This year’s MLS Cup combatants Seattle and Toronto have a familiar look about them, and now so does the referee in charge of policing them.
Allen Chapman has been assigned to referee this year’s championship final, the Professional Referee Organization announced on Monday, marking the second MLS Cup in three years that he’ll oversee. The 2017 MLS Referee of the Year officiated the last title bout between these two familiar adversaries, the 2017 edition won 2-0 by TFC at BMO Field.
Chapman was also the fourth official in the 2016 final, the first of the three championship meetings in four years between the Sounders and Reds.
This Sunday he’ll be joined by MLS Assistant Referee of the Year Brian Dunn and FIFA official Corey Rockwell, while 2019 MLS Referee of the Year nominee Rubiel Vazquez has been named as the fourth official. Brian Poeschel is the reserve assistant referee for the big game at CenturyLink Field; Edvin Jurisevic will be the VAR, supported by AVAR Cameron Blanchard.
Full officiating crew, MLS Cup 2019
Seattle Sounders vs Toronto FC, CenturyLink Field (3 pm ET | ABC, Univision, TUDN in US; TSN, TVAS in Canada)
REF: Allen Chapman
AR1: Brian Dunn
AR2: Corey Rockwell
4TH: Rubiel Vazquez
VAR: Edvin Jurisevic
AVAR: Cameron Blanchard
RAR: Brian Poeschel
