Why we should suspect Jorge Larrionda is out to destroy Sam's Army

I'm normally a sensible person. I search for all sides of the story and never rush to judgement.

All things considered, Jorge Larrionda is a corupt official that never should serve as a referee at any level of soccer — FIFA, WIAA, Fondy youth soccer, YMCA, Our Lady of Perpetual Sorrow Boys Camp, etc.

Okay, maybe that was a bit harsh. But there's no doubt that Larrionda played a larger role in Saturday's World Cup match between Italy and the U.S. than any referee should have. While it is the nature of soccer that the referee has that much control, there's no doubt that Larrionda maybe took that two an extreme.

He handed out three red cards, tying a World Cup finals record. He also completely changed the complexion of the game, and while the extra space created by the departures may have favored the speedier forwards for the U.S., the fact it was playing a man down did anything but.

But there's something fishy about all this. Larrionda is known for being a disciplinarian, but it seemed odd that most of the calls went against the U.S. (except for the red card against Italy's Daniele De Rossi for elbowing Brian McBride, which could have just as easily been a warrant for his arrest).

Italy, in case you didn't now, is embroiled in a scandal. Larrionda was suspiciously removed from the 2002 World Cup for "irregularities," whatever that means. It was a matter of hours before his Wikipedia page was updated, connecting the dots. Even Brent Musberger suggested something ways fishy (the video can be found on ESPN Motion at www.espn.com). One of my favorite sites, Deadspin.com, has weighed in on the issue.

Obviously, it's a big stretch, but still an interesting coincidence. I wonder if Larrionda will ref another match at this World Cup.

I'm betting he doesn't.