After Two Yellow Cards, OSU Alum Robbie Findley Must Sit for Algeria Match

I'll admit right off the top-- I'm not a soccer buff in any means. I may have played it in the second grade, but that doesn't mean I know anything about it-- outside of how to screw up a scissor kick and how to pull grass while playing goalie. If you're looking for more competent soccer analysis, SBNation World Cup has you covered. 

But, with the United States in the middle of the World Cup, it's a hard event to ignore right now in America. Add in that an Oregon State Alumnus Robbie Findley is competing on the U.S. team, and it gets even more exciting. 

Findley played from 2002-05 for Oregon State before going pro. He started his career for the LA Galaxy before moving to Real Salt Lake where last year he beat his former team in the Galaxy for the MLS Cup.

"To be certain, we couldn't be prouder of Robbie making the 2010 United States World Cup squad," Oregon State men's soccer head coach Steve Simmons said after Findley made the roster. "Only a small percentage of elite players around the world get this chance and Robbie has put himself into that stratum. He's another shining example of the level that has come out of Oregon State soccer. We wish him and the US team our best as they continue World Cup preparations."

On Saturday, Findley received a yellow card in the 74th minute after a hard foul on England's Steven Gerrard. 

In this morning's contest, the call was a bit more questionable, as Findley was called for handling the ball in Slovenia's box during the 38th minute. Replays showed that the ball caromed into Findley's face--and if it did make contact with his hands, the contact was completely inadvertent and unavoidable. 

The two yellow cards mean that Findley must sit for next week's game against Algeria. 

The call on Findley was far from the only questionable call in the game, however, as official Koman Coulibaly disallowed what would have been the game-winning goal for the United States. It seemed that the Slovenia players were initiating most of the contact, yet Maurice Edu found a way to get the ball into the net. 

In the end, the U.S. settled for ties in both games, and still has a reasonable chance to advance into the Final 16. 

The U.S. will play Algeria next Wednesday. SBNation.com has the scenarios for what needs to happen in order for the US to advance. 

--Jake | (jake.buildingthedam@gmail.com)