Photo by Jose L. Argueta/ISIphotos.com
By FRANCO PANIZO
Eleven days are all that separate us from the start of the 2014 MLS season, and now we know who will be officiating the opening matches.
Professional Referee Organization (PRO) announced on Tuesday the referee crews in charge of the opening eight matches of the MLS campaign. Veteran official Mark Geiger has been appointed the man in charge of the season opener between the Seattle Sounders and Sporting Kansas City at CenturyLink Field, and Hilario Grajeda has been assigned the mouth-watering Portland Timbers-Philadelphia Union clash at Providence Park.
Some of the officials in charge of matches include Ismail Elfath (Houston Dynamo-New England Revolution), Silviu Petrescu (LA Galaxy-Real Salt Lake) and Edvin Jurisevic (FC Dallas-Montreal Impact).
Here is the complete list of the officiating crews for MLS’s opening weekend:
03/08/2014
Houston Dynamo vs. New England Revolution
BBVA Compass Stadium (8:30 p.m. ET)
REFEREE: ISMAIL ELFATH
AR1: George Gansner
AR2: Mark Cahen
4TH: Jair Marrufo
Vancouver Whitecaps vs New York Red Bulls
BC Place (7:30 p.m. ET)
REFEREE: ALLEN CHAPMAN
AR1: Adam Garner
AR2: Jeremy Hanson
4TH: Younes Marrakchi
Seattle Sounders vs. Sporting Kansas City
CenturyLink Field (3:00 p.m. ET)
REFEREE: MARK GEIGER
AR1: Sean Hurd
AR2: Frank Anderson
4TH: Tyler Ploeger
Portland Timbers vs. Philadelphia Union
Providence Park (10:30 p.m. ET)
REFEREE: HILARIO GRAJEDA
AR1: Ian Anderson
AR2: Baboucarr Jallow
4TH: Baldomero Toledo
D.C. United vs. Columbus Crew
RFK Stadium (7:00 p.m. ET)
REFEREE: DREW FISCHER
AR1: Adam Wienckowski
AR2: Gregory Barkey
4TH: Robert Sibiga
Los Angeles Galaxy vs. Real Salt Lake
StubHub Center (10:30 p.m. ET)
REFEREE: SILVIU PETRESCU
AR1: Daniel Belleau
AR2: Phil Briere
4TH: Mathieu Bourdeau
FC Dallas vs. Montreal Impact
Toyota Stadium (8:30 p.m. ET)
REFEREE: EDVIN JURISEVIC
AR1: Corey Rockwell
AR2: CJ Morgante
4TH: Mark Kadlecik
03/09/2014
Chivas USA vs. Chicago Fire
StubHub Center (3:00 p.m. ET)
REFEREEE: JUAN GUZMAN
AR1: Peter Manikowski
AR2: Mike Rottersman
4TH: Kevin Stott
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What do you think of PRO’s referee assignments for opening weekend? Happy with who was appointed for your club’s game? Cursing your club’s luck?
Share your thoughts below.