Yeah, I don't think there is a distinction about just how much force has to be exerted on the ball to make the difference between "playing" and "kicking" the ball. If it travels about 12 inches as a result of being struck by a foot, it was "kicked," only kicked gently. Put a couple of kids in the back seat of the car and try to explain to them, "no, sorry--your brother isn't 'kicking' you unless you go flying off in the air; he's only 'playing' you with his foot."
All joking aside, the issue was that the center appeared to have turned away from the play when the ball was struck and didn't see that two players had contacted the ball. The AR on the near side closest the goal was doing his job and watching for offside. The AR on the far side at midfield who had a direct line of sight on the kick wasn't directly consulted. Still, I was a spectator at this one and my perspective is probably not much better than that of any other observer outside the area of play.
On the positive side, the officiating on fouls and offside seemed fair and in the best interest of player safety.
Last edited by Coach Chass; 03/30/10 06:21 PM.
