2026 MLS Match Day 7 Referee Discussion

Discussion in 'MLS Referee Forum' started by ManiacalClown, Apr 8, 2026.

  1. ManiacalClown

    ManiacalClown Member+

    Jun 27, 2003
    Greater Pittsburgh
    Club:
    Chicago Fire
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    04/11/2026

    Toronto FC vs FC Cincinnati
    BMO Field (1PM ET)
    REF: Ricardo Fierro
    AR1: Eric Weisbrod
    AR2: Jeffrey Greeson
    4TH: Mario Al Ayass
    VAR: Carol Anne Chenard
    AVAR: Tom Supple

    Austin FC vs LA Galaxy
    Q2 Stadium (2:30PM ET)
    REF: Tori Penso
    AR1: Brooke Mayo
    AR2: Kathryn Nesbitt
    4TH: Robert Vincze - MLS Debut
    VAR: Ismir Pekmic
    AVAR: Claudiu Badea

    CF Montréal vs Philadelphia Union
    Stade Saputo (2:30PM ET)
    REF: Alexis Da Silva
    AR1: Lyes Arfa
    AR2: Oscar Mitchell-Carvalho
    4TH: Pierre-Luc Lauziere
    VAR: Michael Radchuk
    AVAR: TJ Zablocki

    Portland Timbers vs Los Angeles FC
    Providence Park (4:30PM ET)
    REF: Armando Villarreal
    AR1: Jeremy Hanson
    AR2: Chris Elliott
    4TH: Lorenzo Hernandez
    VAR: Chris Penso
    AVAR: Mike Kampmeinert

    Charlotte vs Nashville
    Bank of America Stadium (7:30PM ET)
    REF: Rubiel Vazquez
    AR1: Jose Da Silva
    AR2: Meghan Mullen
    4TH: Sergii Demianchuk
    VAR: Younes Marrakchi
    AVAR: Jonathan Johnson

    Inter Miami vs Red Bull New York
    Nu Stadium (7:30PM ET)
    REF: Rosendo Mendoza
    AR1: Cory Richardson
    AR2: Walt Heatherly
    4TH: Elton Garcia
    VAR: David Barrie
    AVAR: Claudiu Badea

    New England Revolution vs D.C. United
    Gillette Stadium (7:30PM ET)
    REF: Jon Freemon
    AR1: Kyle Atkins
    AR2: Jeff Swartzel
    4TH: Muhammad Hassan
    VAR: Jorge Gonzalez
    AVAR: Craig Lowry

    Vancouver Whitecaps vs New York City FC
    BC Place (7:30PM ET)
    REF: Jair Marrufo
    AR1: Corey Rockwell
    AR2: Adam Garner
    4TH: Malik Badawi
    VAR: Kevin Stott
    AVAR: TJ Zablocki

    Chicago Fire vs Atlanta United
    Soldier Field (8:30PM ET)
    REF: Drew Fischer
    AR1: Ryan Graves
    AR2: Gerard-Kader Lebuis
    4TH: Matt Thompson
    VAR: Danielle Chesky
    AVAR: Mike Kampmeinert

    FC Dallas vs St Louis CITY
    Toyota Stadium (8:30PM ET)
    REF: Filip Dujic
    AR1: Corey Parker
    AR2: Eduardo Jeff
    4TH: Joe Surgan - MLS Debut
    VAR: Carol Anne Chenard
    AVAR: Tom Supple

    Sporting Kansas City vs San Jose Earthquakes
    Sporting Park (8:30PM ET)
    REF: Allen Chapman
    AR1: Logan Brown
    AR2: Brian Dunn
    4TH: Matthew Corrigan
    VAR: Michael Radchuk
    AVAR: Fabio Tovar

    Colorado Rapids vs Houston Dynamo
    Dick’s Sporting Goods Park (9:30PM ET)
    REF: Sergii Boiko
    AR1: Micheal Barwegen
    AR2: Kali Smith
    4TH: Joe Dickerson
    VAR: Lukasz Szpala
    AVAR: Joshua Patlak

    San Diego vs Minnesota United
    Snapdragon Stadium (10:30PM ET)
    REF: Victor Rivas
    AR1: Jeremy Kieso
    AR2: Nick Balcer
    4TH: Timothy Ford
    VAR: Chris Penso
    AVAR: Craig Lowry

    04/12/2026

    Columbus Crew vs Orlando City
    ScottsMiracle-Gro Field (7PM ET)
    REF: Ricardo Montero Araya
    AR1: Andrew Bigelow
    AR2: Tyler Wyrostek
    4TH: Marcos DeOliveira
    VAR: Ismir Pekmic
    AVAR: Tom Felice
     
    frankieboylampard repped this.
  2. ManiacalClown

    ManiacalClown Member+

    Jun 27, 2003
    Greater Pittsburgh
    Club:
    Chicago Fire
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    No booking in minute 11 in TOR/CIN is certainly a choice. A very bad choice that makes this job harder for everyone, but a choice nonetheless.
     
  3. MassachusettsRef

    MassachusettsRef Moderator
    Staff Member

    Apr 30, 2001
    Washington, DC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I wonder how much it was a choice to admonish the near VC and forget that it was also one of the worst instances of dissent we’ll see all season.

    So maybe less of a deliberate choice and more of an inability to process multiple things at once.

    Neither is good. But an affirmative choice to manage that is real bad.
     
  4. RedStar91

    RedStar91 Member+

    Sep 7, 2011
    Club:
    FK Crvena Zvezda Beograd
    Haven't followed much this season, but just parsing through the threads it seems like Fierro hasn't exactly lit the world on fire.
     
  5. ManiacalClown

    ManiacalClown Member+

    Jun 27, 2003
    Greater Pittsburgh
    Club:
    Chicago Fire
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Allowing a restart to take place and then blowing it dead to go check on a downed player is probably not the ideal process, either.
    Resulted in a dissent booking to both the downed player and the opposing coach whose attack was killed, and the player ended up getting a second yellow about a minute later for off the ball nonsense. Just another Saturday in Toronto.
     
  6. SouthRef

    SouthRef Member+

    Jun 10, 2006
    USA
    Club:
    Rangers
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    This did not feel like a particularly well managed game.
     
  7. StarTime

    StarTime Member+

    United States
    Oct 18, 2020
    My impression was that he blew the play dead (instead of allowing the throw-in, albeit it was quite a late choice) due to the VAR asking him to delay to check the possible penalty. Checking on the downed player seemed coincidental.
     
  8. ManiacalClown

    ManiacalClown Member+

    Jun 27, 2003
    Greater Pittsburgh
    Club:
    Chicago Fire
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Perhaps, but still not ideal process in that case.
     

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