Chicago Fire vs NY Red Bulls 2010-03-27

Absolutely fabulous game! This was a terrific opener for the new Red Bulls Arena. This blog being a watch on announcers, John Harkes, JP Dellacamerara, and Rob Stome did a great service to us listeners. Or, at least, that's what I think. Did anyone hear differently?

My First Entry

I just started this blog and it’s late for me, so I’m going to post just one note so you can see what this blog is about.

The American Fan needs better commentary. Too often commentary contains incorrect information, based on who-knows-what, but definitely not based on the FIFA Laws of the Game. If the American Fan is going to develop a passion for the game of soccer as is the case in many other countries of the world, they need to understand “the beautiful game.” This blog intends to debunk the bad statements of soccer game commentators.

Let’s begin with John Harkes during the 3/25/2010 Philadelphia Union vs Seattle Sounders FC game. Mr. Harkes stated in the 12th minute of the game after a Philadelphia Union’s player is flagged for offside, “I think he’s even, actually. The referee has the right back. You can see in the far part of the screen there. It looks like he keeps him on.” Mr. Harkes needs to learn that he cannot judge offside from where he is sitting/announcing. Only the assistant referee who is looking straight at the offside line can judge. Mr. Harkes should not make such unsubstantiated comments, which contributes to fans thinking they too can judge offside from their perspectives.

Mr. Harkes stated in the 14th minute of the game that he did not think the foul also deserved a booking. If Mr. Harkes were a trained soccer referee, which obviously he is not, he would understand the booking. But while he is not a trained referee he voices his uneducated opinion on the referee’s choice to caution a player. Fans learn bad information from Mr. Harkes comments.