USA vs Canada womem's.

[Reggaedoc]

Canada got robbed by a stupid ref.

Reminded me of what Caribbean countries have gone through for years when playing against Mexico, or the USA in any CONCACAF game.

[Peter R]

and to add insult to injury the Canadian women (some of them) are being investigated by FIFA for post match comments which were probably (understandably) critical... which is a no-no. The comments that were made were not revealed.

[HL]

I guess it was the same where the ref helped Brazil to win against Honduras?

[Peter R]

Didn't follow that series... but I wouldn't doubt it. The "big" teams seem to get the benefit of calls in critical situations.

[Zeppo]

Reminded me of what Caribbean countries have gone through for years when playing against Mexico, or the USA in any CONCACAF game.

Through the years Caribbean countries have simply not been as good as Mexico or the USA in CONCACAF games.

No need to blame the refs for your failures.

[Peter R]

Yes Zeppo,

But we are talking here now about a Canadian team... and it's not so much about blaming refs for failure, but blaming refs for incompetence and dare I say bias? regardless of wins or losses...

Whether there is a bias or not could be argued, but whether it is intentional or systemically imbued into the psyche of the refs with respect to major teams, no one ( at least not me) wants to see their team get a freebie because of bad refereeing.

Congrats to the US team still, I just hope bad reffing doesn't turn around and bite them in the rear.

[Reggaedoc]

If that hapens FIFA would suspend the ref.

[Zeppo]

Yes Zeppo,

But we are talking here now about a Canadian team... and it's not so much about blaming refs for failure, but blaming refs for incompetence and dare I say bias? regardless of wins or losses...

Whether there is a bias or not could be argued, but whether it is intentional or systemically imbued into the psyche of the refs with respect to major teams, no one ( at least not me) wants to see their team get a freebie because of bad refereeing.

I saw an iffy penalty go against the Canadians, something that happens in the sport all the time, at any level -- men or women.

But if you're going to claim it was a conspiracy, as some Canadian players are doing and as their coach was already alleging before the game even kicked off, then you better have a strong case ready to back up your claim.

Congrats to the US team still, I just hope bad reffing doesn't turn around and bite them in the rear.

It very well could. And it certainly wouldn't be the first time.

[HL]

Refereeing becomes MORE of an issue when it affects the team we support.

Can't recall hearing anyone clamoring when the call goes in favor of ones' team.

I must say i am always ********ed off by Howard Webb...even when he has an uneventful game.

[Paul Marin]

I saw an iffy penalty go against the Canadians, something that happens in the sport all the time, at any level -- men or women.

But if you're going to claim it was a conspiracy, as some Canadian players are doing and as their coach was already alleging before the game even kicked off, then you better have a strong case ready to back up your claim.

It very well could. And it certainly wouldn't be the first time.

Zeppo - forget the penalty (which was iffy), look at the time wasting call. NBC showed that it was a 10 second period from the goalie getting the ball (lying prostrate and clutching it for dear life) and kicking it away. Give me a break!! There were other moments in the game where Hope Solo and the Canadian goalie also held the ball for that period or longer. By making a completely unnecessary call giving one team an advantage over the other ruined the game. She could have (correct me if the laws don't allow this) elected to issue a yellow card to the goalie and restart the game with a drop ball to the goalie only. The game was really entertaining and ruined by that one bit of unnecessary over-zealousness.

[Peter R]

Not having seen the match I wondered about that, i.e. how long she held the ball for... maybe it could be argued that 10 seconds after 1 minute is not the same as 10 seconds at 80 mins??

[Paul Marin]

Not having seen the match I wondered about that, i.e. how long she held the ball for... maybe it could be argued that 10 seconds after 1 minute is not the same as 10 seconds at 80 mins??

One would think that as the game goes on, time wasting by whoever is ahead should come under more scrutiny, which is fair. However, 10 seconds is not a long time considering the fact that she collected the ball in a lot of traffic and was flat on the ground protecting it on her goal line when she got possession (meaning she had to get up and get out to the edge of the box as well).

Anyway, you missed one of the most entertaining football games in memory...totally deserving of its billing as a "classic". Too bad the ref unnecessarily introduced the controversy because a USA comeback at that point (sans ref interference) was entirely possible. Nail biting stuff.

Also, the winning goal was predictable as Canada failed to clear the ball - as soon as I saw that I knew they were in trouble; the cross for the winning goal was perfect, so in that regard, you have to give it to the USA, they took their chances.

[Chubble]

Pedersen was apparently goaded into the decision by U.S

LONDON—In what sounds like the sort of probe they used to undertake on Lubyanka Square, FIFA on Tuesday began a closed investigation into the post-match behaviour of Canada’s women’s soccer team after their semifinal loss to the United States.

In a two-sentence release, FIFA would only say that it is “analyzing incidents that occurred after the conclusion of the match.”

Canada’s coach John Herdman would not confirm that captain Christine Sinclair is the focus of this in-camera inquisition. But it sure sounds like she is.

The twitterverse reacts to the game

“To see them girls (Monday) night, they were broken. And then they have to go and do a job in front of the media,” Herdman said. “I just hope people have empathy for what they were going through.”

What they were going through was a towering and deeply understandable rage after having been cheated of their chance for gold by Norwegian referee Christina Pedersen.

In the 78th minute of a one-goal game, Pedersen called a six-second violation on goalkeeper Erin McLeod for holding the ball too long. That led directly to the tying goal and the eventual loss. Since that call is essentially unheard of, the entire footballing world headed to the Internet.

The last time anyone can recall that happening? In 2002 — Bolton/Newcastle. It was a scandal when it happened then. And there weren’t any medals at stake.

Shortly afterward, Sinclair said: “It’s a shame in a game like that that was so important, the ref decided the result before it started.”

Melissa Tancredi may also share the pain after she told the ref: “Put on your American jersey. That’s who you played for today.”

And, now that we’re at it, how about Herdman himself: “It felt like it was America and the referee against us.”

For public consumption, Herdman suggested that the team has retreated into an informational vacuum in an effort to focus on Thursday’s bronze medal match against France.

“(Sinclair)’s aware that something’s going on, but they’re not aware to what extent it is. And to be honest, neither am I,” Herdman said.

He said he does not know the timeline of the investigation, who or what it involves, and what possible outcomes might be expected. Kids living in bubbles know more about what’s going on than John Herdman.

“We’re not absolutely clear on what’s being investigated,” Herdman said. “I’m not trying to give it any power or attention.”

Sadly, it does not require Herdman’s attention in order to be powerful. Without Sinclair, Canada has little chance against a team that pummelled them 4-0 in last year’s Women’s World Cup.

FIFA is notoriously all over the map on suspensions, but this feels ominous. Fixing or the suggestion thereof is one of that governing body’s overwhelming preoccupations. Though the call Pedersen made was outrageous, it was correct according to the Laws of the Game. Sinclair does not have a legalistic leg to stand on here.

PHOTOS: Surprise and heartbreak at the Games today

This situation is so full of ironies you could melt it down into an anvil.

Prime among them? Pedersen’s boss, FIFA’s head of women’s refereeing, is Quebecer Sonia Denoncourt. She was laying low in London on Tuesday.

Pedersen was apparently goaded into the decision by U.S. forward Abby Wambach.

During the second half, Wambach began counting aloud in the ref’s vicinity every time McLeod took hold of the ball. She got to 10 on the play in question.

“You can says it’s gamesmanship. You can say it’s smart. But I’m a competitor,” Wambach told Yahoo Sports’ Dan Wetzel on Tuesday.

Wambach may be the instigator, but she isn’t at fault. Faced with the ire of one of the best women’s players in history, Pedersen folded. She made a nervous call that fundamentally altered this competition and likely derailed her officiating career.

Even Herdman admitted it was the smart move: “Good on her. (Wambach) found a loophole in the system.”

As you might imagine, the braintrust of the Canadian Soccer Association was frothing after the game, but there’s little they can do aside from stamp their collective feet. There was no official protest, and none will be undertaken.

Welcome to international football, where common sense goes in one door, falls into a wormhole and walks out the other side into 1984.

FIFA remains one of those sports organizations that takes its bureaucratic cues from the Politburo. Its decision will be made in secret council. Its judgment is final. Successful appeals are exceedingly rare.

While the Laws may have been adhered to on Tuesday night — though selectively — the spirit of the game was taken out back and worked over.

It appears that Canada may now catch a rebound beating — cheated by the ref one game, stripped bare by her bosses just ahead of the next.

ALSO FROM THE STAR:

[Chubble]

"Even the U.S. players said they were surprised by the call," the NY Times reported. "Goalkeeper Hope Solo said she couldn’t recall an instance when a call was made without a warning. Coach Pia Sundhage said flatly, “I haven’t seen that before.”

[Rudi]

Well Zeppo I remember a certain game in DC with a hand ball call when the US was losing. A loss I might add would have probably caused the US to miss the big dance.