LONDON BRIDGE CLASSIC


Bad Luck and a terrible officiating resulted in a Lightning nightmare in Lake Havasu City.
The Tournament was fun and enjoyable. Lightning ready to play the first game with Scottdale Assault came on the pitch strong. Just few minutes into the first half the Assault Attack breaked away to be found in an Offside position by the Linesman Mr. Bryan Young. He stood his flag up, but center referee Mary Ann Campball ignored the call until ball went out of bound cleared by Lightning defence. The other Linesmen Mr. Gabe Otero also had his flag up to aknowledge to Ms. Campball the missed call. As soon she realized went to her assistant and told him that was too late (although just happened) and awarded the throw in to Assault. Quickly Assault throw the ball to a player that with a long shot found Lightning's keeper still wondering about the stoppage looking at the ball going in net. Ms. Campball awarded the goal anyhow, punishing, for no reason Lightning, when everybody, including Assault, saw that a free kick in favor of Lightning should have been awarded for the off-side infraction. The advantage went to Assault instead to make it more unfairly. Lightning attacked several times but on the other end were called off-side several times by Mr Otero when the receiving player had started his run after the ball being kicked. Many times, the Assault, were found offside and Ms Campball was very late calling the infringment after Lightning coach had to scream loud enough so that she could pay attention to her linesman assistant. On the substitution she would need it to be called 3-4-5 time before she could have allowed the subs to enter the field, when instead, the Assault could have made theirs at the first request. Assault scored their second, again, after a pass to a player, that started his run originally in a passive off-side position that went ignored by the officials one more time. Lightning tried to attack but couldn't find the target and Assault dominated through mid-field the rest of the half. Lightning depressed being 2-0 down started the second half stronger and outplayed Assault for about 10 minutes. Several dangerous play went unnoticed, only called one way in favor of Assault. A mistake by a Robby'sclearence gave the ball to an Assault attacker breaking trough the third and with a shoot to the far post, hit the post, ball travelled to other post on the line to find the foot of an Assault player for the 3-0. Lightning striked back and played well attacking continuously but all the shots were saved by the Assault goalkeeper or went wide or high from target. Within 5 minutes from the end, 3 player of Assault, again in off-side position, just in front of Lightning's keeper, Assault crossed from the right, found one of three players off that shot into the net. Here again another injustice for Lightning costing them another goal. How can we play good soccer and to be humiliated this way, cause of some poor officiating? We don't mind to lose a game especially when we play well but, come on, where are the refs? Certainly was a one way decision, from the substitutions, to the inconsistency of the calls and all the offsides ignored by the center lady ref, when they were in our favor, and ignored at other crucial moments. This was ridiculous. Anyway Assault although they played extremely well they could not have had the same result if the officiating was professional, fair and the rule of the game called for and probably the best team in this game. Lightning's coach stayed calm. although was almost impossible with that kind of ruling from the officials.

In the second game versus Arizona Alliance, the same Ms Campball, Otero and Young officiated the game. We then did realized for real that Mr. Otero had no idea what Off-side is, and this game went the same way. First goal for Alliance was scored with 3 of their attackers being at least 5-8 yards off-side, one of these kicked the ball in the net. Lightning played well but few defence mistakes costed them another two goals. Finally Lightning scored from a long shot from the right by Alexander above the goalkeeper that could not reach. Soon later scored a second but was denied for off-side, at this time seemeed to be. Lightning tried several other times but could not finalized and Alliance scored the fourth, here again, with a player positioned off-side just before the penalty box, and 3 Lightning players with their hands up claiming the call, but nothing.

On Sunday, we were just hoping to see some other officials at our game, but nope, zip, nada. Same old blind mices trio: Campball center, Otero & Young Linesman. Go figure the rest. Bummer. How more unfair you want to be. At least rotate them between games, or have them in a different field at different times. 5-6 games in the same day, same field, same system it's absurd in a tournament. And with Lightning's Coach that trained over 50 referees officiated over 2000 games from youth to adults, played high level soccer and being in the sport 35 plus some years, seeing this, was completely a joke, this made it look, a beautiful tourney like this one, into a mere disavantage for teams out of state. We observed the other games as well, that this trio officiated, and also there were the same problems. Coaches upset, calls for no reason and/or ignored, players injured, unfair treatment to out of state teams, or at least it certainly appeared that way.
Anyway LH Galaxy managed to score the first with a long shot, Lightning goalie misjudged and ball went behind his head with the help of the gusting wind. The second, came similar of all the other qustionable goals in the previous to games, with two player off. Lightning came back strong and scored with a Julian assist to Adam that scored with one touch shot, and soon later with another Julian assist from the corner on a banana kick that found Weston's head while the ball was entering the goal.
In the second half a Jasono mistake that held 3 Galaxy players on-side, it costed Lightning the third goal against. Attacking with more pressure and lots of denied fouls, Lightning tried to level the score, but their shots were wick or wide. Robby got injured, tackled on his ankle, again not rewarded with a free kick. Soon later Galaxy scored the fourh from which the receiving player had started his run in off side. {Whatever refs}. Moments later, Fernando scored the third for Lightning after goalkepper could not hold the ball and crossed the line. Last 5 minute, a free kick, a long range kick from JC high in the air found Weston head to send it in the net. Linesman raised his flag, long after the ball was in the air, calling offside a Lightning player that started his run after the ball was kicked and well behind the Galaxy defence. Goal denied to the surprise of everybody including the officials of Galaxy that were laughing at the call but that resulted in keeping their lead. Game was over a few minutes later. Lightning coach asked kindly the names of the officials but he was denied by Ms. Campball, and told him that if he wanted their names to ask at the check-in tent attendant. What more can you say. Lightning although they tried to have fun the best they could, were sad and bittered. Mainly the poor performance of the officials helped the outcome of this 3 games. Certainly they should not have had officiated all these games, same fields, same teams, in order to give everybody a fair treatment and a better competition. The game just after the Lightning-Alliance was the same. First goal in favor of ironically a Vegas Team "Regulators" was scored with their striker receiving a pass from the left being at least 10 yards off-side. Regulators spectators admitted to, altought this goal was in their favor. The Arizona Association should look a this three clowns and teach them the rules of the soccer game before sending them to officiate into a tourney like the London Bridge Classic. They need to be assessed, tough off-side, mechanics, positions, movement, application of the rules, reaction to pressure, decisiveness and control of the game, and not just send bodies to earn a quick buck. Amen.


SATURDAY 1/1/1997 

 
At Rotary Park A - 9:15 AM    Lightning      0 -  Assault           4
At Rotary Park A - 1:00 PM    Lightning      1 -  Arizona Alliance  4
SUNDAY 1/2/1997 

At Rotary Park A -  10:30 AM  LH Galaxy      4 -  Lightning         3
PHOTOS PICS..

TOP POINTS TEAM IN BRACKET WINS:

6 POINTS FOR A WIN
3 POINTS FOR A TIE
1 POINT PER GOAL SCORED (max.3 goals)
1 POINT PER SHUT-OUT (0-0 wont count)

LET'Z GO LIGHTNING LET'Z GO

COMPETITIONS RESULTS:

SATURDAY NOV. 1st
8:00  am            Neusport Vipers        12 -  Chemical Lime         1
8:00  am            Scorpions               8 -  Hurricanes Las Vegas  0
9:15  am            Lightning               0 -  Assault               4 
9:15  am            Arizona Alliance        3 -  LH Galaxy             0
10:30 am            Regulators              7 -  Hurricanes Gilbert    1
10:30 am            Alliance '86            7 -  Nevada Aces           2
11:45 am            Flagstaff Goaljammers   6 -  Exile                 0
11:45 am            Chemical Lime           3 -  Hurricanes Las Vegas  5
1:00  pm            Lightning               1 -  Arizona Alliance      4
1:00  pm            Scorpions               3 -  Neusport Vipers       1
2:15  pm            Nevada Aces             1 -  Regulators            7
2:15  pm            LH Galaxy               0 -  Assault               3
3:30  pm            Flagstaff Goaljammers   4 -  Alliance '86          2
3:30  pm            Hurricanes Gilbert      2 -  Exile                 2

SUNDAY NOV. 2nd
8:00  am            Chemical Lime           3 -  Nevada Aces           4
8:00  am            Neusport Vipers         3 -  Exile                 0
9:15  am            Alliance '86            8 -  Hurricanes Las Vegas  0
9:15  am            Scorpions               4 -  Hurricanes Gilbert    1
10:30 am            Lightning               3 -  Galaxy                4
10:30 am            Arizona Alliance        1 -  Flagstaff Goaljammers 6
11:45 am            Assault                 1 -  Regulators            4
STANDINGS
Positions  TEAMS        Points GP W  T  L  GF  GA   GD

Scorpions                 28   3  3  0  0  15   2  +13
Flagstaff Goaljammers     28   3  3  0  0  16   4  +12
Regulators                27   3  3  0  0  18   3  +15
Alliance '86              22   3  2  0  1  18   6  +14
Assault                   20   3  2  0  1   8   4  + 4
Arizona Alliance          20   3  2  0  1   8   7  + 1
Neusport Vipers           19   3  2  0  1  16   4  +12
Nevada Aces               12   3  1  0  2   7  17  -10
LH Galaxy                  9   3  1  0  2   4   9  - 5
Hurricanes Las Vegas       9   3  1  0  2   5  19  -14
Hurricanes Gilbert         7   3  0  1  2   4  13  - 9
Chemical Lime              7   3  0  0  3   7  21  -14
Exile                      5   3  0  1  2   2  11  - 9
LIGHTNING                  4   3  0  0  3   4  12  - 8

                       CHAMPIONSHIP GAMES

11/2 at 1:30 PM     1st Place Points     -    Second Place Points
                    SCORPIONS          3 -    FLAGSTAFF GOALJAMMERS  1

11/2 at 1:30 PM     Third Place Points   -    Fourth Place Points
                    REGULATORS         0 -    ALLIANCE 86            2


CHAMPIONS '97 LONDON BRIDGE CLASSIC 

SCORPIONS

2nd place: FLAGSTAFF GOALJAMMERS 
3rd place: ALLIANCE 86
4th place: REGULATORS
PHOTOS PICS..

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