VAR, Very Annoying Referees

Empire Strykers Guest Column by Lou Desmond, host of the Lou Desmond & Co. Show on Kmet-149, ABC News and Sports Radio, in the Empire

It was going so well. Team USA was winning games in a dominating fashion.  U.S. fans were showing up in record numbers.  The Vikings were rowing, the Scots were drinking bars dry, even the French were enjoying America (air conditioning – magnifique!), and little Japanese guys were smashing huge southern barbecued beef ribs and Buc-ees – well, it was being Buc-ees.

But then international soccer had to step up and remind us why we Americans (mostly) do not like the outdoor international style of soccer and give our best player a red card that removed him from the game and made the U.S. squad play a man down for the rest of that match, and also bars him from playing in the next critical elimination game on Monday.

Let’s face it, by most accounts, the call was merde!

(That means excrement in French BTW)

And now we find out that the bogus ruling cannot be appeased.  Under the stupid rules of the World Cup, on-field decisions cannot be reviewed.  Wait…What?  What led to the red card was a non-call on the field that was reviewed by somebody not on the field – the VAR – whatever that is, but the suspension cannot be reviewed? 

The American fan thinks we are being screwed by international soccer – futbol – again!

And it was going so well…

Well, at least in the Major Arena Soccer League you won’t see ticky-tack calls like that.  The game plays like hockey-soccer, and it gets rough, and it is a beautiful game.  Our game….USA!  USA!

The World Cup is where the attention of soccer fans is focused now, but in November, arena soccer is coming back locally, and fans looking for an indoor soccer league near me or high-octane indoor soccer in California can come watch the Empire Strykers, the premier arena soccer team serving the Inland Empire.

If you are looking to buy Strykers season tickets or single-game Empire Strykers tickets to watch professional MASL soccer live, you can find them at www.theempirestrykers.com. Fans can also head over to the team store to gear up with their favorite Empire Strykers fan gear for the fast-paced indoor action.