By FRANCO PANIZO
A career year for referee Mark Geiger will also include officiating the biggest MLS match of the season.
The Professional Referee Organization announced on Monday that Geiger will be the man in the middle in Sunday’s MLS Cup final between the New England Revolution and LA Galaxy. The game at StubHub Center in Carson, California, will mark the first time Geiger has been in charge of an MLS championship bout, though he was the fourth official in the 2008 final.
It has been a memorable 12 months for Geiger, who in that span has worked games in MLS, at the FIFA Club World Cup, CONCACAF Champions League and World Cup. Geiger presided over three games in the latter tournament in Brazil, including a Round of 16 tilt between France and Nigeria.
This season, Geiger refereed two Revolution games and one Galaxy match. He oversaw one playoff encounter, an Oct. 29 knockout round clash between FC Dallas and the Vancouver Whitecaps that ended in controversy.
Geiger was recently voted the MLS Referee of the Year.
Here is the entire officiating crew for Sunday’s MLS Cup final:
Referee: Mark Geiger
Assistant Referee 1: Peter Manikowski
Assistant Referee 2: Joe Fletcher
Fourth Official: Armando Villarreal
Alternate Assistant Referee: Chris Strickland
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What do you think of Geiger being assigned the MLS Cup final? Wishing it would have been someone else, or happy with the decision?
Share your thoughts below.
That Geiger is so hot right now.
-Mugatu
about the only decent ref in mL
Nice! Jersey pride! Congrats Mark. Keep doing your thing.
I met Geiger at a New Jersey State Referee Association (NJSRA) meeting. He shared his experiences in Brazil with all of us Jersey referees. I had a couple of questions, as did a few others from the audience, and he made sure to address each question in as much detail as possible, details we hadn’t asked for. Great guy, great listener, and a wealth of knowledge. After the presentation, I had some questions about tips and pointers for my development. The dude took a very long time to break down his workouts, attitudes on facial hair, etc etc.
A very warm and inviting guy. Congrats again.