Chris Penso

Chris Penso (born April 28, 1982) is an American soccer referee who is active in Major League Soccer.

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.

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.

In 2021, Penso was selected as a VAR for the Tokyo Olympics. He was the VAR for both the men's and women's gold medal matches.

Penso was assigned as the AVAR for the 2026 CONCACAF Champions Cup Final between Toluca FC and Tigres UANL.

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.