Chris Penso

American soccer referee

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Chris Penso
Domestic
Born	(1982-04-28) April 28, 1982 (age 42) Dover, Ohio
Years	League	Role
2011–	Major League Soccer	Referee
International
Years	League	Role
2013–2015	FIFA listed	Referee
2021–	FIFA listed	VAR

Chris Penso (born April 28, 1982) is a referee who is active in Major League Soccer.^[1]

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.^[2]

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.^[1]

Internationals

Date	Location	Teams	Scoreline	Competition
January 30, 2013	Phoenix	Mexico – Denmark League XI	1 – 1	Friendly	3	0	0
May 28, 2013	Edmonton	Canada – Costa Rica	0 – 1	Friendly	2	0	2
October 31, 2013	San Diego	Mexico – Finland	4 – 2	Friendly	1	0	0
June 3, 2014	Tampa	Costa Rica – Japan	1 – 3	Friendly	3	0	0
September 9, 2014	Commerce City	Bolivia – Mexico	0 – 1	Friendly	2	0	1
November 19, 2014	Panama City	Panama – Canada	0 – 0	Friendly	3	1	0
May 31, 2015	Washington D.C.	Honduras – El Salvador	2 – 0	Friendly	4	0	1
September 8, 2015	Harrison	Colombia – Peru	1 – 1	Friendly	5	0	0
October 14, 2015	Washington D.C.	Canada – 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.^[3]

References

^ ^a ^b "Profile: Chris Penso". Professional Referee Organization. Retrieved August 3, 2016.
^ Reed, Tom (May 26, 2013). "Politics aside, Chris Penso follows his dream to officiate and will work U.S. National team friendly in Cleveland". Cleveland Plain Dealer. Retrieved March 2, 2019.
^ Hills, Drake (September 25, 2020). "How Tori Penso became the first woman in 20 years to referee an MLS game". The Tennessean. Retrieved September 27, 2020.