concacaf gold cup referee assignments

LAS VEGAS, NV - JUNE 15: Miles Robinson #12 of the United States moves with the ball during a game between Mexico and USMNT at Allegiant Stadium on June 15, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by John Dorton/USSF/Getty Images for USSF)

FOX Sports Announces 2023 Concacaf Gold Cup Group Stage Broadcaster Match Assignments

LOS ANGELES – Ahead of the United States Men’s National Team (USMNT) opening the 2023 Concacaf Gold Cup group stage this Saturday, June 24 , FOX Sports, America’s English-language home for the celebrated tournament, today unveils broadcaster match assignments for the group stage portion of the competition.

The group stage opener between the defending Gold Cup champion USMNT and rival Jamaica features FOX Sports’ lead match commentary team in play-by-play announcer John Strong and match analyst Stu Holden with Jenny Taft reporting from the sidelines from Soldier Field in Chicago. Live coverage commences at 9:00 PM ET on FS1. Strong and Holden will call every USMNT match throughout the tournament.

On Sunday, June 25 , the Gold Cup takes center stage on FS1 starting at 3:00 PM ET with three consecutive matches anchoring the network’s lineup for the day. Esteemed commentator Keith Costigan pairs with match analyst and former USMNT stalwart Maurice Edu on Trinidad and Tobago vs. Saint Kitts and Nevis, while veteran play-by-play voice JP Dellacamera partners with match analyst and former USMNT star Cobi Jones on Haiti vs. Qatar. Strong and Holden call the final match of the day between Mexico and Honduras with reporter Rodolfo Landeros . Warren Barton , a former defender on the England national team and seasoned FOX Sports match analyst, makes his tournament debut alongside Costigan on Friday, June 30 , for Martinique vs. Panama. Former referees Dr. Joe Machnik and Mark Clattenburg serve as FOX Sports’ rules analysts for the Gold Cup.

Throughout the Gold Cup, FOX Sports presents exclusive pre-post-and-halftime studio coverage with GOLD CUP MATCH DAY. A dynamic group of soccer legends power FOX Sports’ studio coverage throughout the group stage including USMNT icon and Gold Cup all-time leading scorer Landon Donovan, and FOX Sports lead studio analyst and National Soccer Hall of Famer Alexi Lalas . Donovan and Lalas are joined by Edu, Jones and Barton as studio analysts for the group stage. Rob Stone and Taft will anchor GOLD CUP MATCH DAY hosting.

Click here for group stage broadcaster match assignments for the 2023 Concacaf Gold Cup.

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Twelve U.S. Soccer Referees to Officiate 2023 Concacaf Gold Cup

CHICAGO – U.S. Soccer and FIFA Referees Joe Dickerson, Rubiel Vazquez and Armando Villarreal, FIFA Assistant Referees Kyle Atkins, Logan Brown, Corey Parker, Kathryn Nesbitt and Cory Richardson plus FIFA Video Match Officials Allen Chapman, Tim Ford, Edvin Jurisevic and Chris Penso are in action this summer at the 2023 Concacaf Gold Cup, the confederation’s showcase championship event for men’s soccer.

Sixty of Concacaf’s top match officials were selected for the tournament. It’s the Gold Cup debut for assistant referee Cory Richardson, while referee Joe Dickerson earned his first senior confederation championship action during qualifying just before the tournament proper and will now serve as a support official.

Four match officials return from representing the United States at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar: referee Armando Villarreal as well as assistant referees Kyle Atkins, Kathryn Nesbitt and Corey Parker. Atkins served as offside VAR for the historic World Cup Final, while Nesbitt and Parker served as reserve assistant referee and standby assistant VAR, respectively.

Nesbitt is one of three female assistant referees and one of six match officials overall selected for the Gold Cup. One of the United States’ most accomplished referees, Nesbitt was a part of the historic Costa Rica-Germany match at Qatar 2022 that featured an all-women crew for the first time in World Cup history. Following the Gold Cup, she will head to Australia and New Zealand to work the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup.

The 12 U.S. Soccer match officials come from the 36 that are a part of the 2023 FIFA Panel, the world’s highest level of officiating. Selection grants individuals the opportunity to referee at the highest levels of international soccer.

Referees from Canada, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Grenada, Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago were also selected for the Gold Cup. Concacaf selects its best match officials from across North America, Central America and the Caribbean for its championship competitions.

If you want to become a referee, the 2024 registration year opens on July 1. Visit the U.S. Soccer Learning Center to find a course or contact your State Referee Committee.

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Concacaf referees continue preparation for 2023 Gold Cup | OneFootball

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· 7 June 2023

Concacaf referees continue preparation for 2023 Gold Cup

MIAMI, Florida – Concacaf’s delegation of referees for the 2023 Gold Cup are busily preparing for this summer’s tournament with a series of courses and training exercises to continue the high standard of refereeing in Gold Cup tournaments.

In early June, the Mexican Football Federation Center of Refereeing Excellence will host a Referees Summer Course for a delegation of 94, including 60+ match officials scheduled to participate in the Gold Cup and another 13 match officials who will have roles in this summer’s FIFA 2023 Women’s World Cup in Australia/New Zealand.

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The Course participants will engage in technical preparation, match analysis, VAR simulator, match simulation with players and VAR live, plus training with players, a recovery session and Physio therapist.

“I want to thank the FMF for the use of their facilities that will provide all the professionalism to better prepare the match officials for these very important competitions,” said Nicola Rizzoli, Concacaf’s Technical Refereeing Advisor.

“There will be five days of seminars with our match officials, three fields of play with players to simulate games and situations, an auditorium for classroom sessions, VAR simulators and gym sessions. This will be available to the 94 people who will attend this course, the 73 match officials and 21 staff members, the entire referee department, instructors, assessors, and physios,” added Rizzoli.

Match analysts who worked to prepare referees for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar will also have a role in the Course at the FMF, while the use of technology will be another important aspect.

“We will have VAR simulators available to reach consistency in its correct use and intervention, as well as meticulous technical preparation to allow correct control of the match. The main focuses will be on: Protecting the game image; protecting the safety of the players; ensuring consistency and reliability (laws interpretations); technical and tactical approach (reading the game) and technology support (VAR),” added Rizzoli.

The following week a Gold Cup Preparation seminar will be held in Dallas for the 81-member delegation that will be taking part in the Gold Cup, consisting of Staff/Instructors, Referees, Assistant Referees, Video Match Officials and Support Referees.

“For the Gold Cup 2023, we will continue to work on the athletic and physical aspects of referees to be at the best of conditions, and we will reinforce the technical guidelines to achieve the objectives of having uniformity of interpretation and VAR intervention in case of a mistake. We will continue to push on the technical and tactical preparation of the teams (match analyses) in order to be best prepared for the individual matches,” said Rizzoli.

As part of a continuing effort to be fully transparent with participating teams, Concacaf will be recording these sessions to best show the professional approach to the preparation of Concacaf referees and how it leads to taking correct decisions on the field.

Concacaf will also undergo a thorough analysis with refereeing teams both before and after every Gold Cup group stage and knockout round match.

“In this edition of the Gold Cup, the referee will have their trios to provide more consistency as a team to then have top performances throughout the tournament. Each match will be prepared with a pre-match tactical briefing, and immediately after the game there will be an evaluation and a post-match analysis with the Gold Cup referees committee.

“After every matchday, there will be a general debriefing with all the referees in order to be aligned and consistent in the evaluation of the different situations that occurred during the matches. We will also prepare statistics and videos to then have a general line of interpretation of the entire delegation’s performance and a personal evaluation of the referee trio,” concluded Rizzoli.

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How CONCACAF referees are getting through the rigors of the Gold Cup at their DFW training hub 

By Jon Arnold

10:43 PM on Jun 26, 2019 CDT

COPPELL -- The referee is barreling toward the penalty area of a well-manicured grass field at Andrew Brown Park. He just had to deal with a confrontation near midfield. Now he needs to get into position to see the action in the 18-yard box.

As he arrives, the Malaysian defender puts his studs in -- a foul. But where did it take place? Is it a penalty or not? Was the infraction committed inside or outside the area?

"I'm not sure, but I think it's in," the referee says. The penalty is given.

"Yes, good!" the Malaysian man says, giving the ref a high five. He is not a defender ready to bark at the official. He's hardly a defender at all.

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He is Subkhiddin Mohd Salleh, a referee instructor. The referee is taking part in a training session with elite CONCACAF referees and young officials pushing to get to that level. In a real match, he'd show no uncertainty, point to the spot and stand behind the call.

CONCACAF referees are training in Coppell and staying in Grapevine during the Gold Cup, the region's most important tournament. The day before each match, crews head to DFW Airport to travel to their sites. They come back to Grapevine after their matches for more training and recovery -- plus a blunt assessment of their performances and instruction on what could be done differently the next time around.

The penalty-or-no-penalty drill is just one of several exercises designed to help refs spot the smallest of details while managing the movement of 22 players on the field. In another, referees run in a pattern and then are flashed a color by a trainer. "Blue!" they yell when they spot a blue object. Then they complete the pattern. Assistant referees work on their acceleration to get down the line.

"The drills our instructors do are incredibly important because they're always looking to have us do exercises based in the reality of what happens on the field of play," said Juan Gabriel Calderon, a young Costa Rican referee. "In training they show us just one color, one second. Maybe that's the one second we have in the game, like the color of that cone, to analyze if something is or isn't a foul."

In an era during which every call is being looked at frame by frame, the Gold Cup is one of the last major tournaments taking place without the use of a Video Assistant Referee. That means the refs have to get everything just right the first time around.

The referees will be the first to admit, though, that doesn't always happen.

"We want to have a perfect game. I know it's impossible to have a perfect game, but we try to do our best to come out being fair for both teams," El Paso native Jair Marrufo said.

When they don't, they'll hear about it back at referee headquarters.

Necessary feedback, criticism

Peter Prendergast is out of his chair. "This is, like ... wow," says the former referee, who called games at the 2002 World Cup and now has transitioned into a coaching role.

"Scenes like these really get us excited."

That may be true of the refs, but it probably isn't for the average fan. Clips are shown in which the intended lesson or message may not be clear to the outsider. For referees, though, the little details are critical. Positioning, how loud the whistle is blown or even how close the ref gets to a player after calling a foul all get evaluated.

There are two matches every night during the Gold Cup group stage. That means two crews -- comprised of a ref, two assistants and a fourth official -- to analyze daily. Each game is assigned to an instructor who then brings video clips of big moments to the team of referee instructors.

Together, they watch key moments of each match to determine which clips will be included during that afternoon's debriefing session when all referees gather. Even in this room there is lively discussion. Brian Hall, CONCACAF Director of Refereeing, doesn't agree with the interpretation of one of the clips and the planned messaging is modified.

After lunch, the referees file in for the debriefing from the previous night's two matches. There are center officials from 10 nations - nine in CONCACAF and one Qatari who, like Salleh, is here as part of an exchange with the Asian Football Confederation.

The lights go down and with little fanfare, the clips start playing and being stopped, run forward and back. The sessions begin largely with positive reinforcement. The first video shown is a goal that appears to have been scored by a player who was in an offside position. The assistant referee who kept his flag down is asked to stand and explain himself. After he does, a replay from a different angle reveals the player is onside by several meters. The room breaks out in applause.

The instructor spotted something interesting during the game. As the ball changes possession and the referee begins the sprint, he drops his head.

"It's a bad habit," the ref immediately says upon seeing the clip. Then there's another clip. And another. The instructors advise the ref to work with one of the two FIFA fitness instructors present during the camp to try and remedy this issue.

The criticism seems brutal, especially for a game that all involved agree was called well and with the official sitting in the room full of his peers. Yet, it comes from a good place. The referees strive for excellence. That word, excellence, has become a one-word motto for Hall. Even the cards the referees issue have the word on it. It's incorporated onto the logo on their shirt sleeves. The head drop is a blip in time, but if an infraction occurs during that blip, it's a call the referee will miss.

That culture is new in CONCACAF, Prendergast said, with referees in his era struggling to find the same type of accountability.

"It takes a village to raise a child, and the atmosphere we provide is this village, this family," he said. "It's a family that is dependent on trust and an open policy. The door is always open. We don't ever close the door. We're always available. It creates this environment of trust."

It's a learning moment that would've been tougher before the refs started congregating in Dallas. The refs were here for the previous Gold Cup as well, but prior to that traveled in different groups. Now they all can look each other in the eye to offer feedback, a joke or a word of encouragement.

"By having a referee headquarters here in Dallas, what are we able to do? We're able to, number one provide streamlined and uniform instruction to all of our referees. I'm not hearing something in one group, another in another group That's key," Hall said. "Number two, which most people don't realize is the importance of a family environment. Because the profession of a referee is one that has real ups and some real downs, right?

"The importance of family is when you're down, you need people that are going to put their arm around you, pick you up when you're down."

No one comes to the stadium to cheer for the referees. They cheer for each other - sometimes literally in the case of the applause and a few hollers during the debriefing session. Being together in Dallas lets them switch off.

The night ends with the officials watching that night's contests either communally in the same room used for the tactical session or in other parts of the host hotel. They're rooting for their team, the referees. But they're also looking at the behavior of each team and watching certain players in case they're called upon to oversee a contest involving one of the squads in the future.

"I think it's important to highlight that the CONCACAF referee prepares the same way as the players." veteran official John Pitti said. "A lot of times, the people in the stands think the ref is waiting to make a call or give a message and that he has to go to just the game, that there's not preparation."

Passion is there, too

After the games conclude, it's time to get to sleep, closing out a day of more than 14 hours of focus on their jobs during the Gold Cup. The bus for training leaves at 7 a.m the next day.

It's easy not to think about the officials, or have them pop into mind only when they make a call that goes against your team. They hope, though, fans remember they're trying their best to get that call right, working on training their eyes to spot the finest detail, talking about the best place to be on the field to see the action. They also hope you remember that refs are people too.

"Us referees are also human beings. We've got all types of emotions too. We feel. We prepare really hard," Calderon said. "When a situation happens and we make the right decision, we also enjoy that. And unfortunately, when you commit an error, you also suffer.

"(I hope people) don't forget that the referee is a human being, just like those who are playing soccer and the fans who are enjoying the game. We're all playing a different role in this huge passion."

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Full List of Referees Working the 2023 CONCACAF Gold Cup (Including Assistants and VAR)

Updated: Sep 10, 5:00pm UTC

The 2023 CONCACAF Gold Cup is here, and everybody is of course hoping that we never even notice the referees. Working one of the most thankless jobs in sports, referees are all but invisible when doing their jobs well and only really catch the limelight when something goes wrong.

When something does go wrong, fans are usually interested to know who is officiating and even which team's nation they may represent.

Game-by-game assignments are made on short notice as the tournament progresses, but here's a full list of every official, assistant and video assistant referee that will be working the 2023 Gold Cup.

Full List of 2023 CONCACAF Gold Cup Referees

Drew Fischer

Head Referee

Juan Gabriel Calderon

Ivan Barton

El Salvador

Mario Escobar

Walter Lopez Castellanos

Said Martinez

Daneon Parchment

Oshane Nation

Adonai Escobedo

Cesar Arturo Ramos

Marco Ortiz

Armando Villareal

United States

Rubiel Vazquez

Michael Barwegen

Assistant Referee

Juan Carlos Mora

Raymundo Feliz

Dominican Republic

David Moran

Juan Francisco Zumba

Hunberto Panjoj

Luis Ventura

Christian Ramirez

Walter Lopez

Jassett Kerr-Wilson

Olay Duhaney

Alberto Morin

Christian Kiabek Espinosa

Enrique Bustos

Jorge Sanchez

Marco Bisguerra

Henri Pupiro

Keytzel Corrales

Zachari Zeegelaar

Caleb Wales

Trinidad and Tobago

Corey Parker

Cory Richardson

Kathryn Nesbitt

Kyle Atkins

Logan Brown

Benjamin Pineda

Video Assistant

Ricardo Montero

Ismael Cornejo

Melissa Borjas

Selvin Brown

Shirley Parello

Erick Miranda

Guillermo Pacheco

Jorge Perez Duran

Luis Enrique Santander

Tatiana Guzman

Allen Chapman

Chris Penso

Edvin Jurisevic

Most 2023 Gold Cup Referees by Country

Head Referees

Video Assistant Referees

Check out more of The Duel's Gold Cup coverage:

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2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup

Eight officials from the Professional Referee Organization have been assigned to the 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup, which is being held in North America from July 7 to July 26.

Click here to see who will be representing PRO at the Gold Cup

On the call-ups, PRO’s Match Official Development Manager Brian Hall told proreferees.com: “The fact that there are eight match officials and two assessors representing PRO, U.S. Soccer and the Canadian Soccer Association in the region’s most prestigious event is a testament to the hard work and dedication of all involved with PRO.

“As someone who has participated in six previous Gold Cups as either a referee, assessor or administrator, I can tell you that the competition will be fierce. This will challenge the refereeing skills of PRO’s representatives and, without a doubt, the eight officials are ready to excel during the tournament.

“To have this many assignments is a positive reflection on the work being done by many people behind the scenes to ensure that all North American officials can shine on the world stage.”

News stories:

PRO assistant referee Peter Manikowski ready for 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup

Referee Mark Geiger backed by PRO after Panama versus Mexico

CJ Morgante named AR for CONCACAF Gold Cup Final

Assignments:

Mexico v Jamaica REF: Joel Aguilar (Slv) AR1: Juan Zumba (Slv) AR2: CJ MORGANTE (USA) 4TH: John Pitti (Pan) RES AR: Leonel Real (Crc)

Third place match

United States v Panama REF: Óscar Moncada (Hon) AR1: Garnet Page (Jam) AR2: Cristian Ramirez (Hon) 4TH: DAVID GANTAR (CAN) RES AR: Octavio Jara (Crc)

Panama v Mexico REF: MARK GEIGER (USA) AR1: PHILIPPE BRIERE (CAN) AR2: DANIEL BELLEAU (CAN) 4TH: Joel Aguilar (Slv)

Quarterfinal

Mexico v Costa Rica REF: Walter López (Gua) AR1: ERIC BORIA (USA) AR2: CJ MORGANTE Morgante (USA) 4TH: DAVID GANTAR (CAN)

Cuba v Guatemala REF: Elmer Bonilla (Slv) AR1: PHILIPPE BRIERE (CAN) AR2: DANIEL BELLEAU (CAN) 4TH: DAVID GANTAR (CAN)

Mexico v Trinidad & Tobago REF: MARK GEIGER (USA) AR1: ERIC BORIA (USA) AR2: PETER MANIKOWSKI (USA) 4TH: John Pitti (Pan)

Canada v Costa Rica REF: Hector Rodríguez (Hon) AR1: CJ MORGANTE (USA) AR2: Daniel Williamson (Pan) 4TH: JAIR MARRUFO (USA)

Trinidad & Tobago v Cuba REF: DAVID GANTAR (CAN) AR1: PHILIPPE BRIERE (CAN) AR2: DANIEL BELLEAU (CAN) 4TH: Elmer Bonilla (Slv)

Costa Rica v El Salvador REF: JAIR MARRUFO (USA) AR1: CJ MORGANTE (USA) AR2: Gerson Lopez (Gua) 4TH: Walter Lopez (Gua)

Trinidad & Tobago v Guatemala REF: John Pitti (Pan) AR1: ERIC BORIA (USA) AR2: PHILIPPE BRIERE (CAN) 4TH: MARK GEIGER (USA)

El Salvador v Canada REF: Oscar Moncada (Hon) AR1: Daniel Williamson (Pan) AR2: CJ MORGANTE (USA) 4TH: Hector Rodríguez (Hon)

• Mark Geiger backed by PRO after Panama v Mexico
• Play of the Week 21: Offside – Concentration in D.C. v PHI

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American refs could elevate U.S. Soccer’s standing during the Women’s World Cup

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Tori Penso and Katja Koroleva may have more invested in the U.S. team ’s performance at this summer’s Women’s World Cup than anyone not wearing a uniform.

As the only two center referees from the U.S. chosen to work the World Cup, how far they go will be determined by how far the national team goes in the tournament, which kicks off in Australia and New Zealand on July 20. If the U.S. reaches the final — as it has five times in the previous eight World Cups — the American officials will be barred from working that game. Even the semifinals could be a bridge too far.

“These rules aren’t in writing,” Penso said. “But there’s certainly a lot that goes into consideration when it comes to assignments. I wouldn’t be part of any game that would have impact on the U.S.”

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That’s why Kari Seitz , among the most decorated soccer officials of all-time, worked four Women’s World Cups and three Olympic tournaments, yet never did a final. That did little to stunt her career — she’s now FIFA head of officiating for women.

“If she can go to four World Cups and still manage to be as successful as she was, I don’t think you need a final to do it,” Penso said. “But certainly the U.S. program does limit where we end up at the end.”

Not so long ago, that might not have been an issue because no U.S. referee, other than Seitz, would likely have been considered for a World Cup final. That all changed last December in Qatar when four Americans were named to the officiating team for the championship game. Ismail Elfath was on the field as the fourth official, Kyle Atkins was the assistant video assistant referee and Kathryn Nesbitt and Corey Parker were reserve officials.

So while Argentina won the game, the U.S. won the night.

“We’ve made such big strides,” said Mark Geiger , a two-time World Cup official who now heads the Professional Referee Organization (PRO), which manages the officials for pro soccer in the U.S. and Canada. “We’ve seen this progression of officiating and it’s putting U.S. Soccer on the map in terms of refereeing and it’s raising the bar for all officials. We’re doing better and better on the world stage, getting more opportunities and now we’re in the conversation for games in the knockout phase.”

Penso is a part of that conversation even though she didn’t get her FIFA badge, making her ineligible to work international matches, until 2021. She didn’t need a badge to prove her competency; what she needed was an opportunity.

Penso was 10 years old when she started following her brothers to the soccer fields near their home in Florida. When her brothers started officiating games to earn a little pocket change, Penso decided to do that too, using that money to buy her first car. But by the time she finished college the sport seemed like a dead end; there was no women’s professional league and no full-time female referees.

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So she took marketing jobs with Coca-Cola and Red Bull and got a master’s degree, all while officiating on the side in collegiate tournaments and later in the NWSL. She showed enough promise that in 2019 she was asked to join PRO’s development program and a year later she became the first woman in two decades to serve as the center referee in an MLS match.

But the turning point in her career came during the last Women’s World Cup in France, which Penso watched on television while cradling her infant daughter, Brinley, her third child, in her arms. If she wanted to break through as an official, she decided, she would have to quit her day job at an advertising agency and dedicate herself to soccer, just as her husband, Chris Penso , a former Ohio highway patrolman and an MLS referee since 2011, had done.

For both the move was made possible by PRO, which made officials full-time salaried employees rather than part-time workers like NFL referees, most of whom are paid by the game.

“Refereeing was kind of my side hustle,” said Tori Penso, who turned 37 earlier this month. “Now that’s completely flipped and I’m headed to the World Cup. Unbelievable.”

It’s been a rapid rise, one that has coincided not just with the ascent of U.S. referees, but also with the improvement in performance and opportunity for female officials. Earlier this season, for example, Penso was the center referee on a crew that included assistant referee Brooke Mayo and fourth official Felisha Mariscal , marking the first time three women have worked an MLS game together.

That’s not Penso’s only historic achievement. Perhaps more impressive is the fact she didn’t really dedicate herself to refereeing until after giving birth to three children. And with Mayo, Mariscal, Koroleva, Nesbitt and VAR referee Armando Villarreal joining her in New Zealand and Australia at the World Cup, Penso will make more history as one of a record six U.S. officials at the tournament.

“Every little kid dreams of one day making it on the field at the World Cup,” Penso said. “For me, I didn’t know it would ever be possible once I started to have a family. It wasn’t typical for officials to have a family and come back and be successful — or at least rise in the ranks that way.”

None of the six are guaranteed an assignment in the 64-game tournament. Each of the 107 match officials invited to the World Cup will be evaluated during a pre-tournament training camp and given games based on their performance. Additional assignments will be handed out on merit — though even the best officials might not make the final if their national team does as well.

How Alex Morgan has grown from soccer’s ‘it girl’ to an American hero chasing history

Alex Morgan is more than just a soccer icon. The two-time World Cup winner has played a leading role on and off the field in helping women flourish.

“I don’t have control over that,” Penso said. “What I can control is every time we step on that pitch, doing a good job and serving the game well. How do we get better? How do we encourage, inspire and engage more women in this game in all capacities?

“When little girls see us out on that field, they believe anything is possible and that’s not just in soccer. It transcends sport, right?”

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Kevin Baxter writes about soccer and hockey for the Los Angeles Times. He has covered seven World Cups, four Olympic Games, six World Series and a Super Bowl and has contributed to three Pulitzer Prize-winning series at The Times and Miami Herald. An essay he wrote in fifth grade was voted best in the class. He has a cool dog.

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Referees announced for Feb 26-28 W Gold Cup Group Stage Matches

Miami, FL – Concacaf has announced the Referees appointed for the 2024 Concacaf Champions Cup Round One matches taking place February 27-29, 2024

Miami, FL – Concacaf has announced the Referees appointed for the 2024 Concacaf W Gold Cup Group Stage matches taking place February 26-28, 2024.

Argentina vs Dominican Republic

REF:      ODETTE HAMILTON (Jamaica)

AR1:     STEPHANIE-DALE YEE SING (Jamaica)

AR2:      CARISSA DOUGLAS (Trinidad and Tobago)

4TH:      CARLY SHAW-MACLAREN (Canada)

VAR:     EKATERINA KOROLEVA (USA)

VAR1:    BENJAMIN PINEDA (Costa Rica)

United States vs Mexico

REF:      MELISSA BORJAS PASTRANA (Honduras)

AR1:     SHIRLEY PERELLO (Honduras)

AR2:      LOURDES NORIEGA (Honduras)

4TH:      MAYARY CARTAGENA (Guatemala)

VAR:     DREW FISCHER (Canada)

VAR1:    TATIANA GUZMAN (Nicaragua)

Colombia vs Puerto Rico

REF:      MARIE-SOLEIL BEAUDOIN (Canada)

AR1:     CHANTAL BOUDREAU (Canada)

AR2:      GABRIELLE LEMIEUX (Canada)

4TH:      MERLIN VANESSA SOTO (Honduras)

VAR:     TATIANA GUZMAN (Nicaragua)

VAR1:    DIANA PEREZ (Mexico)

Brazil vs Panama

REF:      MYRIAM MARCOTTE (Canada)

AR1:     MARIE-HAN GAGNON CHRETIEN (Canada)

AR2:      MELISSA SNEDDEN (Canada)

4TH:      SANDRA BENITEZ (El Salvador)

VAR:     DANEON PARCHMENT (Jamaica)

VAR1:    RICARDO MONTERO (Costa Rica)

Paraguay vs El Salvador

REF:      KAREN HERNANDEZ (Mexico)

AR1:     SANDRA RAMIREZ (Mexico)

AR2:      JESSICA MORALES (Mexico)

4TH:      PRISCILA PEREZ (Mexico)

VAR:     DIANA PEREZ (Mexico)

VAR1:    FRANCIA GONZALEZ (Mexico)

Canada vs Costa Rica

REF:      TORI PENSO (USA)

AR1:     BROOKE MAYO (USA)

AR2:      KATHRYN NESBITT (USA)

4TH:      CRYSTAL SOBERS (Trinidad and Tobago)

VAR1:    AMAIRANY GARCIA (Mexico)

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