Armando Villarreal Explained
Armando Villarreal |
Birth Date: | [1] |
Years1: | 2012– |
League1: | Major League Soccer |
Role1: | Referee |
Internationalyears1: | 2015– |
Confederation1: | FIFA |
Confederation2: | CONCACAF |
Internationalrole1: | Referee |
Internationalrole2: | Referee |
Armando Villarreal (born 1986)[2] is an American soccer referee. He has officiated in Major League Soccer since 2012 and was added to the FIFA International Referees List in 2015.[3]
Biography
Villarreal began refereeing at the age of 18, when a league in which he played in Brownsville, Texas, needed volunteers for under-5 matches. He then took a United States Soccer Federation (USSF) course to qualify for grade 8 as a referee and began officiating around Texas.[4]
After working as a fourth official in Major League Soccer (MLS), Villarreal was referee for his first game in the competition on May 24, 2012, between the New York Red Bulls and Chivas USA.[5] He officiated in the 2014 U.S. Open Cup Final, which Seattle Sounders FC won against the Philadelphia Union.[6] In the 2015 MLS Cup Playoffs, he admitted after the game to making an incorrect decision in allowing Dilly Duka of the Montreal Impact to score from an offside position against the Columbus Crew, who nonetheless won in overtime.[7] He officiated in the final of the 2016 USL Playoffs[8] and was chosen for MLS Cup 2021 between the Portland Timbers and New York City FC[9] and MLS Cup 2023 between the Columbus Crew and Los Angeles FC.[10]
Villarreal's first international match was on May 29, 2011, in a 2–2 friendly tie between El Salvador and Honduras in Houston.[11] He was added to the FIFA International Referees List in 2015.[12] He was chosen for the CONCACAF Gold Cup in 2017,[13] 2019,[14] 2021,[15] and 2023,[16] as well as the Copa América Centenario also in the United States.[17] He was one of 24 Video Assistant Referees (VAR) chosen for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.[18]
Notes and References
- Web site: August 14, 2017 . Education & Technical - Referees by Association . June 28, 2023 . September 15, 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150915054611/http://www.fifa.com/development/education-and-technical/referees/association=usa/index.html . bot: unknown .
- Web site: August 14, 2017. Education & Technical - Referees by Association . June 28, 2023. September 15, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150915054611/http://www.fifa.com/development/education-and-technical/referees/association=usa/index.html. bot: unknown.
- Web site: FIFA list of referees . resources.fifa.com . 2021 . January 30, 2021.
- News: Armando Villarreal . November 22, 2022 . US Referee Connection.
- News: Armando Villarreal: From one to 100 . November 22, 2022 . . July 13, 2018.
- News: Berton . Michael . Kings reclaim throne: Seattle Sounders beat Philadelphia Union in OT to win 4th US Open Cup title . November 22, 2022 . The Cup . September 16, 2014.
- News: King . Andrew . Referees explain controversial offside calls in Columbus Crew SC's second leg win over Montreal Impact . November 22, 2022 . . November 9, 2015.
- News: Villarreal to Lead 2016 USL Cup Final Officials . November 22, 2022 . . October 19, 2016.
- News: 2021 MLS Cup Final: Who is the referee of the Timbers vs NYCFC game? . November 22, 2022 . . December 10, 2021.
- News: Who is Armando Villarreal, the referee for the MLS Cup final 2023? . December 11, 2023 . . December 10, 2021.
- News: El Salvador aprovechó errores de Honduras y terminó empatando. El Salvador took advantage of Honduras's errors and ended up tying. November 22, 2022 . Honduas Fútbol . May 29, 2011 . Spanish.
- News: Four PRO officials added to FIFA International Panel of Referees . November 22, 2022 . . January 7, 2017.
- News: Geiger, Marrufo, Villarreal picked as Gold Cup referees . November 22, 2022 . . June 22, 2017.
- News: Qatari referee will work CONCACAF Gold Cup . November 22, 2022 . USA Today . May 17, 2019.
- News: Concacaf names female refs to Gold Cup officiating teams as VAR debuts . November 22, 2022 . Inside World Football . July 6, 2021.
- News: Suazo . Luis . Honduras vs Qatar será dirigido por un árbitro estadounidense catalogado como 'riguroso'. Honduras vs Qatar will be officiated by a United States referee classed as "rigorous". July 15, 2023 . Deportes TVC . June 27, 2023 . Spanish.
- News: Copa America to use goal-line technology; referees announced . November 22, 2022 . . May 26, 2016.
- News: What to know about video review at the World Cup . November 22, 2022 . The Washington Post. Thomas. Floyd. November 17, 2022.