Americans among referees selected for Women's World Cup ZURICH, Switzerland (AP) — Kari Seitz and Jennifer Bennett of the United States were among 12 referees approved by FIFA for the Women's World Cup in China. Twenty-three assistants and two reserve teams will also be in China, FIFA said Thursday. Seitz, from San Mateo, Calif., officiated the last two Women's World Cups in 1999 and 2003. She presided over the 2004 Olympic bronze-medal match between Germany and Sweden. Bennett, a longtime soccer official, is from Boxford, Mass. All the officials in the World Cup are women. The selections were based on observations carried out at the last three Algarve Cups, the 2006 FIFA Under-20 Women's World Championship, a training camp in the Canary Islands and a training camp at FIFA headquarters in May. The referees faced daily performance tests in FIFA's effort to improve and standardize officiating around the world. The candidates took tests on the rules of soccer and an English language test. The Women's World Cup will take place in Chengdu, Hangzhou, Shanghai, Tianjin and Wuhan from Sept. 10-30. The Associated Press
I haven't seen Bennett run a center, but Seitz clearly belongs there, so Bennett must, too. Congratulations and good luck to them both in their games.