# Chris Penso > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Chris_Penso > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Chris_Penso.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Penso > Source revision: 1356971781 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{Short description|American soccer referee (born 1982)}} {{Multiple issues| {{BLP sources|date=May 2018}} {{notability|Sports|date=May 2018}} }} {{Infobox football official | name = Chris Penso | image = Chris Penso NYCFC.Seattle.18.Oct.2025-034 (cropped).jpg | caption = Penso in 2025 | fullname = | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1982|04|28}} | birth_place =[Dover, Ohio](/source/Dover%2C_Ohio), U.S. | death_date = | death_place = | years1 = 2011– | league1 = [Major League Soccer](/source/Major_League_Soccer) | role1 = Referee | internationalyears1 = 2013–2015 | confederation1 = FIFA listed | internationalrole1 = Referee | internationalyears2 = 2021– | confederation2 = FIFA listed | internationalrole2 = VAR }} '''Chris Penso''' (born April 28, 1982) is an American [soccer referee](/source/soccer_referee) who is active in [Major League Soccer](/source/Major_League_Soccer).{{cite web |url=http://proreferees.com/roster/referees/chris-penso/ |title=Profile: Chris Penso |publisher=Professional Referee Organization |access-date=August 3, 2016}} ==Career== Penso was raised in [Dover, Ohio](/source/Dover%2C_Ohio), and unsuccessfully ran for mayor of the city while studying accounting at [Kent State University](/source/Kent_State_University). He began refereeing in 1997, and also worked at the [Transportation Security Administration](/source/Transportation_Security_Administration) and the [Ohio State Highway Patrol](/source/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.{{cite news |last=Reed |first=Tom |date=May 26, 2013 |title=Politics aside, Chris Penso follows his dream to officiate and will work U.S. National team friendly in Cleveland |url=https://www.cleveland.com/ohio-sports-blog/index.ssf/2013/05/politics_aside_chris_penso_fol.html |work=[Cleveland Plain Dealer](/source/Cleveland_Plain_Dealer) |access-date=March 2, 2019}} 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. Penso was the VAR for the [MLS Cup](/source/MLS_Cup) in 2018 and 2021. He also was the referee for the 2016 [MLS All Star Game](/source/MLS_All-Star_Game). {{Cite web |title=MLS All-Star Roll of Honor |url=https://proreferees.com/officials/mls-all-star-roll-of-honor/ |access-date=2026-03-08 |language=en-US}} In 2021, Penso was selected as a VAR for the [Tokyo Olympics](/source/Tokyo_Olympics). {{Cite web |title=Five U.S. Soccer Referees Selected to Officiate at Olympic Football Tournaments Tokyo 2020 |url=https://ussoccer.com/stories/2021/04/five-us-soccer-referees-selected-to-officiate-at-olympic-football-tournaments-tokyo-2020 |access-date=2026-03-08 |website=ussoccer.com |language=en}} He was the VAR for both the men's and women's gold medal matches. {{Cite web |title=Chris Penso |url=https://www.sportsofficialscare.org/chris-penso-2/ |access-date=2026-03-08 |website=Sports Officials Care |language=en-US}} Penso was assigned as the AVAR for the 2026 [CONCACAF Champions Cup](/source/2026_CONCACAF_Champions_Cup) Final between [Toluca FC](/source/Deportivo_Toluca_FC) and [Tigres UANL](/source/Tigres_UANL). {{Cite web |last=Arellano |first=Bryan |last2=Brennan |first2=Joe |date=2026-05-30 |title=Who is Ismail Elfath, the referee for the CONCACAF Champions Cup final between Toluca and Tigres? |url=https://en.as.com/soccer/who-is-ismail-elfath-the-referee-for-the-concacaf-champions-cup-final-between-toluca-and-tigres-f202605-n/ |access-date=2026-05-31 |website=AS USA |language=en-us}} ==Internationals== {| class="wikitable" style=" text-align:center; font-size:95%; width:75%" ! Date ! Location ! Teams ! Scoreline ! Competition !width=20| {{yel}} !width=20| {{sent off|1}} !width=20| {{sent off}} |- | January 30, 2013 || [Phoenix](/source/Phoenix%2C_Arizona) || {{Flagicon|MEX}} [Mexico](/source/Mexico_national_football_team) – [Denmark League XI](/source/Denmark_national_football_team) {{Flagicon|DEN}} || '''1 – 1''' || Friendly || 3 || 0 || 0 |- | May 28, 2013 || [Edmonton](/source/Edmonton) || {{Flagicon|CAN}} [Canada](/source/Canada_men's_national_soccer_team) – [Costa Rica](/source/Costa_Rica_national_football_team) {{Flagicon|CRC}} || '''0 – 1''' || Friendly || 2 || 0 || 2 |- | October 31, 2013 || [San Diego](/source/San_Diego) || {{Flagicon|MEX}} [Mexico](/source/Mexico_national_football_team) – [Finland](/source/Finland_national_football_team) {{Flagicon|FIN}} || '''4 – 2''' || Friendly || 1 || 0 || 0 |- | June 3, 2014 || [Tampa](/source/Tampa%2C_Florida) || {{Flagicon|CRC}} [Costa Rica](/source/Costa_Rica_national_football_team) – [Japan](/source/Japan_national_football_team) {{Flagicon|JPN}} || '''1 – 3''' || Friendly || 3 || 0 || 0 |- | September 9, 2014 || [Commerce City](/source/Commerce_City%2C_Colorado) || {{Flagicon|BOL}} [Bolivia](/source/Bolivia_national_football_team) – [Mexico](/source/Mexico_national_football_team) {{Flagicon|MEX}} || '''0 – 1''' || Friendly || 2 || 0 || 1 |- | November 19, 2014 || [Panama City](/source/Panama_City) || {{Flagicon|PAN}} [Panama](/source/Panama_national_football_team) – [Canada](/source/Canada_men's_national_soccer_team) {{Flagicon|CAN}} || '''0 – 0''' || Friendly || 3 || 1 || 0 |- | May 31, 2015 || [Washington D.C.](/source/Washington%2C_D.C.) || {{Flagicon|HON}} [Honduras](/source/Honduras_national_football_team) – [El Salvador](/source/El_Salvador_national_football_team) {{Flagicon|SLV}} || '''2 – 0''' || Friendly || 4 || 0 || 1 |- | September 8, 2015 || [Harrison](/source/Harrison%2C_New_Jersey) || {{Flagicon|COL}} [Colombia](/source/Colombia_national_football_team) – [Peru](/source/Peru_national_football_team) {{Flagicon|PER}} || '''1 – 1''' || Friendly || 5 || 0 || 0 |- | October 14, 2015 || [Washington D.C.](/source/Washington%2C_D.C.) || {{Flagicon|CAN}} [Canada](/source/Canada_men's_national_soccer_team) – [Ghana](/source/Ghana_national_football_team) {{Flagicon|GHA}} || '''1 – 1''' || Friendly || 3 || 0 || 0 |} == Personal life == Penso's wife, [Tori](/source/Tori_Penso), 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](/source/2023_FIFA_Women's_World_Cup_final). They have three daughters.{{cite news |last=Hills |first=Drake |date=September 25, 2020 |title=How Tori Penso became the first woman in 20 years to referee an MLS game |url=https://www.tennessean.com/story/sports/nashvillesc/2020/09/25/tori-penso-female-mls-referee-sandy-hunt-nashville-sc-dc-united/3507723001/ |work=[The Tennessean](/source/The_Tennessean) |access-date=September 27, 2020}} == References == {{Reflist}} == External links == * {{PRO referee|chris-penso}} ([https://web.archive.org/web/20131002083648/http://www.proreferees.com/roster-chris-penso.php archive]) * {{WorldReferee.com|chris_penso}} {{Major League Soccer referees}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Penso, Chris}} Category:1982 births Category:Living people Category:American soccer referees Category:Major League Soccer referees Category:CONCACAF Champions Cup referees Category:North American Soccer League (2011–2017) referees Category:Place of birth missing (living people) Category:Sportspeople from Dover, Ohio Category:Football referees at the 2020 Summer Olympics {{US-footy-bio-stub}} --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Chris Penso](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Penso) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Penso?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.