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Costa Rica 3, USMNT 1: Field Level Highlights

Clint Dempsey, Yeltsin Tejeda

Photo by ISIPhotos.com

Comments

  1. As an Arsenal this makes it real hard for me to root for Joel Campbell under any circumstances. Wenger needs to make a phone call. This kind of behavior brings the game into disrepute. This is the worst I have seen.

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  2. Campbelling – v. Taking a step beyond diving, into the most ludicrous actions with an objective of getting an opponent carded imaginable. Only to be attempted in front of officiating crews that share the same low-life lack of character as the prospective campbeller.

    If I was Costa Rican, I would be so embarrassed.

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    • It would also be nice if the USSF actually tried to do something about it. I don’t know if they have, but there has been nothing from them publicly.

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      • Also sent my protest. I believe FIFA rules are such that an egregious act cannot be punished further if it is recognized on the field by the referee but this was not recognized and can therefore be reviewed and punished. We should all demand this from Concacaf so that even though the yellow is unlikely to be rescinded, a message might be sent to this player and those who contemplate this kind of nonsense that it might not go unpunished. Might not gain much satisfaction, but it’s more than you can usually do as a fan.

    • Actually, the Mexican referee positively surprised me. He was fair and the USMNT lost in an embarrassing fashion playing all chickened out. Just watch the highlights again and look at how wispily they for the most part challenged the Costa Rican players. Dempsey was diving all over as well.

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    • I emailed demanding an immediate suspension of the player (campbell). and just may try to “campbell” my way out of the next boring meeting I have to go to.

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  3. I*’m an old guy (67) who has been watching soccer for a long time and has seen thousands of games. I cannot recall seeing anything so blatant or ridiculous as this phony foul. And how could the ref fall for it? Even from the 4th official’s viewpoint it was clear that Besler had his back to Campbell and wasn’t moving. I have seen a lot of bad stuff in CONCACAF, but this must be the worst and is truly shocking.

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    • Oh, and thanks to SBI for posting this. Let’s hope and pray that something is done about it. At the very least the person responsible for the call should be not allowed to work another international game EVER.

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  4. Wow Joel Campbell is a scumbag! The game was in the bag, the act to get Besler carded did nothing for CRC. He should be shown a second yellow and kicked out!

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  5. i’m so angry right now about that dive. all three of the dives, but especially the last one. i sent something to CONCACAF because it’s absolutely ridiculous.

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    • good on ya, it’s good for the folks “in charge”? to know that folks pay attention to this kind of stuff. I thought the ref was very objective until the last 20 minutes of the match when he started carding anyone not wearing red, plus his leaving a studs up challenge into Jones go without so much as a warning… it was really a tale of two ref by the time the match was over.

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      • yeah, the head ref was pretty good overall. like you said, there were a few things but overall not bad. on the 1st CR dive in the box, he waved the “no-no” finger at the CR player. then, the 2nd dive in the box the CR player got booked for diving. so he wasn’t falling for it.

        but on the Besler “foul” the AR clearly says something in the mic to blame Besler and to book him (~6:00). he was trusting his AR. so i don’t even put it on him, i want that AR questioned. so frustrating either way.

      • I wouldn’t say he was good. He made a lot of dubious calls in our favor too. There were foul calls that shouldn’t have gone in our favor, and we got lucky on an offside call or two as well. Just overall a terrible performance by the ref and the linesmen.

      • Man, you sound like a sore loser (I am not calling you one). Let it go with the ref, he was good overall and criticize instead the dismal performance by a now down-to-earth team.

      • It’s like someone told the ref “psst! Mexico is losing to Honduras! Give them some help!” and the cards starting coming out at the end of the game.

        Chiqui and his team were excellent until the last CR goal, then the cards came out like candy.

      • Come on man. Geoff’s was a yellow. Jozy’s was a yellow. Besler’s was not but he consulted with the AR like he is supposed to when he doesn’t see an off the ball incident. He was fair all game.

  6. Some lesser outrages (or curiosities); (1) Between 4:00 and 4:40 (either side of Dempsey’s shot that hit the post), somebody behind the CR goal has a flashing reddish light; (2) on the cross where the CR keeper likely struck EJ in the head with his hands, he gets up, returns to his position, and then, seeing EJ down, proceeds to crumple in a heap. (And I’m not even mentioning his phantom injury from Donovan’s non-touch.)

    Remember “planking”? Let’s start a new craze — Campbelling. Just walk past someone, fall to the ground, and demand their punishment.

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    • Campbelling … that’s good stuff. and i would be laughing if i wasn’t so sickened by watching that part of the clip. i accept the floping when there is some minimal contact, but that is flat out outrageous.

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  7. FJ was denied a goal scoring opportunity by the GK that resulted in the PK. By the letter of the law, that should have been a red card. I actually favor a yellow in that situation because a PK and a red are a little harsh, but by the letter of the law, the GK should probably have been sent off.

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  8. Maybe the USMNT can’t protest but there has to be some repercussion to the CR player or federation. If crap like this is allowed to contiue without penalty, along with match fixing, what’s the point, might as well become a fan of WWE…

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    • +1, as much as I love soccer, it’s crap like this that makes me just want to stick with American football.. say what you want about it, at least that sport makes sure justice/fair calls are effected 99.9% of the time

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      • yeah, it’s just the rampant doping and the sanctioned turing of brains and body tissue into oatmeal that you have to be ok with…

      • No one is forcing any of those NFL players to sign million dollar contracts and play football. Fast food is always an option. Or, for those with real degrees, there’s that too.

  9. Anybody want to start a twitter campaign “#JoelCampbellCheats” with a link to the video @ 5:40? Maybe CONCACAF will at least have to address it.

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  10. How does this not spark an investigation into the officials? That’s one of the most egregious dives and officiating work I’ve ever seen.

    I swear to god I will break the nose of the next Costa Rican who says a bleeping word to my face about fair play. It will be over.

    This kind of utter nonsense would never be allowed in UEFA. That linesman and player would both be suspended already.

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    • Wow…some cheese with that whine…we had Clint luganis Dempsey who now had taken his antics to the MLS; the Costa Rica player probably learned it from him… fair play goes both ways…

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    • Now now, let’s process wordly stimuli without disfiguring our fellow man. Sometimes a punch to one’s own nose, or a high-speed face plant into a cactus field will buy us the time we need to master our own psychotic tendencies. Spazz.

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    • +1, sadly. It really is a joke of a backwater confederation, and won’t ever be more as long as this type of low-life crap dominates the field.

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  11. Out of all the petty attempts to use “gamesmanship” on the US to win the match the besler yellow card is the worst. The CR player lifts his leg brushing up against besler ( while besler isn’t even paying attention) and then collapses in “pain” and then what’s even worse is that the linesman tells chiquidracula besler landed a cheap shot.

    That level of cheating is mind blowing. How is CR going to defend this kind of cheating? And let’s not compare weather (the snow game) to human behavior.

    As an RSL fan I’m glad it wasn’t sabo who faked the stomp. Not sure I could forgive that if it was him.

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    • The reality is that soccer is a corrupt game and our national team players should know better than to put their fate in the hands of the officials. We are still going to qualify so our team should draw lessons from this outrage and focus on making the outrages that are certain to occur at the world cup work for us rather than against us.

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      • that’s true, but I think the larger point is that if we’re not chasing the game at that point, or we’re up, the damage isn’t as mortal. either way it’s still ridiculous.

      • He was bent over the faker either offering to help him up / or telling him to get up. He should have walked away. Maybe the ref would have not bothered to give him the yellow.

      • I’m with Paul. Besler wasn’t mindful of where the cr player was putting his feet but keeping tabs on him with one eye on the game in front. I think if he had any suspicion the trap was being laid for him to get a card he would have kept a safe distance.

        Lesson learned and now all opponents will know about this cheater.

      • So he has to run away from the other players…. there is no lesson learned. He has to keep near him. He is marking that man.

        Tell me what Besler is supposed to do different? Hide at the corner flag?

      • I’m not sure what besler has to do different because he does have to keep strikers at an arms length to defend. He had no idea this was coming and didn’t think anything of it when he noticed Campbell cambelling on the ground.

  12. So several journalists have confirmed that CONCACAF official policy is that yellows can only be rescinded for mistaken identity. Yes it’s a dumb rule, but you can’t change them retroactively, so not much to be done there.

    HOWEVER, can’t Campbell and the 4th official receive suspensions? I’m pretty sure there’s precedent when it comes to obvious simulations.

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    • this is my question too. fine, if the yellow can’t be overturned (which would have surprised me anyway), then Campbell absolutely deserves to be suspended for a blatant dive. it’s cheating. and the 4th official needs to be questioned or something because COME ON, clear dive…

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  13. After viewing the blatant dive of the Costa Rican player to get Besler the yellow (at 5:40) how does this not get overturned and the diving player punished? This is ridiculous and needs to be addressed by CONCACAF.

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