Chris Penso
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Chris Penso (born April 28, 1982) is an American soccer referee who is active in Major League Soccer.
Career
Penso was raised in Dover, Ohio, and unsuccessfully ran for mayor of the city while studying accounting at Kent State University. He began refereeing in 1997, and also worked at the Transportation Security Administration and the Ohio State Highway Patrol. He quit the state patrol in 2006 to become a full-time referee, and officiated his first Major League Soccer match in 2011.
Penso became FIFA listed in 2013 and his first international assignment was on January 30, 2013, when he refereed a match between Mexico and Denmark. He served as a FIFA referee until 2015. In 2021, Penso was added to the FIFA list as a VAR.
Penso was the VAR for the MLS Cup in 2018 and 2021. He also was the referee for the 2016 MLS All Star Game.
In 2021, Penso was selected as a VAR for the Tokyo Olympics. He was the VAR for both the men's and women's gold medal matches.
Penso was assigned as the AVAR for the 2026 CONCACAF Champions Cup Final between Toluca FC and Tigres UANL.
Internationals
| Date | Location | Teams | Scoreline | Competition | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 30, 2013 | Phoenix | Mexico Mexico – Denmark League XI Denmark | 1 – 1 | Friendly | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| May 28, 2013 | Edmonton | Canada Canada – Costa Rica Costa Rica | 0 – 1 | Friendly | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| October 31, 2013 | San Diego | Mexico Mexico – Finland Finland | 4 – 2 | Friendly | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| June 3, 2014 | Tampa | Costa Rica Costa Rica – Japan Japan | 1 – 3 | Friendly | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| September 9, 2014 | Commerce City | Bolivia Bolivia – Mexico Mexico | 0 – 1 | Friendly | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| November 19, 2014 | Panama City | Panama Panama – Canada Canada | 0 – 0 | Friendly | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| May 31, 2015 | Washington D.C. | Honduras Honduras – El Salvador El Salvador | 2 – 0 | Friendly | 4 | 0 | 1 |
| September 8, 2015 | Harrison | Colombia Colombia – Peru Peru | 1 – 1 | Friendly | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| October 14, 2015 | Washington D.C. | Canada Canada – Ghana Ghana | 1 – 1 | Friendly | 3 | 0 | 0 |
Personal life
Penso's wife, Tori, is also a professional referee. In 2020, she became the first woman to referee a Major League Soccer match in 20 years. She also refereed the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup final. They have three daughters.
External links
- at theProfessional Referee Organization ()
- at WorldReferee.com