Soccer (American), Football (European)/Questions
| Subject | Date Asked | Expert |
| Red Card | 5/4/2009 | John Cummings |
| Q: During our game yesterday, a hard foul (which resulted in a direct kick) was called about 25-30 ... A: Unlike high school, USSF does not allow captains to discuss calls or obtain an explanation from the ... | ||
| fouls by goalie | 4/29/2009 | Marney Egan |
| Q: Age 60, don't laugh, I've coached, refereed and have been a fan for over 40 years. My Q, is foul ... A: There are many technicalities in the sport of soccer, most of which you only find out about when a ... | ||
| Barclays Premier League | 4/27/2009 | Stuart Young |
| Q: my question is "What Barclays Premier league has won the title the most." A: I'm assuming you mean which Barclays Premier League 'team' has won the most titles, yeah. Well, ... | ||
| Youth soccer clubs | 4/10/2009 | Marney Egan |
| Q: Do you know how many youth soccer clubs in the USA have over 3000 players? i am doing some research ... A: US Youth Soccer registers more than 3.2 million players annually, ages 5 to 19. Unfortunately it ... | ||
| football | 4/2/2009 | Stuart Young |
| Q: apart from john terry has their been a Chelsea captain that has also captained England? A: Sorry for the delay, I have just picked up the email and question. I'm just sifting through my ... | ||
| Indoor soccer vs. Outdoor soccer | 3/29/2009 | Marney Egan |
| Q: This past winter, I have played on an indoor soccer team. I have been a very effective forward ... A: Zoe, Do not stress too much about not being your best for the first two games of your Outdoor ... | ||
| italian football | 3/25/2009 | Stuart Young |
| Q: I recently read that Sardinia is a provisional member of the Nouvelle Federation Board. Was hoping ... A: Sardinian football is not my thing, but I've come across two players that would be able to play for ... | ||
| Gear | 3/24/2009 | Marney Egan |
| Q: i am a sophomore in college, 20 years old and have been playing for almost 15 years. My school just ... A: My freshman year of college was the first time I ever needed to wear turf shoes and I bought a pair ... | ||
| Deliberate hand ball | 3/23/2009 | Stephen Smith |
| Q: We had a player receive a red card today for a hand ball in the box. The opposing player took a ... A: I've given this scenario a lot of thought in the past in order to try to work out what I'd do if it ... | ||
| how to be fit for a soccer tryout | 2/25/2009 | Marney Egan |
| Q: I am 21 years old and I think is my last oportunity to play professional soccer. I been playing ... A: I think it's great that you are taking another shot at playing professionally. I can give you some ... | ||
| Bending/Spinning a Soccer Ball | 1/6/2009 | Marney Egan |
| Q: Hey, I have a few questions about kicking soccer balls. 1. How do you Knuckle a soccer ball when ... A: I apologize for the delay of my answer but I had a death in my family. In order to bend a soccer ... | ||
| panicking/fitness | 12/9/2008 | Marney Egan |
| Q: But my coach has just notified me that my mindset of being panicked while playing the game is ... A: Defenders should have the same amount of skill as any other player on the field. However, the ... | ||
| panicking/fitness | 12/5/2008 | Marney Egan |
| Q: But my coach has just notified me that my mindset of being panicked while playing the game is ... A: The most common reason that I know of why players panic when they have the ball is because they are ... | ||
| Which foot used to shoot? | 11/10/2008 | Marney Egan |
| Q: When receiving a pass from the side or corner and practicing a one-strike shot, should a shooter ... A: I think it depends on the location of the player receiving the ball in relation to the net and where ... | ||
| Indirect Free kick - cancelled substitution and goal scored | 10/31/2008 | Stuart Young |
| Q: An indirect free kick has been awarded just outside the penalty area. As the wall is being set up, ... A: The free-kick should be taken again because it is to the referees discretion to ask the ball taker ... | ||
| u8 positions | 10/30/2008 | Marney Egan |
| Q: I am a new volunteer soccer coach for a rec league. Our season is almost over and I have had some ... A: At this age I think it's a little hard to teach positioning since they all want to be near the ... | ||
| Goals and Goalkeepers | 10/22/2008 | Stephen Smith |
| Q: We were at my son's game last week, the opposing team had a break away and went to score. But he ... A: Jennifer, That certainly should not have been given as a goal. Kicking the ball out of the ... | ||
| referees placing hands on players in agressive manner | 10/16/2008 | John Cummings |
| Q: Does a referee have the right to place hands on a player? Example: high school player given yellow ... A: Sorry to hear of this incident. Not a good situation. While there is nothing in the "rule book" ... | ||
| Is "trickery" a foul? | 10/11/2008 | John Cummings |
| Q: I was playing in a game last week and the ref called a foul on one of our players when he went up ... A: Depends... From your description, I believe the referee may have used the wrong word. If your ... | ||
| Hand ball in box | 10/7/2008 | John Cummings |
| Q: My daughter plays on a select team and in the last couple of games there has been balls kick and hit ... A: If the foul just did not have the name "handball," it would be easier to comprehend. So many people ... | ||
| Defelctions and Offside | 10/6/2008 | Cody Gaines |
| Q: Attacker 1 is in an offside position. Attacker 2 has the ball. Defender 1 gains possession of the ... A: Ok first off this is a really good question because this type of scenario even perplexes the most ... | ||
| Defensive Center mid | 10/5/2008 | Marney Egan |
| Q: my coach is starting to play me at Defensive Center Mid and I have only played defense and goalie ... A: Zoe, Defensive center mid is a unique position and requires a great deal from the person in this ... | ||
| handball call or no call | 9/28/2008 | John Cummings |
| Q: In a recent game, our player crossed a ball into opponents box. The cross hit a defender's ... A: I am afraid I have been on both sides of this issue as coach and referee. As you mentioned, the ... | ||
| Goalie kicking ball from 18 yard box | 9/25/2008 | Cody Gaines |
| Q: When is it a hand ball? When the complete ball crosses the 18 yard box or the goalie's feet. David ... A: In soccer it is the ball's position that determines position not the position of the player. Now ... | ||
| Goal | 9/20/2008 | John Cummings |
| Q: this IS MY QUESTION : a PLAYER FROM THE OPPOSING TEAM FALLS ON THE BALL IN THE PENALTY AREA WHILE ON ... A: Good question. This issue usually can get complicated, but let me just consider the limits of your ... | ||
| sore feet | 9/19/2008 | Marney Egan |
| Q: My 14yr old son is now playing soccer -8th grade - thru school sports - and has been complaining of ... A: Cindy, It sounds like your son might need some additional support or cushioning in his shoes. ... | ||
| positions | 9/16/2008 | Marney Egan |
| Q: Can you go over the soccer positions including stopper, sweeper and striker. I am a high schooler ... A: Zack, I assumed you wanted to know ALL the soccer positions, not just the ones you specified, as ... | ||
| Soccer rule - NFHS | 9/11/2008 | Cody Gaines |
| Q: I have always assumed that playing the ball while lying on the ground is illegal under all ... A: I assume by NFHS that you mean high school soccer rules I hope. However, the answer to your ... | ||
| Offsides | 9/11/2008 | Cody Gaines |
| Q: Left mid passes ball to stiker at the 18 yd line, stiker takes shot & scores. Ref calls "no goal" ... A: This question is a tricky one because without being there it is hard to see the whole picture of ... | ||
| Goalie getting red carded | 9/9/2008 | Marney Egan |
| Q: My question is about, what is the rule regarding goalie getting a red card. My daughters High School ... A: I apologize for the delay of my answer, but life has been a little hectic for me lately as I'm sure ... | ||
| pro soccer | 8/26/2008 | Marney Egan |
| Q: Do more players go pro (either USL, MLS or European)from DI, DII or DIII colleges? Which college ... A: Sid, This was a question that required some research on my part and unfortunately I wasn't able to ... | ||
| Defense | 8/8/2008 | Stuart Young |
| Q: I was playing in a pick-up game this past week with my friends and the man i was marking while ... A: Your positioning is the key to being able to defend well against players like that. If he is a ... | ||
| shooting technique | 7/12/2008 | Marney Egan |
| Q: i want to know the right shooting technique. I use my right when playing. Last time i saw ... A: The circular arm movement that you are describing is simply an involuntary reaction done by the body ... | ||
| handballs with goalies | 6/23/2008 | John Cummings |
| Q: If a goalie has one foot over the penalty area, the whole of the ball is inside the penalty area and ... A: Good question. This is one that even many less experienced referees misinterpret. The entire ... | ||
| World Cup Italia 90 | 6/9/2008 | Stuart Young |
| Q: can you solve an arguement I have with a friend? I have read somewhere that during the tournament ... A: this is not true. It is a complete myth. Lineker did have an upset stomach during this game but he ... | ||
| ethics and parental involvement in youth soccer | 5/27/2008 | Cody Gaines |
| Q: My son is on a small rural U13 team. My husband was coach for the first 5 years and stopped last ... A: I am very sorry to hear about the situation you are in. Unfortunately this is a little out of my ... | ||
| SOCCER OFFSIDE RULE | 5/23/2008 | Cody Gaines |
| Q: Two offensive strikers are on a breakaway, the striker closest to the keeper has the ball, he/she ... A: Now by the scenario you gave me I am assuming that the striker that first received the ball was ... | ||
| Im sorry, I wrote the question wrong let me rephrase it | 5/8/2008 | Stuart Young |
| Q: Can you duplicate a professional soccer player's kicking power to scale with a youth soccer player. ... A: That is a question I know the answer to because we used to do the same test in pre-season training. ... | ||
| Im sorry, I wrote the question wrong let me rephrase it | 5/7/2008 | Stuart Young |
| Q: Can you duplicate a professional soccer player's kicking power to scale with a youth soccer player. ... A: Generally you will get heavier players at youth football having more strength on the ball and being ... | ||
| Im sorry, I wrote the question wrong let me rephrase it | 5/4/2008 | Stuart Young |
| Q: Can you duplicate a professional soccer player's kicking power to scale with a youth soccer player. ... A: No problem Alexander. Yes you can definitely duplicate the kicking power of a professional to a ... | ||
Soccer (American), Football (European)
Answers by Expert:
John Cummings
Top Expert on this page
Expertise
Do you have a call made by the referee in last week`s match puzzling you? Are you a referee who may not be certain that what was done was the right thing to do? I shall be glad to entertain any questions about officiating soccer. The more the players, coaches and supporters understand the referee and his/her decisions, the more fun we can have on the pitch.
Experience
After coaching my son's travel team, I have been USSF State Referee, State Assessor, Assignor and State Instructor in addition to having been a college NISOA referee,a NISOA clinician, a NISOA assessor and a high school referee.
Organizations
USSF, OSYSA, CASOA, NISOA
Publications
Soccer Ohio
Education/Credentials
J.D.
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