Don’t put your hand up for offside

 
Once in a while, as I stand on the sidelines watching a game, before or after one of my own, I'll hear a spectator yell, "He's offside!!!". It's always when their team is defending an attack. Inevitably I'll suggest to that spectator........"I wouldn't do that if I were you. What do you think will happen if YOUR defender hears that, stops or just slows up for a few strides? That attacker now has a breakaway scoring attempt, as YOUR defender mistakenly removed himself from the play. Do you REALLY want that to happen?"

As far as defenders raising their arms for an offside call.......it's "Gamesmanship", in a mild form, yes. But it's still an effort to influence the calls that the officials are there to make. Same as Coaches pointing the direction of a throw, or yelling for a whistle / foul. When they happen to guess correctly, and we then make the call.......it CAN make it look like we're calling what THEY want, not what we have decided.

Bottom Line: Coaches should coach......players play......spectators cheer & voice their support for their team. PERIOD. "Stay in your assigned lane".
 
Most of my son’s coaches would always yell at the defenders who did this, for the simple reason that if the offside doesn’t get called, you’re caught flat footed looking stupid with your hand in the air.
 
Most of my son’s coaches would always yell at the defenders who did this, for the simple reason that if the offside doesn’t get called, you’re caught flat footed looking stupid with your hand in the air.
We had a coach that would do this and then when their kids didn't get the call they would all lose their minds, including the coach.

Safe to say that system didn't make her very popular.
 
Asking for offsides is dumb at younger levels, but absolutely idiotic in the MLS. You have VAR. They are tracking offsides to the nano-inch now. Shutup and play the computers will get it right
 
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