Originally published on April 30, 2014
On Monday afternoon, the National Women’s Soccer League Disciplinary Committee announced that Western New York Flash midfielder Carli Lloyd would be suspended for two matches for “use of excessive force” in an incident involving Chicago Red Stars midfielder Vanessa DiBernardo. The incident took place during first half stoppage time (47+) of the match on Saturday, April 19 at Toyota Park.
“My action in the game against the Chicago Red Stars was not acceptable and is inexcusable,” Carli Lloyd said. “I am very disappointed in myself and this is a lesson I will learn from. I want to apologize to Vanessa, the Red Stars, my teammates, the WNY Flash organization and the NWSL fans.”
Chicago Red Stars v. Western New York Flash – April 19th
The immediate reaction came in two waves. First, Carli Lloyd was suspended? And second, there is an NWSL Disciplinary Committee?
Yes, Carli Lloyd was suspended for two games by the NWSL Disciplinary Committee following the encounter. And there is, in fact, an NWSL Disciplinary Committee. The league provided further information regarding the review process on Monday afternoon. In this case, Chicago requested a review of the incident. Additionally, there is an appeal process available, but the league does not have details that it can currently provide on how exactly that process is executed.
Given the extremely limited activity of the committee last year, it isn’t surprising that many were unaware it existed. The committee is comprised of five members: an NWSL representative, a former pro women’s soccer player, a referee representative, a FIFA expert and a former executive. The league declined to name any specific members of the committee.
Based on the surprised reaction to the committee’s actions, it seems there needs to be additional communication defining the scope of the responsibility of the committee. Overall, the decision from the committee is a significant one from the perspective of player discipline.
The exact role and responsibility of the committee is nearly as unknown as its members. There is no mention of the committee on the league website, and it was only through direct follow up with the league that further information about the committee could be obtained.
When asked about the scope of responsibility for the NWSL disciplinary committee, the league provided the following explanation via e-mail:
“The NWSL’s process regarding the review of match critical incidents is as follows:
The Professional Referee Organization does a video review of all critical incidents (e.g., misconducts, offside calls ) as well as non-call incidents (e.g., offside non-calls) for any possible missed call or mismanaged situation. This is the first step in the process as the evaluators at the PRO are our FIFA Laws of the Game experts.
Both PRO and the NWSL coaches have the ability to bring any incident for further review to the attention of the League. When a Coach or Club brings an incident to our attention, it is also brought to the attention of the PRO so that all parties are involved. At this point, match incidents may be taken to the disciplinary committee for review.
The Disciplinary committee is defined as follows per our league manual:
DISCIPLINARY COMMITTEE The Disciplinary Committee shall be the committee established by the League Office to administer the discipline rules set forth in Section 11 of this manual.
In addition, the committee also reviews circumstances of players having been sent off three or more times in a season and game protests. They are consulted as needed by the NWSL office.”
The league declined to provide further language or excerpts from the league operations manual as it is an internal league document. The league later provided further clarification that it may also request for the committee to review specific incidents.
However, the 2014 NWSL Operations Manual is publicly posted on the resources page of the PRO Referees website. The extent of information included in the manual regarding the disciplinary committee is below:
“11.1.1 DISCIPLINARY COMMITTEE The League Office will have the power to establish a Disciplinary Committee, whose individuals will serve the goals of U.S. Soccer. The League Office may delegate to this Committee those League disciplinary powers it deems advisable.”
Notably, the process for how the committee is convened or when they will review incidents is not defined. Section 11.3.6 “MAJOR GAME MISCONDUCT” includes mention of sanctioning the use of excessive force, as was the case for Carli Lloyd. However, the section is primarily in reference to actions by the League Office, not the Disciplinary Committee.
There is also language regarding appeals in Section 11.4 “APPEALS.” However, this section is in regard to how to appeal a decision. It does not appear to address the timeframe or process for a team or other interested party to bring an incident to the attention of the Disciplinary Committee.
After a thorough review of explanation provided by the league and an examination of the league manual, it is apparent there is no defined process for how incidents are reviewed by the NWSL Disciplinary Committee.
In contrast to the NWSL Disciplinary Committee, the MLS Disciplinary Committee reviews all games and all incidents that occur during regular season and MLS Cup Playoff games. Clubs, therefore, do not need to request review by the Disciplinary Committee.
Sky Blue head coach Jim Gabarra explained that he believed the difference between the operation of the committees is primarily a product of the “resources and maturity of the leagues.”
Cheryl Bailey, Executive Director of the NWSL, echoed his sentiments on April 16th, prior to the Lloyd incident. “Having gone through last year with minimal disciplinary incidents and having a process in place where teams did provide [incidents] to us and PRO also reviewed [incidents] on a regular basis, it hasn’t risen to the level that we believe we need to make any changes.”
Women’s soccer in the United States has always been a tremendously physical game and many see that as a positive distinguishing characteristic that makes the game more exciting and engaging.
“There is an ‘I’m not going to back down’ mentality, which I think comes from American athletes in general,” noted former U.S. Women’s National Team head coach Tony DiCicco. “I don’t think it is the case where it is over the top. I think it is a physical league. There are some players, where that is what they bring to the game–a physical presence. Leagues control them.”
Boston Breakers midfielder Joanna Lohman shares DiCicco’s assessment of the women’s game. “I think it is good for our league to have physicality,” explained Lohman. “We never want to fall into the stereotype of being a ‘women’s league’ where it is a non-contact sport. I think physicality brings another element to the game. I think people like to watch women play American football.”
Gabarra noted that the first few weeks of the season tend to be the most physical because “players are very emotional and very excited to get started.” Gabarra also mentioned, “I don’t know if that is the way the referees are calling it or the fact it takes the referees some time to understand the physicality of the players and the league.”
The consensus appears to be that physical play is integral to the American game, but as a newly established league finds its footing, it is essential that a degree of control is exercised over play between players that have never been stronger or faster. “I would say there are a handful of calls every year that you want to look back on and provide punishment. Those are the exception to the rule,” said Lohman.
Each week there has been at least one significant incident that could potentially warrant further scrutiny. Week one saw Seattle Reign forward Megan Rapinoe retaliate against Boston Breakers defender Jazmyne Avant, Week two included the use of excessive force by Carli Lloyd (gif above), and this past weekend included a late and possibly dangerous tackle by Chicago Red Stars midfielder Julie Johnston on Washington Spirit forward Danesha Adams.
Seattle Reign v. Boston Breakers – April 13th
Chicago Red Stars v. Washington Spirit – April 26
The purpose of reporting on these incidents is not to call out particular players, but to draw attention to types of play, which the league can actively discourage by taking actions like the one taken against Carli Lloyd. The sudden emergence of the NWSL Disciplinary Committee is a positive step forward for a young league still navigating many important issues.
One step forward would be providing additional clarity around the NWSL Disciplinary Committee so people not only know it exists, but what it is responsible for. “I think there has to be a large amount of transparency that the players know what is going on and that nothing is hidden,” explained Lohman.
Notably, Aaran Lines told the Democrat and Chronicle that he was never told the foul was under review by the league until receiving word via e-mail on Saturday that Lloyd was suspended.
The decision from the NWSL Disciplinary Committee on Monday afternoon is the first significant decision handed down by the committee to date. Bailey affirmed the long term plan for the league to engage and provide more information about the Disciplinary Committee as there is a need.
“I think that over time as more things rise to the level of needing discipline, it is something that will be defined over time,” explained Bailey. “At this point in time we have been fortunate that those that are involved with the National Women’s Soccer League have comported themselves at a very high level, whether it is on or of the field. It is always something that will be reviewed.”
The fact that the league has taken action is a step forward; however, there are many more steps the league will need to take to ensure that the rules of the game are enforced consistently in a transparent manner.
All gifs courtesy of @roobynVC