Why the Goal was Disallowed in the USA vs. Slovenia Match
June 18, 2010 12:58 PM EDT
A furious comeback for the United States against Slovenia in the 2010 FIFA World Cup that should have ended in a win has unfortunately ended in a tie as the result of a mystifying call in the 84th minute.
With the United States and Slovenia tied at 2 following two second half goals by the Americans, Landon Donovan struck a beautiful free kick from the right side that went curling into the box where Maurice Edu put it in the back of the net for the apparent go-ahead goal. However, the referee blew his whistle and indicated that the goal would not be allowed. According to the players, even after the match he refused to explain the call.
Here is what I believe happened: As Donovan was running up to the ball, Michael Bradley of the U.S. broke for the goal just a split second early, placing him just barely offsides. The assistant referee, who is responsible for making offsides calls, saw Bradley and, in anticipation of Bradley touching the ball, raised his flag to indicate offsides. However, Bradley did not touch the ball (in part because he was being hugged from behind by a Slovenian defender), and Edu put the ball in the net from a legal position. I believe that the assistant referee instantly knew he missed the call, but his flag was up, and there was nothing he could do about it at that point. Had Bradley touched the ball he would have been correct, but since he didn't this goes down as a major blown call that will likely affect the outcome of this group in the World Cup
Why the Goal was Disallowed in the USA vs.... | Gather