THE CIRCLE GAZETTE Issue 10
JULY 2010
THE AMERICAN SPIRIT A Newspaper by Children for Children
by Ismail Ercan, Age 13 Coral Springs, FL
The United States men’s soccer team is very lucky to be advancing into the knockout stages of the World Cup: they have had not one but two of their goals taken away by bad calls of the officials. In sports, there are many controversial calls that have brought up debate. Fortunately, many sports such as basketball and tennis have added instant replay to their sport to make sure that the officials made the right call. However, in sports such as soccer, with no instant replay, the players cannot challenge an official’s call. The Soccer World Cup is the biggest sporting event in the world. It’s held every four years when 32 nations (previously qualified) compete to crown a soccer champion of the world. On Friday, June 18th, the U.S. men’s soccer team competed in their second group match against Slovenia at the World Cup, held this year in South Africa. After conceding 2 goals in the first half, the U.S. team was struggling to avoid elimination. However just three minutes into the second half, Landon Donovan, one of the more experienced players on the field, streaked down the sideline and fired a rocket past the Slovenian goalkeeper, Samir Handanovic. The American fans were rejuvenated and encouraged their team on. Meanwhile, the Slovenian fans nervously bit their fingers, hoping that their team could keep the lead. But in the 82nd minute, Jozy Altidore (from Boca Raton, FL) headed down a pass to Michael Bradley, the coach’s son, and he poked it past Handanovic for the equalizer. The entire bench of the U.S. team ran over to celebrate with him.
At this point, Slovenia was just hoping for a draw. Just 3 minutes later, the U.S earned a free kick at a dangerous position. The crowd in Johannesburg sensed a goal approaching and there was tension in the air. Donovan crossed the ball over where substitute Maurice Edu volleyed it into the back of the net. Just as they started celebrating, head official Koman Coulibaly of Mali blew his whistle and waved off the goal. The American fans in the crowd held their heads in disbelief, then outrage. Midfielder, Michael Bradley, quickly ran over to Coulibaly to protest the call and demand an explanation. However, the official simply pointed his hand in the opposite direction, indicating Slovenia’s possession of the ball and kept his mouth shut. In soccer, it is not required that the referees explain the call and say who the foul was on. Therefore, it is up to the fans, players, and coaches to interpret the official’s calls. “He couldn’t, or wouldn't, explain” midfielder Landon Donovan said. According to an article by USA Today, as the final whistle blew, the American fans were bittersweet. Although their team just made a remarkable comeback, they were denied the win. That win meant 3 points that would have put them atop the group, and they didn’t know what or who the foul was on. Clearly, if there was any foul at all, it would have been for a penalty kick. But the U.S. had to put this game behind them and move on. With an EnglandAlgeria draw, (which occurred later that day) the U.S. still had a decent chance of moving on, only needing a win against Algeria. (Continues below...)
Photo: Free Source
"Landon Donovan celebrates after he scored the winning goal in stoppage time to qualify the Americans for the knockout stages."
The United States Men’s Soccer Team in the 2010 FIFA WORLD CUP
(... comes from above)
Photo: Free Source
United States' Michael Bradley, left, argues with referee Koman Coulibaly of Mali about Maurice Edu’s disallowed goal in the 85th minute (Game: US vs. Slovenia 6/18/10). THE ENRICHMENT CIRCLE Creating Holistic and Open Ended Learning Environments for Children and Families www.enrichmentcircle.com 954-9182541
On Wednesday, June 23 the final group game for U.S.A arrived. Both remaining games in the group (U.S./Algeria and England/Slovenia) would be played simultaneously. In this game the key for the U.S. would be defense. In both of their previous two group games, they had allowed a goal in the first 15 minutes. The U.S. quickly found a good rhythm and was controlling the game well throughout the first half. Midway through the first half, American Clint Dempsey found the back of the net and was starting to celebrate when the officials called it offside. This was the second bad call by
the officials against the U.S. But the Americans kept on hammering the Algerians. Clint Dempsey almost scored in the 57th minute when his shot deflected off the post. The final 10 minutes of the game were nerve-wracking. The Americans still had to score a goal if they wanted to move on to the knockout stages. With two minutes left in injury/stoppage time, goalkeeper Tim Howard threw the ball down the field and started a counterattack. Landon Donovan passed the ball to Jozy Altidore who passed the ball to Clint Dempsey. Dempsey fired a shot but it was deflected off by the keeper. The Algerians were about to clear the ball when Landon
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Donovan stormed in and blasted the rebound into the back of the net. The whole American bench ran over to Donovan and celebrated with him. They were going to the knockout stages!!! Some American fans in the crowd were crying with joy; the Algerian fans were crying with defeat. By the time this article is printed the US team would have already faced Ghana on Saturday, June 26. One game: one winner that moves on. Even though the Americans were denied two goals by bad officiating, they never gave up and still managed to qualify for the knockout rounds. THE CIRCLE GAZETTE A Monthly Publication Written by Children
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