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USA vs Uruguay ref evokes memories of Florida Football's "Swindle in the Swamp"

The clown show of officiating in Kansas City had parallels to the 2003 Florida vs FSU game

By Benjamin Henderson

Sep 25, 2004; Gainesville, FL, USA; Florida Gators head coach Ron Zook argues with officials during the 2nd half at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. The Florida Gators win 20-3 over Kentucky Wildcats. Mandatory Credit: Photo By Jason Parkhurst-USA TODAY Sports Copyright (c) 2004 Jason Parkhurst
Sep 25, 2004; Gainesville, FL, USA; Florida Gators head coach Ron Zook argues with officials during the 2nd half at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. The Florida Gators win 20-3 over Kentucky Wildcats. Mandatory Credit: Photo By Jason Parkhurst-USA TODAY Sports Copyright (c) 2004 Jason Parkhurst / Jason Parkhurst-USA TODAY Sports
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Last night the men's national team for USA soccer lost to Uruguay 1-0, knocking them out of Copa America. The U.S. didn't create enough chances and earned their fate. If Gregg Berhalter isn't fired by the time you are reading this then the U.S. will have no one but themselves to blame when they crash out of the World Cup in 2026.

But it is also true that the ref for last night's contest was so bad that he made Pac-12 refs look like they were competent and it invoked memories of one of the worst officiated games in Florida Football history.

Florida Football: Ref You Suck

Among the moments in last night's clown show were Uruguay being given "advantage" while the ref was simultaneously showing a yellow card, Tyler Adams being shown a yellow after he was the one stepped on, and Uruguay's goal being deemed onside after VAR drew lines less straight than my the lines my three-year-old draws.

As bad as the performance was from the ref, the infamous "Swindle in the Swamp" was still worse.

Hit the rewind machine to 2003 when Ron Zook was still the coach and the ability to review plays via instant replay wasn't the way on the land in college football. The Gators entered their regular season finale against FSU ranked 11th with a record of 8-3.

Florida lost 38-34 in part due to the shear incompetence of the ACC refs working the game.

Among the moments that went against Florida in the game were:

  • FSU was called down after fumbling the opening kickoff
  • FSU was called down after fumbling again in the first quarter
  • Florida was called offside after FSU fumbled another kickoff
  • FSU had a pass called incomplete rather than a catch and fumble
  • FSU returned a fumble for a touchdown despite Florida being down
  • FSU fumbling at the goal line but were called down

The following season instant replay started to be used by the Big Ten and eventually became the standard in the sport. In some ways, the Swindle in the Swamp worked out long term for the Gators because it expedited Zook's departure. So if USMNT fans get their way and Berhalter is invited to leave, last night's ref might have done U.S. fans a favor.

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