Haley Kopmeyer Interview: Fourth Year Pro Earning Her Place

cover photo belongs to Seattle Reign FC

Already in her short career, Seattle Reign goalkeeper Haley Kopmeyer has made a name for herself in goal. In her second year, she led Seattle on a 16 game unbeaten streak, winning thirteen of the games. Last year she started eleven games for Seattle and was a top goalkeeper in Australia's W-League with the Brisbane Roar. Haley talks about her time with Seattle, training under Hope Solo, and her focus moving forward.

You graduated from the University of Michigan after being with the program for five years. During your time there, you experienced several ups and downs. What stands out looking back at your time? How do you hold the good and bad moments in your memory?

I think my final season really stands out because it was the product of so much work and struggle. I came in with the new coaching staff. We rebuilt the program together and I stood in net as we were bottom of the Big Ten all the way to national contenders. Overall, I'm grateful for how hard we had to all work to rebuild the program because it made the end result that much more gratifying. 

After graduation, you were selected in the fourth round by the Seattle Reign but you've mentioned how you weren't expecting to get drafted. How were you dealing with making the jump to the professional game? Was this something you were intent on achieving or was it a little more on the back burner for you?

After graduation I got a job and was studying to take the LSATs. I think in some ways I had mentally prepared myself to move on but kept struggling with the idea that it was really over. Getting drafted was my sign that my time wasn't up. 

You also talked a lot about Seattle Reign's goalkeeper coach Ben Dragavon working with your movement. If you could coach a young goalkeeper to not develop bad habits with their movement, what specific would you work with them on?

One thing Ben works with us on - and I try to pass on to my keepers - is not taking giants steps that shift our balance to a place that makes goalkeeping harder than it needs to be. If your step on a dive is too big it becomes difficult to push and move quickly.

Not many goalkeepers get to work alongside with the best goalkeeper in the world right out of college. What did you learn from working with Hope Solo that has influenced your game today?

It truly is a honor to come out and train each day with Hope. She is fantastic and is always trying to get better. Hope will watch film to see what she could do better and then go out and perfect whatever it is she thinks needs to be better. Goalkeeping is always evolving and she stays ahead of the game.

Last winter you spent time in Australia with the Brisbane Roar in between NWSL seasons. As only a few players made a similar move as you, what prompted the move? And do you expect to see more players try their hand in Australia or is more of an isolated instance?

I had gotten my feet the off season before playing in Cyprus and knew I wanted to play again. For me it's a chance to get more games and explore the world. I started contacting teams in Australia about the prospect of playing and was fortunate that one panned out. I would absolutely go there (or anywhere!) again. I figure at some point people will stop paying me to kick balls and travel cool places so I may as well take advantage of it now. *laughs*

The NWSL has recently been under fire after the field quality of the Western New York game, where the 18 yard box was maybe a yard or two from the end line. Your teammate Hope Solo put out a post detailing some larger issues with the league. As someone who's played in multiple leagues and seen how it's done overseas, where is women's soccer in America suffering? And what needs to be addressed immediately?

There certainly has been a microscope put on the league since this incident. I think in a lot of ways it was the straw that broke the camels back as far as cutting corners goes for certain clubs and highlights the discrepancy in standards between them. I think there needs to be more checks and balances in place to ensure player safety. I'm lucky to play for a club where the owners are willing to bend over backwards to ensure certain standards are met. The same goes for many MLS-backed clubs. I think there needs to be clearer minimum standards. If clubs aren't willing to spend the money to, at a minimum, take care of the players, they shouldn't be in the league. Maybe that's harsh but it's what it will take for the league to be the best in the world. I don't think we are far off. There are a lot of positives - academies, attendance records, elite players from all over the world - just the overall standard needs to be met by all clubs.

You were injured in the WNY game but the camera angle on the play made it look like you rolled your ankle or just tripped on your own player. What exactly happened on the play and where are you on your rehab?

I suffered a high ankle sprain on the play. I played last weekend and am still rehabbing heavily to get it healthier for next weekend.

As Solo turns 35 later this month, some are already pointing to you as one of the possible replacements for her down the line. How does a player go about handling hearing rumors or expectations like that? Is it simply a distraction you try to block out or is it a goal you're working towards?

I don't know what Hope will do and I think for me it's not something I should think about. She and I have a great working relationship and while her plans may impact what I do down he line, right now I am fully committed to Seattle and my role within the team. I'm trying to soak up every chance I can to learn from her.

Last question, I remember watching a video where you were recording your game day prep and somehow I think you got lost walking to the stadium? When can we expect to see more videos where you're wandering around with a GoPro?

*laughs* I'll have to check with the video team. Nothing currently in the works for the GoPro however I'm going to go shoot hoops with some Storm players next month. We will see how that goes.

College Soccer Makes It to the Big Screen

Everybody Soccer dives deep into unexplored regions of American soccer fandom with this interview. Earlier this year someone created uniforms for college soccer teams - some of which don't actually have varsity teams - and not only posted them online, but also made a trailer for the game. The kits can be downloaded on PES for PS4, and can be seen here in detail.

You've created a pretty nifty project by incorporating college teams into PES. Elaborate on that process. What inspired the project?

Well the project came about when I got PES the first time a couple years ago. Thanks to PES's edit mode I was able to create the teams that weren't there and I'd include some MLS and NASL teams and around PES 2008, as a joke I decided to create UCLA, UVA and Akron, three powerhouses in college soccer. When you go online you can find guides and pre-made kits for almost all the leagues, but not the NCAA.

It really kicked into high gear though, about three years ago when NCAA Football 14 was to become the final installment of the series due to the Ed O'Bannon lawsuit. Now there was a huge void, so I began creating SEC and Big 12 schools (non-soccer conferences) and it slowly grew as each new PES allowed more and more detail. As of right now, I have about 80 teams done with many more to come. I'm open to suggestions.

How does someone go about about creating uniforms for college teams, some of which don't even have soccer programs?

Each kit has about a half days worth of research. I look up the school and find their seal, athletic logo, nickname and see how much I can look into their school traditions or what's important to them. Little touches make this project feel special. To add realism I added things like making sure each school had their correct athletic kit manufacturer (Nike, Adidas etc). Most kits have a faded retro logo on their back. Boston College has a "Boston Strong" ribbon. Alabama has faded houndstooth all around. UNC has their classic basketball pattern down the shorts. Ohio State has the football "buckeye" sticker. Nebraska's captain armband is.... corn. I love trying to make each kit seem like it was made by a fan of each school.

And how does someone make a trailer for a game featuring teams that don't exist?

Making the trailer was a bit of a process too since I had to apply the kits and film a handful of games with EVERY team to ensure good clips and variety. It was pretty cool piecing it together with the College GameDay theme, and I actually got pretty pumped when I was finished.

What was the feedback you got on this? Any negative feedback?

I've only just put out the kits, so I haven't heard much feedback. So far all of the reddit comments have been positive so I think there's interest for something like this. It does make me a bit sad that I finally finished my initial teams as the lifespan of PES 2016 is coming to it's end. My only hope is that PES 2017 will have a similar kit input system. But if not, I'm prepared to adapt and update each one.

You used PES instead of FIFA, which I'm assuming is easier to create teams for?

Yes, PES has long had a distinct advantage over FIFA in the customization department. Since PES lacks many of the licenses to large clubs (most notably, the Premiership), they have a long tradition of having editable teams that most users turn into the Bundesliga, MLS, J-League or others. FIFA used to have a "Creation Centre" which was online and I dabbled in it for a while, but it had many limitations and was not brought into next gen consoles. Rumors are that PES 2017 will allow file sharing, so that may make spreading college spirit even easier!

The obvious question is when can we play with the teams? Can users make their own adjustments after downloading them, or are they set as is?

Right now, PES 2016 has a number of league with fictional clubs and all generic fictional players and all you really have to do is save the kit images on this page, to a thumb drive, plug it into your PS4, and download them into the game. PES allows you to alter the pitch, club name, banners and lineups all in game. (For whatever reason, Xbox is not very friendly in general to usb sticks and data sharing.) Users can edit the players to reflect the real life rosters of their school or create a lineup from scratch. The possibilities are endless.

(For more info on uploading kits, watch this video).

What are you working on now?

Right now I'm working on making kits for some of the schools that actually have soccer teams but not huge presences in the football world (which I've mostly finished). So schools like UCSB, Charlotte, William & Mary, UC Irvine, Wake Forest, etc. At this very moment I'm trying to finish the ACC.

What are you plans for future projects?

One of the things I'm trying to do is create retro kits for teams that do (or did) exist, like one of Jorge Campos or David Seaman's crazy outfits, or the 94 demin kits, Manchester United's Newton Heath kit or the NY Cosmos from the 70s.

What's a dream goal of yours?

My dream right now is to get a job working with college soccer in the US. It seems like a fascinating world that is kind of in an odd position right now. Many of the USSF see it as a hindrance to the soccer development of the nation, while others see it as a great weapon if only a few aspects where changed. I feel as the country becomes more acquainted with soccer, the college game will have to adapt or be left behind.

My dream of dreams would be the SEC picking up men's soccer! If it could find an audience, it would be a game-changer as that conference has so much money and so many crazy fans that want to win, win, win.

Lastly, where can people find you online to stay in touch with your work?

You can find me on twitter @RTRtheChief, I'm a recent graduate of the University of Alabama (no men's soccer, sad) and freelance graphic design and videography. If anyone has any requests for a college, I'm more than happy to give it a shot. Just let me know what things are special to you school and I'll try to incorporate as much as possible.

 

Most of the teams' kits have been uploaded to the Facebook page, which you can see here.

Adelaide Gay Interview: From UNC to Sweden's Top Flight

Adelaide Gay is a professional goalkeeper for Kvarnsvedens IK in Sweden's premier league. After spending time at Yale and North Carolina, Gay played with the Portland Thorns and Washington Spirit before traveling overseas to her current club. Adelaide has contributed to Our Magazine multiple times and offers a unique perspective on playing abroad, development in the US, and the expectations on playing at North Carolina.

Photo belongs to Jeffrey A. Camarati

Talk about your introduction into goalkeeping. How early on did you realize that becoming a pro was a real possibility?

My dad was a goalkeeper, so I always wanted to play goalkeeper. We’d rotate through when I was younger but I was always willing to volunteer and that’s kind of rare in youth soccer so I ended up being in goal more and more. I think my first real introduction to goalkeeping was at SoccerPlus goalkeeper camps when I was 11 or 12. I remember I went in to it holding the ball like a football when I was trying to protect it and came out with a notebook full of detail that I didn’t really even imagine was possible. It was a great foundation because they went through every kind of save and how to make it using the proper technique. 

I think after I transferred from Yale to UNC it was just a natural thought that I would continue to play after college. After my first professional season in Portland, I’d gotten an idea of what playing pro actually meant and I changed my approach to it a little. And as strange as it sounds that’s when I realized it was a real possibility. 

 

I read that you threw shot put in high school. How did you get into that and what was your record?

*laughs* I did. I went to a school where you had to play a sport for the school every semester. Since I had a lot of outside commitments with soccer I chose to run track because it met every afternoon at the same time and didn’t interfere with as badly with my soccer schedule. I was not a great track athlete so our coach put me in the 800m with all the other girls that I’m pretty sure he was trying to convince to quit. I ran the 800m for two years, which was exhausting and I never came close to being very good at it. Then one day I picked up one of the shot put balls because I was curious how heavy it was. I threw it and the coach was like, "Hey that was pretty far." I trained a bit and actually won some events. I don’t remember my record to be honest, but for a couple years I was a pretty big deal in the world of Mid-Atlantic prep school shot putters.   

 

There have been recent waves with the USSF starting a developmental academy for the girls’ side, which would be in direct competition with ECNL clubs. So far the main difference between the two organizations is that DA players will be restricted from playing for their high school. How important was playing for your high school and if your club had put that limitation on you, how would you have responded?

I probably wouldn’t have responded. I almost didn’t play for my high school my junior and senior year to train more at what I felt was a higher level. I ended up enjoying those two years immensely but from a developmental standpoint they weren’t necessarily a big deal for me. For some kids, I know high school soccer is a big deal and at some bigger schools the teams and coaches are good. To me, it seemed like more of a social right of passage. I enjoyed playing with my friends and there’s an element of drama that’s different from playing for your club. To be honest though, I was the girl that was annoyed when players on our [club] team missed things to play high school soccer.

 

From the outside looking in, it seems that girls have a different perception towards playing for their high school over the boys. I've heard multiple times that the ECNL has been successful because they allow players to play high school, while the boys’ side doesn’t seem to struggle the decision as near as much. Now, you’re a few years removed from playing in high school but how important is it for the average player to play for her high school? And do you foresee the DA limiting or elevating themselves in competing with the ECNL?

I’m not sure that I can give you the best insight here *laughs*. I never really understood the allure of high school soccer but I agree that some girls find it to be a big deal.

I will say that I think playing ODP, club, and getting training from a lot of different coaches was important to me so I don’t think it’s best for overall development to have kids only learning in one system. High school soccer is not the best example because a lot of the programs are stuck in the stone age but I think having multiple leagues or programs to play in is actually good for players. Not only do [the players] learn to adapt but if one program doesn’t like their playing style, they can find a team or club that does. I’m not a huge proponent of "Let’s integrate everything together [in order to] make sure no one falls through the cracks". I think it ends up doing the opposite. That’s just my two cents as a player who wasn’t particularly “identified” but really enjoyed playing and was able to find specific coaches who supported and pushed me to grow as a player.

 

You one of the few, if not only, soccer players to transfer from Yale to North Carolina, where you ended up getting the bulk of your time your junior and senior year. What prompted the transfer and did UNC meet your expectations coming into the program?

I’m not just saying this because it’s the “right" thing to say but I think why I wanted to leave Yale had a lot more to do with me and less to do with Yale. It’s easy to put your unhappiness on others but I think at the time I didn’t really know what I wanted. I spent the summer before my sophomore year out in LA and I loved training with the players there and their mentality was just so centered around soccer. I love soccer more than anything else in the world. I’ve always gotten good grades and there are other things that interest me, of course, but being surrounded by people that loved soccer as much as I did made me really happy. That’s not to say that the people at Yale didn’t like soccer and that they didn’t work hard or want to get better. It’s just a cultural difference that is hard to explain but that maybe you can imagine? A good small example: at UNC we’d played actual games that counted before Yale was even allowed to start preseason.  

“I don’t think people realize that every year and every team is different. People look at UNC and think that they get or have gotten all the best players and somehow the history of the program helped them to keep winning but to me, if anything, the burden of what came before you makes it harder.”

UNC exceeded my expectations. A lot of people tell you when deciding where to go to college to think of the school outside of soccer because you might get injured, etc. But I think if soccer is one of the things that makes you happiest, you can sort of miss the mark thinking that way. I was so much happier just being at training that it made me love so many other things about the school. Before I even got the chance to play in a game, I loved it. I loved the school, the girls, the coaches, the program. When I transferred it was a difficult and confusing time and I’m not sure I really knew what I was signing up for except that that was the training environment I wanted if I only had a few more years to play soccer. In the end, through all the little things I loved about the school and program made it better than I expected. Playing and winning a national championship was a bonus.

 

What do you feel was the main reason UNC allowed you to transfer in? I just find the move very unique and am curious on how it unfolded. I assume they needed depth at goalkeeper, but what about a goalkeeper from Yale made you a player they were interested in?

I’d trained with Chris Ducar, the goalkeeper coach at UNC, before at different summer camps so he knew me both as a player and a person. They obviously made no promises to me in terms of playing time but he knew me pretty well. And like I said, I’d trained the summer before with three or four UNC players. Not to mention that I didn’t need any help getting into the school so I don’t think there was much downside for them. Maybe Anson was curious too. *laughs*

 

Looking back on your senior year, the Tar Heels won the national championship, which is almost something of rhetoric now. However, this last year was the first time ever that UNC did not win a national championship in a three year span. What’s something that outsiders don’t understand about UNC’s history of churning out championships?

I don’t think people realize that every year and every team is different. People look at UNC and think that they get or have gotten all the best players and somehow the history of the program helped them to keep winning but to me, if anything, the burden of what came before you makes it harder. Especially because the other teams are really good. I’m sure they always were but especially nowadays. You can’t just walk into any top ten team’s stadium and expect to crush them. My junior year we lost to Notre Dame in the Sweet Sixteen by three or four goals and I remember there being an article in the paper about how that was the first time UNC had lost by more than a goal in 15 years or something ridiculous like that. Any time we did anything bad during my tenure there was a record that we’d broken in a negative way. You have to carry that weight in the right way to being successful. And that means that you can honor the tradition while still looking to find your own way and realizing that the past only has a hold on what you allow it to.

So I think it’s important that fans and the players going to UNC realize that each team is unique and winning a championship is never handed to you regardless of what you did last year or the year before or ten years ago. It always takes a special group. I know Anson could tell you what was special about each of those groups, just like I could tell you what was special about ours.

Interestingly, when I played for Portland I got the sense that our team, as well as the fans, felt that we should be crushing teams. So we would win a game 1-0 in the beginning of the season or tie and it was this enormous let down because we felt like we needed to win by more to fulfill our “potential.” But going into a game thinking you should win is like going in a goal down, or multiple goals down. And it’s ridiculous because you could have the best players and not win. No team is just owed wins based on pure talent or history. You have to have a little fight in you and a lot of that comes from realizing that there will be things to overcome even if you are the odds on favorite to win.

 

You’ve spent time with multiple American clubs, crossing over NWSL and the W-League. While the NWSL is getting more established, there is still a limit of roster spots for players coming out college. A number of players are looking at the same route that you took and trying their hand overseas. What does American soccer need to do to retain more players from going overseas? Or are their more positives for American players going to foreign leagues?

I would recommend going overseas, especially out of college, for a few reasons. First, like you were saying it’s hard to make a roster even if you got drafted. If you do make the roster, it’s unlikely that you’ll be on the field and there is no reserve league that you can play games with while being on the professional team’s roster. 

Second, professional soccer is so different from college soccer. It’s better, it’s harsher, it’s longer. Coming out of college you have a lot of life decisions that feel like they need to be made right away. And the net result is that it’s hard to perform your best your first year. Having a guaranteed contract with a team that really wants you where you will get minutes on the field even if it isn’t with the first team is huge. You learn a different style of play. You learn to be flexible because you are away from home and the social conventions are different. You grow as a player, you get better, you gain experience. And you gain credibility back in the US a lot of times. 

 

You joined the Swedish club Kvarnsvedens IK in 2015 and earned promotion to the first tier (the Damallsvenskan) after last season. How did the move to Sweden transpire? Was going overseas the original goal or would you ultimately prefer to play in the US?

When I first decided to come over here I just wanted to play. I wanted to continue to grow and develop. There was a part of me that would have preferred to stay at home but I just knew this was best for my career for all the reasons I just gave you and more. Now I look at it completely differently. I feel like I’ve improved a million times technically, physically and tactically. I am getting great game experience and I’m around really great supportive people. Mentally I feel more prepared to be successful on a daily basis.

I’m not sure what the future holds for me. I think playing in the US would be nice eventually just because it’s home, but it’s such a tough league with the kind of contracts and league rules you’re really just at so many people’s mercy. I just want to focus on what’s going to make me the best goalkeeper I can possibly be physically, technically and mentally and right now that’s right where I am.

 

Aside from the rise in competition, what’s been the biggest adjustment from last season to this year’s?

We’ll the rise in competition has hands down been the biggest difference. I think we’ve been handling it really well but it’s just more about recovering for each game and giving it our best shot than last year when we had a little bit more latitude. Sort of related, I’ve never gone into so many games before where our team is not expected to win. It’s strange and oddly freeing to be honest.

The other small detail is that last year I felt very much like we were in a bubble. No one really cared what we were doing, which was nice in a way because we were just a very close team from the middle of nowhere that was giving it everything we had and overachieving in a lot of ways. The feeling within the team is very much the same this year but there is a little bit less of a bubble. We’re doing more social media and things in the community. We’re trying to build a team and program that can be successful in the longterm. And there is more interest in us from the media and the league. So it’s less of us against the world and a little bit more open to the traditional influences of professional soccer. 

 

Obviously you’re focused on your club play more than anything, but with all 23 players on the US World Cup roster coming from the NWSL, do you get the sense that players not playing in the NWSL are at a disadvantage with receiving a call up?

Probably. But I really believe that if you focus on your own development and being the best player and person you can be, things usually work out in the end, as hard as that might be to stick to with outside forces. I would hate to see a player think that they have to move back from overseas to play in the NWSL because that’s the only way they can get on the national team. I’ve actually seen that go very wrong for a couple of players that I know personally. I think players doing what’s best for their development and mental well being usually works out best in the long run even if they might not be on a roster right now.

 

Five years from now, what’s the ideal plan? Stay in Sweden, return to the US, or be playing elsewhere?

I really don’t know. I feel as though I’m still improving and that I still have a ways to go to get to my full potential. So I just hope that I can make decisions that keep me on that path, wherever that may lead me geographically.

Soccer Photogrammetry Interview: American Soccer's Most Logical Fan

Every so often Everybody Soccer likes to live up to its name and search out unique contributors to American soccer. Last year I talked to Horse Guy about his interactions with the Revs and most recently I stumbled across Soccer Photogrammetry (@OffsideModeling). Soccer Photogrammetry uses a computer program to give a definite answer on offside, goal, or out of bounds situations. While the products are always interesting and informative, it's also a great example of how there is still plenty of room for the every day fan to contribute to the game. Scroll down to learn more about American soccer's most logical fan.

First question, who exactly runs the anonymous Soccer Photogrammetry account and what makes you qualified to run such an account?

My name is Greg Boege (@Sombraala) and I'm a software engineer. I don't necessarily need to be anonymous, but I don't mind it either. When I'm anonymous I can't be accused of being biased towards/against a team - which I like because I try very hard to not let my particular personal interests interfere with how I model things - but I should be able to justify my work in face of the accusations of bias. The other reason is that it isn't really about 'me'. I don't want people to see the account and think of a person as much as a service. In the future, maybe I open up the account to multiple people, especially as the account gets more and more requests.

As far as qualifications go, I wouldn't say I'm particularly qualified to run the account, it's just that I'm the only one that happens to do so. I do have interests and hobbies that are useful - like an interest in photography which helps with the understanding of how cameras and lenses work and, more importantly, can distort reality and result in an image that isn't a true representation of what it depicts. I had taken classes as a computer scientist about computer graphics and understanding the those concepts (viewport, raytracing, etc.) are useful in understanding what exactly I'm trying to accomplish when I'm doing the work. 

And, above all, I'm a scientist. Maybe not by profession, but I'm always looking to coax information out of whatever is available. Ultimately that resulted in me thinking "is it possible to know with some certainty whether so-and-so was offside or not?" and then actually going out to accomplish that.

How did you start Soccer Photogrammetry?

It all started back in 2013. I had been using SketchUp to make some 3D models of something (my house, I believe) and I came across the 'Match Photo' functionality. A contentious (non) offside call resulted in a goal against my team so I wanted to prove to everyone that I was right and he was offside and thought "maybe I could use that photo match thing to do it". The resulting model did agree with my assessment, but nobody much cared at the time. It also was pretty sloppy work. (I was just starting to figure out how to do it, after all.)

My first (not very good) offside model, August 2013, NYRB @ SKC:

My next opportunity came on a pretty big call in the 2013 MLS playoffs on an offside call given against Houston vs SKC. (In retrospect, that call may have allowed SKC to win the 2013 MLS Cup.) I had been practicing on my own and gotten much better so I responded to @MLS with a model agreeing with the call. It got Greg Lalas's attention and ultimately referenced on MLSSoccer.com. That was when I realized that people were possibly interested in the work I had been doing. Up until then I had done it for my own curiosity. 

Through 2014 and early 2015 I posted a handful of models on my personal Twitter account. Eventually I figured I had gotten good enough to create a separate Twitter account and pulled the trigger in August 2015. The feedback I got was fantastic, especially from the Columbus fans despite my model saying their goal should have been called back. It was especially encouraging when Simon Borg referenced my account in Instant Replay. I literally danced when I saw that. 

Another big call I enjoyed doing and have actually seen referenced across many media outlets was the 2015 MLS Cup missed out-of-bounds call. To be able to give fans some sort of concrete notion the distance the ball was out-of-bounds was really rewarding. 

What's the most infuriating mistake a commentator can make, regarding offside?

The worst that they could make is to get the rule wrong, but fortunately that doesn't really happen (anymore?). It can be frustrating if they don't seem to have a great handle on passive/active or when it gets reset, but those aspects have changed a bit recently so it can be somewhat understandable. Not appreciating that it's not the "last field player" but actually "2nd-to-last defender" is also frustrating, but those situations are often easy to forget about, especially when you're on-the-spot and expected to be making constant commentary. 

The one I would consider the actual most infuriating comment - which is to berate the officials for missing a call without having any empathy for the difficulty of making the call. Sure, there are big misses that have the capability to change the outcome of a game, but just like it's difficult for a commentator to get everything right on-the-spot, it's that much more difficult for an AR to get everything right. 

I suppose another one I could mention is just how badly they estimate distances - they'll say a player was a yard offside when really it was a foot. Not that I could do better without spending time to figure it out, but I still find it humorous just how far off they can be. 

What's the margin of error for a player being offside but being too close to tell? Should fans really be upset if a linesman misses a striker being off by an inch?

Any time an offside call is given where the player was not offside it's justifiable for a fan to be upset - because they are instructed to give the benefit of the doubt to the attacker. Likewise, if a player is offside and a call not given then fans should understand that same aspect of favoring the attacker. I think it depends on the situation as to just how far off a call must be to be 'badly missed', but I tend to consider 1 foot of being off but not called as a good threshold for feeling hard-done and within 6 inches fans should consider that it's probably as much, if not more, their defense's fault than a poor non-call.

Still, I strongly encourage empathy towards officials. It's not as if ARs won't make mistakes - everyone makes mistakes. Feel bad about the call, sure, but don't make it personal. 

Without completely ruining the mystery of how you do your work, how does it work? Is there a "best" camera angle?

Well, I don't mind ruining the mystery if you are interested in having it ruined. I actually put a video on YouTube showing how some of it works. The gist is that I'm somewhat 'reverse engineering' the reality of the moment the pass is made. I use the (standard) markings on the field to replicate the vanishing points - the 18 yard box is, unsurprisingly, 18 yards from the end-line. The arch is 10 yards from the penalty spot which is 12 yards from the end-line, etc. I have a pre-made model of these markings and line up that model with the photo using SketchUp's 'Match Photo' functionality. When my model lines up with the photo I know that I can proceed to model the other parts of the image and they should line up in my model in the same place they were in reality. 

This is easier when dealing with just players feet on the ground. Conceptually each point in an image is a ray from the position of the camera, eventually that ray hits a visible object and so we know that the object is somewhere along that ray/line. When we're dealing with feet on the ground I can use the plane of the ground to bound the ray and easily determine the position. 

Shoulders, heads, or balls which are in the air are more difficult because I can no longer rely on the plane of the ground and so the point could be one of many with a margin-of-error of many inches to even multiple feet. If I have two angles of the play, however, I can find the point at which the two rays intersect and use that as the position of that point in 3D. Even if I don't have a second angle I can often use cues from where a player's feet are (since I can model those with just one angle) and extrapolate from there. It won't be precise, but sometimes it doesn't need to be - if the entire range of possible values are all onside or offside then I may not know for sure exactly how far on or off they were, but I can still know whether they were or were not onside.

Sometimes I even go as far to use the video leading to the frame in question to model where the player stepped prior to the particular frame. Sometimes I have to just say I don't know and can't tell. 

The best angles are going to be the same that you would want to see as a fan - as straight-on as possible to the play. Having a second angle is wonderful, though, and that second angle doesn't have to be great. 

The worst angles are any which have no field markings on them at all. I rely on the known values to make the model accurate, but if the image is from the midfield and there are no field markings and no grass striping then I just can't do it. I also can't model it if they don't actually show the player at the time the ball was played. There are calls where taking the frame where contact is first made vs. when the ball leaves the foot make a difference, so waiting a couple of frames to see the player in question is not really going to prove much of anything.

My biggest problems stem from the type of lenses that they use, which tend to be wide-angle lenses in order to get as much field in the broadcast as possible. These have significant distortion problems and that can make something appear in a spot which is significantly far off from where it was in reality. I sometimes have to use software to try and account for this, and this is where my photography training really comes in to play.

Does it matter if a video is in 1080p or 240p? How long does it take to compute an offside call or not?

The better the resolution the more accurate I can model. If a pixel is the equivalent of an inch in real life then I'll be able to do much better than if that pixel represents a foot instead. I'll usually try to say when I don't feel like my model is very accurate due to limitations in the source data. 

I can now do a very straightforward call in probably 5 minutes or less if someone gives me the images to work off of and all I have to do is model them. Often times getting the right still to work off of is time consuming (especially for non MLS games where I need to search around for a video to pull one from). If the image needs distortion correction then that takes time too. I've spent hours on a single call before. When new Instant Replay host Brian Dunseth disagreed with my assessment of one in particular. I was not very happy to be told my hours of work was wrong. I still stand by my analysis.

Most, however, are about 10-15 minutes and only rare exceptions are > 30 minutes. 

How do you feel about using robots to supplement - if not overtake - human referees on offside decisions? Is Soccer Photogrammetry a hobby or a statement on how the game is officiated?

They never could take over altogether as the judgement call of whether a player gains an advantage (plays the ball) or if offside is reset by a deliberate action on the part of the defense. That said, my utopian future is one where some sort of Google Glass style augmented reality keeps track of who was in what position when the ball was played. Get the human refs out of the business of doing something that our brains are not very cut out to do (see the Flash Lag Effect). Technology should be used to supplement humans, make the human refs' jobs easier. 

Soccer Photogrammetry is absolutely a hobby. I absolutely have the utmost respect for the ARs out there. If it were a statement on anything it would be that the laws, as they are written, are impossible to enforce accurately on a consistent basis. They are simply too difficult to adjudicate.

Is there a place for advance linesman statistics and if so, what would they look like?

Not that I'm aware of, and that's an interesting notion. If anyone has it, PRO does. 

What's the end goal with Soccer Photogrammetry?

Just to give people the information that they want to know, be a service to the soccer public, and take away that frustrating feeling when it's not so easy to figure that out. Nothing all that great. I would also say that I am interested in writing some custom software to make the work easier to do - handle distortion, help line-up the view ports for the camera angles, etc. But that's just part of that greater goal in the long run.