jersey, we had our last and final match as a crew before leaving to Germany. We are so fortunate to have worked various matches as a trio to prepare and improve our communication as a team. We are extremely thankful to US Soccer, which has been very supportive from the moment we were selected as candidates for the WWC.

It is always exciting to have an opportunity to work matches with national teams. In this case, the fact that both teams are gearing up for the World Cup, made our appointment to this match even more special. Just like the teams who use these friendly matches as an opportunity to fine-tune their game, so do the referees as we critically analyze and review these matches to discuss areas of improvement.

In addition, traveling for matches and experiencing different temperatures and levels of humidity are also ideal settings for preparation. As all three of us are from California, which has had a rather cool and rainy spring and is known for having a dry heat climate, we were delighted with the heat and humidity in New Jersey (which normally we would find unpleasant). We are likely to have to deal with some humidity in Germany, so these conditions gave us a taste of what it may feel like having to work really hard physically in an uncommon environment so that it does not affect us mentally. Training in different settings helps us prepare for some of the challenges we may encounter based on environmental factors.

Check out some of the highlights from the match: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZB0MoNHF1U

Training

As we get ready for the game this weekend, I thought I'd give you a brief glimpse into the process leading up to the tournament. Besides working matches and watching games on tv and in person, there is a lot of running and weight lifting and other training to be done. It can definitely be hard getting up before the sun and putting in a full workout before work, but I think it's going to be worth it. Every time I feel like hitting the snooze button, I try to picture running down the field at the tournament and how good it will feel to really be prepared. For a look at some of our fitness training at a tournament, check out this website: www.fifa.com/womensworldcup/photogallery/gallery=1390723.html#1390576.

The test wasn't quite as fun as it looks in the pictures, but hopefully with all this training it'll be that fun in a few weeks. In the meantime, the training will certainly come in handy this weekend as we officiate the USA v Mexico in New Jersey.
Marlene

Send off Game this Sunday

US Referee crew will be refereeing this Sunday: U.S. Women's World Cup Team Heads to New Jersey to Face Mexico in Send-Off Match on June 5 Live on ESPN2.  Check it out.

http://www.ussoccer.com/News/Womens-National-Team/2011/05/US-Womens-World-Cup-Team-Heads-to-New-Jersey-to-Face-Mexico-June-5.aspx

Article From US Soccer

http://www.ussoccer.com/News/Referee-Programs/2011/04/Seitz-Duffy-and-Perez-Selected-to-Officiate-at-2011-FIFA-WWC.aspx

Seitz, Duffy and Perez Selected to Officiate at 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup

Kari Seitz, Marlene Duffy and Veronica Perez have been selected to officiate at the 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Germany, making the United States one of only five countries to have three representatives on FIFA's list of 51 officials.

CHICAGO (April 18, 2011) – Kari Seitz, Marlene Duffy and Veronica Perez have been selected to officiate at the 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Germany, making the United States one of only five countries to have three representatives on FIFA’s list of 51 officials. Seitz will be refereeing matches at her fourth FIFA Women’s World Cup, while Duffy and Perez, both assistant referees, have been assigned to their first.

"To represent our country at the World Cup is the highest honor possible for a referee," said Seitz. "We have worked very hard to get to Germany and we couldn't be more proud to have the opportunity to represent all of the referees here in the USA."

The 40-year-old Seitz is a veteran of the 1999, 2003 and 2007 FIFA Women’s World Cups and two Olympic Games and will be the most experienced official in Germany.

All three women officiated matches at the 2008 Olympic Games, and together worked the 2010 Women’s Professional Soccer championship game. Perez and Duffy were both assigned to the 2010 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Germany, with Duffy working the championship game, and Perez joined Seitz for the CONCACAF Women’s World Cup Qualifying tournament in November.

Participation for the referees in Germany will be subject to one final fitness test to be held in Frankfurt approximately a week before the first match on June 26 in Berlin's Olympiastadion. The officials went through fitness, written, video and on-field testing at the 2011 Algarve Cup in March.

• The three Americans were selected from an initial list of more than 500 referees. Seitz will be one of 16 referees working the tournament’s 32 matches, while Duffy and Perez will be part of a group of 32 assistant referees. FIFA has also named three referees from Europe who will serve exclusively as fourth officials during the competition.

Preparing for the WWC

To get ready for the world cup, much like the players, referees need to simulate the experience.  Attached are some highlights from the USA v Japan game this past weekend, officiated by Kari, Veronica & Marlene

http://www.youtube.com/user/ussoccerdotcom?blend=5&ob=5#p/u/3/1GZtoZrmnIA


Lots of preperation still to come, for players and referees alike.

US Soccer Video. The Road to the WWC

Check out this video produced by us soccer, a little taste of the process to get to the WWC 2011
http://www.youtube.com/user/ussoccerdotcom?blend=23&ob=5#p/search/8/yHG8hIlwwxs