Jake B. Mazur Charlotte, N.C. What is the reasoning behind the wiping out yellow cards at the end of the first round of World Cup play? Mike Woitalla: Good question, Jake. Beginning with the 1994 World Cup, a player who received one yellow card in the first round could go into the second round with a clean slate. Before 1994, a player could receive a yellow in his first game of the tournament, then — if he’s on a successful team — play four games without getting a card, then get a yellow card in the semifinal and have to miss the final. That, I assume, was deemed unfair. It also increased the chances of having a World Cup final without major stars. In the 1990 World Cup, Argentina’s Claudio Caniggia — his team’s most important attacking player along with Diego Maradona — received a yellow card in the tournament’s second game. Then he got one in the semifinal — for a hand ball — and had to miss the final. His presence in the final could certainly have helped what turned out to be a dismal affair (Germany winning 1-0 in a 90-minute bore). The downside to the clean-slate rule is that a dangerous player who is apt to get cautioned has less to worry about. It should also be noted that a player who receives his second yellow in his third first-round game must sit out the round of 16 game. That’s what happened in 1994 to John Harkes, who had to miss the USA-Brazil game. It is also why teams who have clinched second-round qualification after two games will rest their yellow-card-carrying players. Another downside of the clean-slate rule is that a player who didn’t get carded in his first two games can whack away at his opponents in the final first-round game knowing the yellow card won’t carry over.