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| Born | April 28, 1982 Dover, Ohio | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic | |||
| Years | League | Role | |
| 2011– | Major League Soccer | Referee | |
| International | |||
| Years | League | Role | |
| 2013–15 | FIFA Listed | Referee | |
| 2021- | FIFA Listed | VAR | |
Chris Penso (born April 28, 1982) is a referee who is active in Major League Soccer. [1]
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]
| 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 |
Penso's wife, Tori, is 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, which Spain won. They have three daughters. [3]
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