Ref Base – Mentor Evaluations

Positioning during dynamic play was good. There were a few times I would have liked to see you push closer into the penalty area, as there were critical decisions you needed to make (potential PK/DOGSO). Although your decisions were accurate, being closer to them helps sell your decision to players and coaches.

We discussed varying your position on corner kicks, and avoid taking the same position every time. Even when the corner kick is taking some time to set up, move around so players don't get an idea of where you will be, and what you can and can't see.

We only discussed one decision that you questioned after the game (the challenge on the touch line, right in front of the benches). At the moment it happened, I was 50/50 about whether it was a foul, but after we both discussed what you saw and we broke down what happened after that, it became more likely that a foul should have been called. After that contact, your game increased in intensity. Players started playing more physical and there was an increase in contact to players backs. You did miss a two handed shove that occurred closely after, that you just didn't have the right angle to see clearly. As the game progressed, losing team scored a goal which got them back into the game. That helped reestablish their focus, and helped calm the game down... from there, nothing escalated any further.

Players and coaches accepted your decisions

We did discuss experimenting with a variety of whistles... hopefully find one a bit louder, and can better communicate the degree of seriousness of your decision. A couple of times, your body language expressed that players had crossed a line with you, but your whistle didn't match. Play around with different types and see if you find one you like.

No issues

Overall, I thought the game was well officiated. You had some tense moments in the first half that stemmed from that one non-call discussed earlier. Calling a foul there may or helped or may not have. The important thing is to be able to recognize when physical play like that occurs, whether it gets called or not, could lead to increased intesity of the game, and it's important for us to recognize those moments and respond with like intensity.