For all that players may gripe and fans may boo, referees have always had the last word on the soccer field. But thanks to U.S. Soccer and Major League Soccer, the discussion doesn't end with a wave of the referee's hand. U.S. Soccer, the sport's governing body in the USA and, therefore, soccer referees' ultimate boss, has launched a weekly audio podcast with a transcript highlighting several crucial decisions that referees got right … or wrong. That podcast will soon be video, as will a similar MLS podcast in development. MLS referees have taken the public critiques in stride, Tamberino says, and the podcasts are not a replacement for memos from above. "Some people do have thinner skins than others," Tamberino says. "When there is a situation where we need to pick up the phone to the referee, we pick up the phone to the referee." For Joe Machnik, the MLS executive who oversees refereeing, the podcasts simply streamline interaction with fans. "We've been answering e-mail from fans since Day 1 of MLS," Machnik says. "Now the fans can go online, see the play they thought was controversial and get an explanation right away."http://www.usatoday.com/sports/soccer/mls/2008-05-07-referee-scrutiny_N.htm
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