Local area soccer player turned his soccer career into professional referee and FIFA ref. I had an opportunity to sit down for lunch and talk to Ricardo Salazar about the upcoming MLS Cup and various other things. Salazar will be the head official for the MLS Cup Final when Galaxy play Houston Dynamo at the Home Depot Center in Carson, CA.
(November 7, 2009 – Photo by Victor Decolongon/Getty Images North America)
Match Referee Ricardo Salazar holds up a yellow card for Yamith Cuesta #45 of Chivas USA during Game 2 of the MLS Western Conference Semifinals match between Chivas USA and the Los Angeles Galaxy at The Home Depot Center on November 8, 2009 in Carson, California. The Galaxy defeated Chivas USA 1-0 to advance to the MLS Western Conference Finals.
Ngo: So when our friends heard you are doing the MLS Cup finals, a lot of them ask if you are doing the line or center. You only do center, right?
Salazar: Yes, at this level, the referee and 4th official interchange, but you either do main official or assistant referee (linesman). It used to be where you used to go through the path of 4th official, assistant referee, then head referee. Now they make that decision. You have to do national referee one year before you say, I want to go do linesman only. It the 90 World Cup in Italy, they still had referees running lines. In 1994 cup here, it was the first time they had refs doing centers and others doing lines only. Specific roles only. Its better that way. Now you don’t have a guy on the line thinking, “I should be in the middle.”
Ngo: So how did reffing for you start out.
Salazar: I started here in Bakersfield. I remember Lucky, the Parks, Viet as local refs. Then when I went to chicago, I had an opportunity to referee at an international tournament. From there they saw something they liked. I went to the next event, then the next event. The tournament was in Florida. I was in Chicago and somebody called me and said, “Hey do you want to go to Florida for 10 days?” It was February, who doesn’t. So I went down there. It was the first academy tournaments they were putting on. Girls U-18 national teams. Germany, Japan, China, Sweden, US had a couple of teams, and so on.
Ngo: So you did a handful of games?
Salazar: Yeah, I came out of there ranked the #1 guy.
Ngo: Was it at this point you decided to make a go at it as a career?
Salazar: No, the money still wasn’t there. Even at the MLS level. Money wasn’t that good. This was 97. MLS was a year old. The guys were probably making a couple hundred bucks a game.
Ngo: So what changed that allowed referees like yourself look at it as a serious career?
Salazar: The biggest thing was when the USSF introduced a full program. And I was fortunate enough to be one of the 4 guys. That was ’07.
Ngo: So do they still only have 4?
Salazar: They only have two now. Talk about survival.
Ngo: Is it a funding thing why there is only 2?
Salazar: Its a performance thing.
Ngo: There just a need not to have that many or what?
Salazar: There is a need. They just haven’t found the guys that want to have.
Ngo: So if they could, they would have 4?
Salazar: If they could, they would have 20. There just isn’t 20 guys they want to have.
Ngo: All four of us are FIFA referees and it just didn’t work out for 2 of the guys.
Salazar: They actually offered it to 5 people, but financially it didn’t make sense for one of the guys to leave his job and do a full time referee job. The future is questionable. How long will the program be around? I’m fortunate the program is still around since I’m making a living doing it, but I’m on a year to year contract.
Ngo: Had you never left Bakersfield, do you think you would have gotten that opportunity?
Salazar: Good question. Maybe not. Politics are different everywhere. I had people in Chicago that really supported me. A guy in any career, somebody can give them a break or an opportunity. But what they do with that break and opportunity will make them or break them.
Ngo: So you did some great game this summer.
Salazar: Fantastic games. Manchester United / Barcelona. Barcelona / Club America, Real Madrid / Chivas, Manchester City / LA Galaxy. You know those are the best teams in the world.
Ngo: You ever catch yourself ball watch or being mesmerized by the players skill?
Salazar: Not so much, you’re more focused on the fact you have multimillion dollar players here. They’re not here to prove a point or send messages. I just want to make sure I’m doing my job and nobody gets hurt.
Ngo: Did you play AYSO here in town growing up?
Salazar: Oh yes I did. Then Blues Brothers soccer club.
Ngo: Soccer scene has changed her in Bakersfield hasn’t it?
Salazar: The biggest thing I tell people all the time is, and I was telling the Lynch boys this when I ran into them recently. The difference is when you and I played, it was my dad, the Lynch’s dad, it was somebody’s dad coaching. You know, they never played the game. Now you have players giving back now.
Ngo: You have players giving back as coaches, but why not as referees?
Salazar: Have you been at the AYSO meetings? I’ve been at those meetings when they are looking for volunteers. When they get to asking for referees, nobody wants to make eye contact. When they ask for concession stands, “boom, hands are raised.” Banner, boom, hands up. Carnival help, boom, hands up. Referee? No eye contact and heads down.
Ngo: So how do we change that?
Salazar: Maybe by starting dialogues like what we’re having here. You know,everyone knows Beckham, Landon Donovan. They don’t know they guy running around on the field referring the game. Get a load of this. There has been an initiative, for about 8 years now that the MLS has been trying to bring retired players in to referee. No one has stepped into it. They would accelerate them into professional refs.
Ngo: There hasn’t been a big interest it that?
Salazar: There has been no interest in it. There were a couple of guys who were thinking about it. One guy who was thinking about had his buddies started giving him a hard time and he never followed through.
Ngo: So did you get a lot of scrutiny for that Beckham red card a couple years ago?
Salazar: I got a lot more for the Henry one. On the Henry one, I think the league ended up fining him an additional fine which is pretty much an indication that the league supports it (decision to give the red) because that doesn’t come from USSF.
Ngo: Is it an easy call or is it difficult because of the profile of the player?
Salazar: Here’s the thing, these guys have to be kept to a standard. Just because they are superstars doesn’t mean they can go around doing what they want. You never want to throw a superstar out. You never want to throw anybody out. You have to keep those guys accountable.
Ngo: What happens after MLS?
Salazar: It’ll get busy after MLS.
Ngo: What, FIFA calls USSF and says we need some refs?
Salazar: We get emails straight from FIFA.
Ngo: So there’s a pool of refs?
Salazar: CONCACAF has a pool of refs. They have their Elite referees. (chuckles)
Ngo: Has there been anywhere you went that you didn’t like going to? Or scared like what the hell am I doing here? Anywhere hostile?
Salazar: No, you know what happens is they really take care of us. If something happens to us while we are there, its would be an international issue. When we are having lunch like this, we will have armed guards standing next to us and some outside. We’ll be sleeping and the guy will be right outside our room with a gun all night.
Ngo: Wow. Most international places like that?
Salazar: Most places in Central America. In Hondruas, we were there when all that political stuff was going on. They don’t mess around. From the time you get off the plane. Once I was in El Salvador. Honduras is playing in El Salvador and this guy is climbing this fence. There is this chained link fence that completely surrounding the field. Barbed wire and everything. So he’s climbing the fence and just as he hooks his leg over the top and he’s about to get to the other side, they shoot him with a rubber bullet and he falls like 8-10 feet and starts convulsing. They come over pick him and and carry him away like its routine and the other guys on the fence quickly start climbing back down.
Ngo: See, we need to do that here to idiots.
Salazar: Can you imagine? They would never do that here because the way they shot the guy, they were shooting inside out. Can you imagine if they did that here and the potential for hitting an innocent bystander? Can you imagine that?
Ngo: Yeah, we can’t do that. You’d get sued here. So what do you think about instant replay.
Salazar: I don’t think it’ll be anything that every comes into play. I get asked this all the time. I’m all for adding technology to the game if it helps make the right call. Whatever can help us make the right decisions. The decisions correct. But our game is so free flowing. It would be so difficult to add replay without not taking the flow away from the game.
Ngo: So you’re for adding additional officials on the goal line?
Salazar: If that helps us. UEFA Champions league is doing it.
Ngo: So what do you think about the paint can.
Salazar: You know what, it makes life so much easier. We didn’t use it over the summer for the international matches and it was difficult to get 10 yards. Here the players don’t even say boo. They say, “Are you seirous?” And they just go right behind it.
Ngo: So how many times have you seen Messi play now?
Salazar: Only once. He wasn’t here this summer. I’ve actually seen him twice, refereed him once. He’s unfreaking believable. I’ve seen him be surrounded by three guys and watched him nut meg all three guys to get out of it. Unbelievable and he’s only like 5’7″. That guy is something else.
Ngo: So your daughters like to watch you on TV?
Salazar: Yeah, Bella really enjoys it. I wave to them all the time.
Ngo: How do you do that?
Salazar: If you watch, when the game starts, the TV says GO, I always wave. You know, I check it with the assistant referees on one side and then the other. (show waving sign in between checking with either assistant)
Ngo: So how long you been back in Bakersfield?
Salazar: ’08. Remember, our daughters were on the same AYSO team.
Ngo: Your wife, Jennifer from Bakersfield?
Salazar: Yes,
Ngo: Is that why you moved back? Having family from both sides in Bakersfield?
Salazar: We always knew we would move back. Our living situation back there was very good so it was tough to leave, but we knew we wanted to move before Bella started school and making friends because we knew it would be tough otherwise.
Ngo: So anybody locally encourage you to ref? you remember any refs?
Salazar: Like I said, I remember Lucky, the Parks, and Viet. Viet has encouraged me quite a bit. Viet did my first assessment for first level change. We went to Delano for a game?
Ngo: Mexican league game?
Salazar: Yes
Ngo: They’re not sanctioned.
Salazar: They used to be, but not anymore. We used to have huge tournaments back then, remember? Tecate Cup, Bud Cup. Virgina Park.
Ngo: So whats your training look like?
Salazar: Off season, 5-6 times a week, couple of times a day. During the season, depending on our schedule, training days unlimited. Fitness testing is minimum twice a year. Basically a 3 mile run of high intensity, recovery. High intensity. Recovery.
Ngo: So any aspiration of doing world cup.
Salazar: You know, everyone at my level does, but too many things out of my control.
Ngo: So did you ever think you’d do the MLS Cup Final? Did you at some point put that as your goal?
Salazar: Absolutely. I’ve been in the league 12 years now. You can kind of tell whose in line for it. The next biggest game to this would be the conference finals. I’ve done that a couple of times now. You’ll never do a cup final without doing that game. So you have to kind of go through the progression. I thought I was in line to do the final last year, but it just didn’t happen. Everything happens for a reason. That was in Toronto, it was cold. This is my home, LA. This is fantastic. I’ve been relaxing the last couple of days. I’m ready.
Salazar played here locally in Bakersfield at Highland High school and then had a college career playing at Judson College in Illinois. He became an MLS referee in 2000, an international referee in 2005 and then a full time referee in 2007.
Tune into the MLS Cup Finals on Sunday, November 20, 2011. 6pm to watch the Los Angeles Galaxy play Houston Dynamo.
And while watching the match, remember that that center official is our a local Bakersfield boy. Congratulations Kiki (I’m sorry, but he’s been Kiki to me as long as I’ve known him. I didn’t even know his real name was Ricardo until Facebook.)
