Professional Referee Organization
Professional Referee Organization (PRO) is the organization responsible for managing the referee and assistant referee program in professional soccer leagues in the United States and Canada, working alongside the United States Soccer Federation, Major League Soccer, the Canadian Soccer Association, the North American Soccer League, the United Soccer League, the National Women's Soccer League, and the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup.
 | |
| Founded | November 2012 |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | 420 Fifth Avenue 7th Floor New York NY 10018[1] |
Area served | United States and Canada |
Key people | Nick Primavera (COO) Howard Webb (General Manager)[2] |
| Website | Professional Referee Organization |
The organization’s targets are to increase the quality of officiating in U.S. and Canadian professional leagues, develop more professional-quality officials at a younger age, and produce officials who will represent the United States and Canada in FIFA competitions.[3]
History
The U.S. Soccer Federation and Major League Soccer joined forces in 2012 to create the Professional Referee Organization and the aims for PRO is to develop a higher standard of officiating at a younger age and to produce referees who can represent the United States and Canada in FIFA competitions.
Then U.S. Soccer President Sunil Gulati said: “We’ve always understood that the development of referees is an important aspect to the growth of the game in the United States.
“PRO is another step toward the improvement and professionalization of our top referees. With the additional resources and funding provided by the formation of PRO, we will continue to build upon the progress we’ve already made.”[4]
MLS Referee and Assistant Referee of the Year award
- For a list of recipients before PRO's creation in 2012, see: MLS Referee of the Year Award.
Since PRO's inception:
| Year[5] | Referee | Assistant Referee |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | .svg.png){kind=small} Silviu Petrescu |
 Ian Anderson |
| 2013 | Hilario Grajeda |
Kermit Quisenberry |
| 2014 | Mark Geiger |
Paul Scott |
| 2015 |  Alan Kelly |
Corey Parker |
| 2016 | Alan Kelly |
Frank Anderson |
| 2017 | Allen Chapman |
Corey Parker |
| 2018 | Alan Kelly |
Joe Fletcher |
| 2019 | Allen Chapman |
Brian Dunn |
Match Officials
Referees[6]
Assistant Referees[7]
Video Assistant Referees[8]
Assistant Video Assistant Referees[9]
Women's Panel[10]
FIFA International Match Officials[11]
| Referees | |
|---|---|
| |
| Drew Fischer Dave Gantar | Karen Abt Danielle Chesky Ismail Elfath Katja Koroleva Jair Marrufo Nima Saghafi Ted Unkel Rubiel Vazquez Armando Villarreal |
| Assistant Referees | |
| |
| Micheal Barwegen Philippe Briere Oscar Mitchell-Carvalho Chris Wattam | Frank Anderson Ian Anderson Kyle Atkins Cameron Blanchard Logan Brown Jennifer Garner Apolinar Mariscal Eduardo Mariscal Felisha Mariscal Brooke Mayo Alicia Messer Kathryn Nesbitt Corey Parker Deleana Quan Corey Rockwell Nick Uranga |
Notable International Appointments
In December 2018, Jair Marrufo as Referee, Frank Anderson and Corey Rockwell as Assistant Referees, and Mark Geiger as an Assistant Video Assistant Referee, were selected to oversee the 2018 FIFA Club World Cup Final.[12]
In June 2019, Ismail Elfath as Referee, Kyle Atkins and Corey Parker as Assistant Referees, and Alan Kelly as the Video Assistant Referee were assigned to the 2019 FIFA Under 20 World Cup Final.[13]
See also
References
- "Headquarters".
- "Key people".
- "About PRO".
- "U.S. Soccer, MLS create new referee program".
- "MLS Awards Roll of Honor".
- "2020 Referees Roster".
- "2020 Assistant Referees Roster".
- "2020 Video Assistant Referees Roster".
- "2020 Assistant Video Assistant Referees Roster".
- "2020 Women's Panel Roster".
- "2020 FIFA Refereeing International Lists" (PDF).
- "PRO officials selected to oversee FIFA Club World Cup Final".
- "PRO crew rewarded with U-20 World Cup Final assignment".