Olympics: cheap shot

[Daddy Dee]

watched this several times. don't think this was accidental.

http://www.nbcolympics.com/wnbc/video/soccer/highlight-melissa-tancredi-stomps-carli-lloyds-face.html

Highlight: Melissa Tancredi Stomps Carli Lloyd's Face

Melissa Tancredi of Canada stomps on U.S. midfielder Carli Lloyd's during the United States' 4-3 extra time victory in the women's soccer semifinal

[CECAA850]

This AFTER the Canadians had complained about the US dirty play.

[mungkiman]

Another cheap shot:

http://olympics.yardbarker.com/blog/olympics/article/nicolas_batum_punches_juan_carlos_navarro_in_the_groin_near_the_end_of_france_spain_quarterfinal/11407435

[DrWho]

watched this several times. don't think this was accidental.

That's just playing the game really well....

I went to a water polo camp in high school that was taught by olympians....we spent the first day on the basics and then the rest of the camp was focused around playing "above the rules". I would say that right there is a perfect example of an athlete playing her game really well.

Is it sportsman like? I actually have mixed feelings on that - would definitely be interested in comments either way.

[jacksonbart]

I think you need to fight fire with water, especially in sports involving hot women. Water em down.....

[Audio Android]

I would say that right there is a perfect example of an athlete playing her game really well.

Any athlete who knows they can not win by skill alone and cheats. Plus cheats to win by intentionally hurting someone, should be banned from the games. We don't need children seeing olympic athletes of any game playing with no respect for the rules. It shows them they don't need to follow them either, in whatever they do in life. It breeds cheating, lying, disrespect and lack of discipline. That sounds like you went to a great camp...cough...cough. If at the end they taught you that cheating to win is playing a really good game.

[Daddy Dee]

Mike, I think an important question would be: "If the ref noticed the intentional face stomp would a foul be called?" I don't know soccer rules.

If purposefully stepping on the face of an opponent is against the rules in olympic soccer, then my answer would be yes, it is unsportsmanlike.

If the rules say it's OK, then that's part of the game.

In real football [] there are all kinds of personal fouls called for unnecessary roughness. IMO they are important to the game for the safety of the athletes. Even in the big bad NFL an intentional late hit is universally considered to be a cheap shot.

[Mr. RF62]

Yes, I believe us Canadians should just totally pull out of the Olympics!

[flannj]

Mike, I think an important question would be: "If the ref noticed the intentional face stomp would a foul be called?" I don't know soccer rules.

If purposefully stepping on the face of an opponent is against the rules in olympic soccer, then my answer would be yes, it is unsportsmanlike.

If the rules say it's OK, then that's part of the game.

In real football there are all kinds of personal fouls called for unnecessary roughness. IMO they are important to the game for the safety of the athletes. Even in the big bad NFL an intentional late hit is universally considered to be a cheap shot.

Violent Conduct is listed as the second of the seven potential red card offenses.

If the official had seen the foul by Tancredi it would have been an automatic redcard. Player ejection and Canada plays a man down for the rest of the game. Additionally the ejected player would not be able to play in the next game.

Competitive players always push the envelope as far as what a particular group of officials will allow in each game. They play rough but this incident clearly deserves a red card.

[Audio Android]

Yes, I believe us Canadians should just totally pull out of the Olympics!

Thats taking it a bit far. I love Canada and the people in it. Red card all the way though for Tancredi......Lucky a$$h@!e. I do understand that in full contact sports unnecessary roughness is going on constantly. Grabbing another player that is going for the ball throwing them down and cleating them on an unprotected head shows a disrespect of a whole other category. If it were Rugby, NFL, Australian Football it would still be considered wildly inappropriate.

[CECAA850]

The US ladies got the last laugh in the form of a gold medal.

[Gilbert]

don't think this was accidental.

What was your first clue????, I think the Canadian woMAN's foot slipped with an accidental downward thrust, that was uncontrolbable and allowed her foot to also twist the shoe cleets into Carli's face, accidently of course.

Dee, please tell me that you really didn't need to see this more than once, to determine whether or not it was done intentionally.

[Gilbert]

"If the ref noticed the intentional face stomp would a foul be called?" I don't know soccer rules.

Immediate RED CARD, and removal from the game. How she got away with it, will be talked about for a long time to come. IMHO the ref's should be reprimanded. They have the ability/authority to call for video reply to make a ruling.

A black day indeed for Canadian women's soccer. Never seen this done in the mens pro league, but I've seen some pretty bad stunts, but never to the face.

[CECAA850]

Never seen this done in the mens pro league, but I've seen some pretty bad stunts, but never to the face.

I HAVE seen it in the NFL though.

[Gilbert]

Never seen this done in the mens pro league, but I've seen some pretty bad stunts, but never to the face.

I HAVE seen it in the NFL though.

I can't stand NFL or American football. Never watched a game in my life, the only time I do watch American football is during the superbowl, and then only because the wife and kids enjoy watching the commercials.... I like some of the commercials too.

For sports involving a ball, I only enjoy Soccer, and Cricket, but don't get to see too much of the later here in the US, even though I have dish network; I'm too cheap to pay for all the international channels... or at least the one that offers cricket, those are dedicated channels and too pricey.

[oldtimer]

It's all in the eyes of the ref. If they don't see it it doesn't get called. A review can be made if the offended team protests, much like the Wambach no-call. As for the NFL, I won't be seeing any of it this year if they use scab refs.

[DrWho]

Mike, I think an important question would be: "If the ref noticed the intentional face stomp would a foul be called?" I don't know soccer rules.

If purposefully stepping on the face of an opponent is against the rules in olympic soccer, then my answer would be yes, it is unsportsmanlike.

If the rules say it's OK, then that's part of the game.

In real football there are all kinds of personal fouls called for unnecessary roughness. IMO they are important to the game for the safety of the athletes. Even in the big bad NFL an intentional late hit is universally considered to be a cheap shot.

I would argue that there is a difference between an "intentional face stomp" and a "reaction to being tripped" - it is quite clear that she was looking in the direction of the ball and that the "stomp" was a push off to a tripping like contact. There is no way in the world you can tell me that she knew without a doubt that she was "stomping" on a face. I put that in quotes because the push off was led with the toe. Stomping comes from the heel first (especially intentional stomping). I'm not trying to make a semantic point, but I think we can all agree there's a very different emotional reaction to stomping a face and pushing off someone's head with their foot.

Should a red
card be called if the same motion happened to occur against a leg,
torso, or arm? That behavior happens all the time in front of refs and it gets called in favor of the person being tripped - not the one pushing off. If anything, I would argue that the girl that flung herself into the air and fell onto the ground was the one not playing the game as intended.

[DrWho]

Grabbing another player that is going for the ball throwing them down and cleating them on an unprotected head shows a disrespect of a whole other category

You talking about another incident?

If it were Rugby, NFL, Australian Football it would still be considered wildly inappropriate.

lol, what exactly is your experience with those sports (not that they're at all related to soccer)? My brother was fly half for a men's national team and his face got cleated more games than not. And they don't even stop play in Aussie Football when people are injured - as a result they end up getting trampled on occasion. Rugby is probably the best example of a sport where "cheating" happens all the time, is clearly seen by the ref, but he chooses when to let them play on or not.

As far as the water polo camp, it wasn't presented as cheating - it was presented as "here are the rules", "here's how it's called/seen by the refs". It was by far the best life lesson I had ever received. You gotta play the game by how the people calling the shots see it - not by some insane legalistic interpretation of rules that make you feel warm and fuzzy. Too many people at work focus on the warm and fuzzy and it's not good for anyone in the corporation (and no, I'm not talking about unethical practice - that doesn't happen here - I'm talking about people blindly following a broken process). You wouldn't find a single olympic water polo player that would say any of what was taught at that camp was cheating or poor sportsman like. They would all tell you that's how the game is played. Every athlete at the top of their game is playing to the limit of the enforcement of the rules - playing the refs is such an integral part to sports and their relevance to real life. I can only speak for water polo, but there are plenty of times after a game where I got props for questionable moves - good atheletes know when they've gotten owned for their own stupidity. Of course I've been on the receiving end too and I give the props right back.

If I was the one cleated in the face - sure I'd be annoyed at first, but after the game I would still be friends with the person and acknowledge that I shouldn't have been an idiot in the first place and end up on the ground because I was out of position and tried to force myself in anyway.

[Audio Android]

We are never going to agree on this incident..........Your still defending Vancredi, like it was an accident. I grew up with friends from London. I've seen many league rugby games with either my friends playing or their fathers. I have seen many a cleat to the face, usually in a herd of people though. Not like this, when the ball has passed and they are somewhat separated. This is wildly inappropriate in any sport. I don't care what anybody says. Sorry about my comments on your camp experience though. It sounded from your first paragraph like it was a little unethical/unsportsman. Upon further review of the clip it did seem like the American was not grabbed and thrown. She was still forced to the ground after she dove if you watch Vancredi's hand on her shoulder. Any way I look at this, it was no accident she stomped on her.