Ronnie Pascale North Salem, N.Y. This is in response to Mike Woitalla’s statement [Feb. 3 Q&A] that a goalkeeper should receive a yellow card for yelling at, swearing at, and shaking a finger at a teammate. I totally disagree with this statement. As a goalkeeper myself, I have been there. As you know, the goalkeeper is the last line of defense. The ball has to get by 10 other players before it reaches the goalkeeper, and ultimately, the goalkeeper is looked at if the ball finds the back of the net. It is therefore the goalkeeper’s responsibility to make sure his teammates stay sharp. If I have to make a save due to the lack of effort of a player in front of me, I am going to make sure he knows that I’m not too happy with him. Soccer is a game of passion and emotion. While playing, I put everything I have into the situation, and I expect the same from my teammates. I can understand a mistake, after all, everyone’s human. What I cannot handle is a lack of effort, and if I see it, I will do everything I can to make sure that it does not happen again. If that means yelling at a teammate, shaking a finger, or sometimes the occasional swear, I’ll do it. After all, it’s the ability to express yourself on the field that makes soccer the greatest game on the planet. Mike Woitalla: The ability to express yourself in a manner that others enjoy watching makes soccer an appealing sport. Who likes watching keeper tantrums? How would you feel, if, after giving up a goal, your teammates ran up to you and delivered a scolding? For some reason, one doesn’t see that, while screaming goalkeepers are almost epidemic. It’s quite possible to give instructions without losing one’s temper. Certainly, yelling and scolding are not necessary to being a good goalkeeper. As Exhibit A, I offer Kasey Keller, the best American keeper in history and by my accounts a world-class player. Keller, you may have noticed, does not berate his teammates. I also think that if somebody makes a serious blunder, that person is extremely likely to already be aware of his error. Public humiliation generally isn’t necessary. I think goalkeepers scold teammates to deflect criticism; to point the finger at someone else before it is pointed at them. This debate reminds of what finally got Danish goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel (of Manchester United fame) to quiet down. His son, also a goalkeeper, was about 6 years old when Dad went to one of his games. He saw the boy barking at his teammates incessantly, just like Dad, who then realized what a poor example he had been. (If you have a question for a Soccer America Magazine editor, click “Q&A with SA Editors” in the left column of the home page under “Interactive.”)