kukuriza said:They were screwed when Wenta got that yellow card. After the Polish keeper saved the shot—it bounced right off him and back into the player's space—he grabbed the ball. You get a two-minute penalty for that, but instead, the refs gave Wenta a yellow and handed possession back to the Americans.
That’s where they got robbed. I'm not 100% certain he actually grabbed it—on TV, it looked like he did—but if anyone has a replay, let's set the record straight.
Otherwise, honestly? The officiating felt fair enough. The Americans earned everything, including that ejection.
The only mistake was the single wrong penalty for the Americans; Gojun was charging at an American player, but they kicked Vori out instead.
First off, you can pick up a ball in flight, unless it's rolling along the floor (which is an automatic throw-in) or hits a player standing in the designated space/on the line (again, throw-in).
You don't get a two-minute penalty just for grabbing a ball, unless the refs have already signaled a specific play and the opposing player acts like an idiot by snatching it away from the spot. There are a few other scenarios, but they all hinge on the ref clearly signaling the throw and its direction first.
Moving the ball like that is what gets you penalized with two minutes for unsportsmanlike conduct.
But even if what happened actually occurred, it doesn't justify the coach's meltdown. Look, I get it—I understand why the guy reacted that way.
But he made a conscious choice to go off and lecture them... and this is a guy who played professionally; he knows exactly how refs react to that kind of noise.
And Vori could have easily been hit with a two-minute penalty himself for pulling a player by the arm from behind. It really just comes down to what the refs see and what they call first. Usually, the rule is you only penalize one player per foul, so you look at who committed the initial infraction.
Though, there's that old-school refereeing rule: if you aren't sure, someone's gotta go.
