"Time Waits For No One"

(and it won't wait for you)" - The Rolling Stones (ca. 1973)

by Chris Allen

April 1996

Copyright (c) 1996

_Soccer_America_ recently reported that MLS is considering using a stopped time clock with the official time being kept by the timekeeper and not by the referee.

This is clearly a "solution" in search of a problem.

Apparently there is a "fear" by some MLS officials that fans won't understand what's going on if they don't see the clocks counting down to zero.

On what basis are MLS officials making this assumption? Soccer's "count-up" running time clock apparently didn't stop the enjoyment of millions of US fans who attended and watched the World Cup in 1994. Many fans said they LIKED the fact that only the referee knew how much time was left.

There are numerous wise and concrete reasons for leaving the clocks the way they are in all other soccer games in 170+ other countries:

• FIFA must agree to any modification to the laws that state that the referee should keep the official time. Has anyone heard of FIFA's agreement to this change?

• Stopping the clock in the last 2 minutes supposedly to make the game more like other American sports robs soccer of one of its unique features -- continuous play.

• If the 4th official is signaling the ref when to start and stop the clock in the last 2 minutes, the game is inevitibly slowed down, cutting into commercial time during the 2 hour window for TV telecasts.

• Complicated logistics. Already one clock operator for NCAA games is pleading (on the North American Soccer mailing list) that MLS not adopt the NCAA system since the chain of communication from referee, to 4th official to clock operator is guaranteed to produce missed communications, errors, clock resets, and further delays.

• Knowing precisely how much time is left will make the last two minutes of each half LESS exciting not MORE. As long neither time knows for certain how much time is left, both continue to play hard. Scoring a last second goal is not like basketball or hockey. It takes time to move the ball from one end to another.

• TV Graphics. Since before the 1994 World Cup both PRIME and ESPN have used the standard 45 minute running time clocks for all pro soccer matches. Of course, Univision has always done this. American fans ARE educated to the presentation of the game this way. Why confuse them? Besides, ESPN will telecast MLS games around the world, must they now have 2 sets of graphcs? What about ESPN telecasts of the US Cup and World Cup Qualifiers which will take place during MLS' first season? They'll be done with the 45 minute running "up" clocks. And what about Univision? MLS isn't going to force Univision to use a US-style "coutdown" clock is it? If so, it will encourage latino fans to call MLS "payasoccer" (clown soccer). MLS certainly can't want this, can it?

Come on MLS, you have done well in keeping most of the FIFA standards intact, please don't change this simplest part of the game. Besides, think of the money that you could make selling digital wristwatches with MLS logos on them to fans who want to keep track of the running time! ;-)

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