Veteran MLS referee Mark Geiger has been selected to take part in this summer's FIFA World Cup, marking the first such call for a US referee in more than a decade.
Geiger will be joined by assistant referees Sean Hurd (USA) and Joe Fletcher (Canada), one of 25 trios and eight “support duos” from 43 countries selected by the FIFA Referee Committee to officiate the action in Brazil.
US referee Eric Boria will also make the trip as one half of a support duo alongside Mexico's Roberto Moreno-Salazar.
Beyond those officials, CONCACAF is also represented by a Salvadoran trio, a Mexican trio and a Central American support duo of Walter Alexander López Castellanos (Guatemala) and Leonel Leal Bermúdez (Costa Rica).
Geiger, the 2011 MLS Referee of the Year, also previously served as the head ref for one match during the 2013 Club World Cup, the group stage of the 2012 London Olympics and for the final of the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Colombia in 2011.
He worked 13 regular-season games last season in MLS and two in the postseason: Sporting Kansas City's 3-1 win over New England in the second leg of the Eastern Conference semifinals and Real Salt Lake's 1-0 win over the Portland Timbers in the second leg of the Western Conference Championship.
Hurd handled AR duties on 14 occasions, while Fletcher ran the sidelines for 15 matches and Boria took part in 11 games.
“This is fantastic news for our four officials,” Peter Walton, general manager of the Professional Referee Organization, said in a statement. “PRO’s support team are delighted for Mark, Sean, Joe and Eric, but also for all of our officials, too, as this reflects the very high standard of officiating we have within our ranks.”
Brian Hall was the last American referee to work a match at the World Cup, when he officiated two games in 2002 in Korea/Japan.
