Chris Penso
American soccer referee (born 1982)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Chris Penso (born April 28, 1982) is an American soccer referee who is active in Major League Soccer.[1]
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Dover, Ohio, U.S.
|
Penso in 2025 | |||
| Born |
April 28, 1982 Dover, Ohio, U.S. | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Other occupation | College Coordinator of Officials | ||
| Domestic | |||
| Years | League | Role | |
| 2011– | Major League Soccer | Referee | |
| International | |||
| Years | League | Role | |
| 2013–2015 | FIFA listed | Referee | |
| 2021– | FIFA listed | VAR | |
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]
Penso was the VAR for the MLS Cup in 2018 and 2021. He also was the referee for the 2016 MLS All Star Game.[3]
In 2021, Penso was selected as a VAR for the Tokyo Olympics.[4] He was the VAR for both the men's and women's gold medal matches.[5]
Penso was assigned as the AVAR for the 2026 CONCACAF Champions Cup Final between Toluca FC and Tigres UANL.[6]
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.[7]
