[Leftcoast]

That was a great game - One of the most EXCITNG soccer games I've seen.  However,  I won't call it one of the BEST I've seen. 

The excitement was preceded, and I would say the result of,  very poor officiating for soccer's highest stage.  I noticed that all of the officials are women in this year's cup.  I'm going to be politically incorrect and suggest it would be much better if the WC chose the best and most experienced officials in the future - whether they are men or women.  Poorly officiated games may be exciting but their not good for the sport.  These officials were not up to the task and were often out of position to make the correct calls.    Surely better options were available if you widened the candidate pool to both men and women.

It's interesting how the US team play got stronger in the later stages of the game despite being outnumbered by Brazil.  I believe the US had a conditioning advantage and the superior endurance of the US team showed in the late 2nd half and the OT period.  Through much of this section the game was not played like an uneven numbers match and the US was able to attack and defend aggressively while the Brazilians looked passive and winded.

I missed the final goal due to a family commitment but celebrated loudly, if a bit late, when I heard the news on the radio.


(Edit:  7/11:  I see I'm not the only one wondering about the selection pool available for women WC refs.  Here's a link to an article covering this topic in a German newspaper. )

http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,15226198,00.html 

[Leftcoast]

That was a great game - One of the most EXCITNG soccer games I've seen.  However,  I won't call it one of the BEST I've seen. 

The excitement was preceded, and I would say the result of,  very poor officiating for soccer's highest stage.  I noticed that all of the officials are women in this year's cup.  I'm going to be politically incorrect and suggest it would be much better if the WC chose the best and most experienced officials in the future - whether they are men or women.  Poorly officiated games may be exciting but their not good for the sport.  These officials were not up to the task and were often out of position to make the correct calls.    Surely better options were available if you widened the candidate pool to both men and women.

It's interesting how the US team play got stronger in the later stages of the game despite being outnumbered by Brazil.  I believe the US had a conditioning advantage and the superior endurance of the US team showed in the late 2nd half and the OT period.  Through much of this section the game was not played like an uneven numbers match and the US was able to attack and defend aggressively while the Brazilians looked passive and winded.

I missed the final goal due to a family commitment but celebrated loudly, if a bit late, when I heard the news on the radio.


(Edit:  7/11:  I see I'm not the only one wondering about the selection pool available for women WC refs.  Here's a link to an article covering this topic in a German newspaper. )

http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,15226198,00.html