American soccer referee (born 1986)
Mary Victoria Penso (née Hancock soccer referee . She began her professional refereeing career in theNational Women's Soccer League and later moved toMajor League Soccer , where in 2020 she became the first woman to referee a regular season match in 20 years. Penso was the referee for the2023 FIFA Women's World Cup final , the first World Cup final to feature an American referee.
Penso was raised inStuart, Florida , and began refereeing at the age of 14 alongside her older brothers.[ 3] [ 4] Olympic Development Program refereeing camp inAlabama at the age of 18.[ 5] Florida State University in 2008 with adigital marketing degree. She worked in marketing forCoca-Cola andRed Bull until relocating toOhio to earn aMaster of Business Administration in 2015 from theCase Western Reserve University .[ 6] [ 7]
Penso joined theUnited States Soccer Federation as a referee in 2013 and was assigned to women's collegiate tournaments and later theNational Women's Soccer League (NWSL).[ 6] [ 7] Generation Adidas Cup , she was invited to join theProfessional Referee Organization 's PRO2 development program. Penso later served as a fourth official at severalMajor League Soccer (MLS) and referee inUSL Championship matches, in addition to assignments in the NWSL.[ 5] [ 6]
In January 2020, Penso was appointed as the managing director of theNational Intercollegiate Soccer Officials Association .[ 8] Sandy Hunt in May 2000.[ 6] [ 3]
On January 9, 2023, FIFA appointed her to the officiating pool for the2023 FIFA Women's World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.[ 9] final —the first referee from the U.S. to officiate a FIFA World Cup final and the first Women's World Cup final referee from the Americas—as well as a semi-final and three earlier matches.[ 10] [ 11] 2023 FIFA Club World Cup in Saudi Arabia.[ 12]
On April 3, 2024, FIFA announced that Penso was appointed to the officiating pool for the2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.[ 13] Group A match betweenFrance and Colombia .[ 14]
Penso is married toChris Penso , a long-time MLS referee. They have three daughters.[ 3] [ 6] University of South Florida course in social media and sports.[ 15]
^ "All posts tagged "Mary Victoria Penso" .Florida football Referees .Archived from the original on December 28, 2021. RetrievedDecember 28, 2021 .^ "From officiating at the YMCA to the NWSL's championship game, congratulations Tori and proud mom Patti Hancock!" .YMCA Archived from the original on December 28, 2021. RetrievedDecember 28, 2021 .^a b c Timm-Garcia, Jaide (August 20, 2023)." .CNN . RetrievedMarch 3, 2024 . ^ "Tori Penso: "Be the role you aspire to be" .Professional Referee Organization . May 18, 2020. RetrievedSeptember 27, 2020 .^a b Carlisle, Jeff (September 25, 2020)."Tori Penso, first woman MLS ref since 2000, hopeful for more games" .ESPN . RetrievedSeptember 27, 2020 . ^a b c d e Hills, Drake (September 25, 2020)."How Tori Penso became the first woman in 20 years to referee an MLS game" .The Tennessean . RetrievedSeptember 27, 2020 . ^a b "From the national field to the corporate world: How Tori Penso, MBA '15, leveraged her Weatherhead education to turn her passion into a career" .Case Western Reserve University . March 11, 2020. RetrievedSeptember 27, 2020 .^ Huber, Gary W. (January 29, 2020)."Tori Penso Appointed as NISOA Managing Director" .National Intercollegiate Soccer Officials Association . RetrievedSeptember 27, 2020 . ^ "Match officials appointed for FIFA Women's World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023™" (Press release).FIFA . January 9, 2023. RetrievedJanuary 9, 2023 .^ Woitalla, Mike (August 18, 2023)."First U.S. ref for World Cup final: Tori Penso set for another milestone" Soccer America . RetrievedAugust 18, 2023 . ^ Anderson, Jason (August 18, 2023)."U.S. makes World Cup final after all as referee Penso gets England vs. Spain" .USA Today . RetrievedAugust 18, 2023 . ^ Dunbar, Graham (December 16, 2023)."FIFA and Saudi Arabia bond over Club World Cup this week with bigger goal ahead of 2034 World Cup" .Houston Chronicle . RetrievedDecember 23, 2023 . ^ "U.S. Soccer Referees Tori Penso, Brooke Mayo and Kathryn Nesbitt Selected as Match Officials at 2024 Olympic Football Tournament in France" . United States Soccer Federation. April 3, 2024. RetrievedApril 27, 2024 .^ "Mixed gender teams to officiate at Paris 2024" . FIFA.com. July 23, 2024. RetrievedOctober 16, 2024 .^ Hall, Matthew (September 15, 2023)."Women's World Cup final ref Tori Penso: 'Male players chip in about everything' .The Guardian . RetrievedMarch 3, 2024 .
Referees Assistant referees Lyes Arfa Kyle Atkins Peter Balciunas Micheal Barwegen Andrew Bigelow Cameron Blanchard Diego Blas Chantal Boudreau Logan Brown Jose Da Silva Brian Dunn Chris Elliott Gianni Facchini Adam Garner Ryan Graves Jeffrey Greeson Jeremy Hanson Walt Heatherly Justin Howard Eduardo Jeff Gerard-Kader Lebuis Jeremy Kieso Kevin Klinger Kevin Lock Felisha Mariscal Brooke Mayo Ian McKay Oscar Mitchell-Carvalho Meghan Mullen Mike Nickerson Matt Nelson Kathryn Nesbitt Corey Parker Ben Pilgrim Brian Poeschel Cory Richardson Corey Rockwell Mike Rottersman Kali Smith Jeffrey Swartzel Stefan Tanaka-Freundt Nick Uranga Chris Wattam Eric Weisbrod Jason White Adam Wienckowski Tyler Wyrostek Video assistant referees Assistant video assistant referees Jozef Batko Jonathan Johnson Mike Kampmeinert Craig Lowry Jeffrey Muschik Rene Parra Josh Patlak Robert Schaap Thomas Supple Fabio Tovar TJ Zablocki
Referees Assistant referees 1991 :Ingrid Jonsson &1995 :1999 :2003 :2007 :2011 :2015 :2019 :Manuela Nicolosi &2023 :Fourth officials Fifth officials 2015 :2019 :2023 :Video assistant referees
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