Help me sort this out please.

Blue attacker is dribbling toward the Green team's goal. The blue attacker is not yet in an obvius scoring position. Green defender approaches from the wing and attempts a slide tackle. The green defender misses the ball, slides in front of the attacker. The ball continues in the direction the attacker was heading, and the attacker must jump over the defender in order to avoid contact. The attacker clears the defender (no contact is made), regains control of the ball, and continues toward the goal.

Is the proper call a dangerous play with the advantage clause applied? If so should the defender be warned as soon as is practical?

If the blue attacker looses the ball, should it be a dangerous play call right then?

Thanks for your help.

Regardless of whether there is a foul here, it certainly sounds like an advantage call.
If you are implying that the defender was close enough to risk injury to the opponent (or either in NFHS); then DP should be called if the advantage does not materialize.
If advantage is given and play continues, there can not be a foul call. Maybe "PLAY ON", followed by a verbal "that was dangerous" if not obvious.

Ward, I got nothing. THe missed the ball but there was no contact? The defender didn't roll then trip, grab, or take the attacker down. So I don't see a foul. And I'm not seeing dangerous play anywhere here. Tell me why you do.

That is exactly why I wrote asking for help. Maybe I'm just looking to closely at what could have happened, and not what did happen. I looked at this from two points of view.

1) nothing happened, the defender did not touch, kick, hold, trip the attacker. The attacker did not loose control of the ball. The attack was not stopped. No contact, no fall, no foul.

-and-

2) by sliding in front of the attacker, the defender put himself in a position to be kicked. Also, by virtue of the fact that the defender's play caused the attacker to jump over him could have caused the attacker to trip or fall.

Another scenario - if the attacker jumped over, but then stumbled and fell (without contact from the defender), Would the call be tripping? Even if the defender didn't make contact?

I certainly do appreciate your experience guys!

Thanks

Ward, I see your point, but it's incorrect. You can't make a call based on an assumption. All calls are either black or white, meaning they did happen or they didn't happen. The defender here is going for the ball, and missed both the attacker and the ball. No foul whatsoever. It was aggressive attempt that failed.

Regarding the black or white reference, even when a player attempts to strike an opponent and misses, the actual event did happen (striking, even though missed) and should be called. In your scenario, it was an aggressive fair tackle that missed, but it was "fair" so there should not be a call anyway. Does that make sense.

For me, very seldom is a dangerous play call made. It's usually something else such as tripping or kicking.

Ward,
1. You're not crazy.
2. I happen to disagree with phatneff that "All calls are either black or white,..." and I don't believe that this challenge HAS to be considered "fair" just because no contact was made with the opponent.

Being the Referee in a soccer match is more art than science. The best Refs are the ones that adapt and manage each game differently. They call what is appropriate for the skill level, aggressiveness, age, size, etc., of the two teams playing in that particular match on that particular day.
In short, what is a foul in one match may not be a foul in another. It all comes down to THE OPINION OF THE REFEREE. Those are the most important words in officiating soccer.
3. I wasn't there, I didn't see your play. You did. So what is important is what did you think. I can only give you some guidelines for your thought process.
How physical has the play been in the match so far?
Are both teams being aggressive? Did this particular challenge stand out to you? In other words, was it vastly different than the way the players had been tackling in the rest of the match?
What was the reaction of the player who had the ball? Was he upset by the opponent's action? By his actions did he make it clear to you that he felt he was endangered?

4. I have called dangerous play in both HS and USSF matches when the player does NOT make contact with the opponent. Now, I have not done it very often, but there are times when it is clearly for the good of the game.
Another route I have taken is to not call a foul on the play, but have a stern word with a player about his action at the next stoppage. This has been effective in putting a stop to the unwanted behavior.

5. Lastly, as you know, the NFHS rules and the USSF Laws do support a foul call on a play like this. You could use dangerous play (12-6-1 NFHS, Law 12 USSF) or even ATTEMPT to trip (12-1-2, Law 12) to justify the call. The first results in an IFK, the latter a DFK restart. If you need further justification for a coach or player remember that protecting the safety of the players is a primary directive from the NFHS committee. Of course, it is also of paramount importance in USSF matches.

So my advice to you is to go with what you feel is best for those players in that game, and make sure that you have their respect and you will get acceptance for a call like this.

Wow-

You guys are awesome! Thank you very much. Even though there are differing opinions on this, both approaches give me more to consider.

Every event is going to be different, and seen differently by the players, coaches, and officials. I think the best I can do is to be right on the routine stuff, use my best judgement on the occasional events, and call the match fairly between the teams.

On a change of thought, I wrote some time ago and identified myself as a newbie (to high school soccer - I've done AYSO U12 -U14 for about 8 years). My first game is Sept. 14 @ the freshman level. The schools both have fairly well developed programs so I expect a great match. I'll let you all know how things go.

Good Luck on your first match. Fresh shouldn't be that different that U-14 - just a little quicker, stronger and 5 minutes longer a half. Just try to keep NFHS rules and USSF rules differences clear in your head. Subs, corners, bad throws that never enter the field, soft reds, language, yellow for the bench, etc. Also,does your state want you to use NFHS signals? Post and let us know how your first game went. RR

PS. As for all calls being black and white --- most of life is lived in a tricky area of gray. Same with MANY MANY calls you'll make. And remember you'll never call a perfect game. Just ask the losing coach! (LOL)

In regards to my stating that all calls are black and white, I was stating that, like i said before, a foul either did happen or didn't happen. If it did happen, the call can be omitted if an advantage is being assessed. If it didn't happen, there should be no reason for a call anyway. There is no such thing as a "kind of" foul or call. You can't halfway foul someone or halfway blow your whistle. Should you ever do that, you'll be sure to hear it from everyone on and around the field (players, coaches, fans). Also, you may not get many more games to do.