Joe Fletcher named PRO Manager of Senior Assistant Referees

From PRO Media

The Professional Referee Organization is expanding its experienced front office staff with the addition of former MLS Assistant Referee of the Year Joe Fletcher, under the role of PRO Manager of Senior Assistant Referees. Fletcher's role, under the supervision of PRO Director of Senior Match Officials Mark Geiger, will primarily focus on the training and development of MLS-level Assistant Referees.

For more, visit PROreferees.com.

Soccer America: Pair of PRO referees work as AVARs during final day of FIFA Club World Cup

From Soccer America

A pair of PRO referees will work as assistant video assistant referees on Saturday at the FIFA Club World Cup in Qatar. Kyle Atkins will be the AVAR for the Liverpool-Flamengo final while Alan Kelly will work the third-place game between Monterrey and Al Hilal of Saudi Arabia.

It marks the third year in a row PRO has been represented in the Club World Cup final.

For more visit SoccerAmerica.com.

Howard Webb: Video Review & PRO presentation - Montreal

USA Today Sports Images -
PRO GM Howard Webb

Via MLS and Montreal Impact Communications:

Montreal media covered a presentation by Professional Referee Organization General Manager Howard Webb on Sept. 29, 2019, as Webb discussed the progress made in the Video Review realm. Coverage included the following:

Pro Soccer USA: Howard Webb, PRO testing new VAR technologies with cautious mind: CLICK HERE

Radio-Canada: Howard Webb: Officiating improves in MLS (in French): CLICK HERE

Journal de Montreal: MLS aims at improvement (in French): CLICK HERE

Soccer Today! Podcast with Kevin Laramee and Duane Rollins: CLICK HERE

KAN FC LE Podcast: Table Ronde Howard Webb (audio): CLICK HERE

98.5 Sports: Review decisions, Impact, goal-line technology and more (in French): CLICK HERE

TVA Sports live interview: Montreal vs. Atlanta: CLICK HERE

TSN Radio live interview: Montreal vs. Atlanta: CLICK HERE

Eclipse Select Alumni: DePaul's Ben rakes in Big East honor

DePaul's Alexa Ben

By CHARLIE CORR
slidetackles@mail.com

CHICAGO - Eclipse Select Soccer Club alumna and DePaul senior midfielder Alexa Ben (Schaumburg, Ill.) has been named the Big East Conference Offensive Player of the Week.

Ben's second-career hat trick - and first of the 2017 season - catapulted the Blue Demons to a 6-3 victory against Villanova on Sunday. All three tallies came in the second half, within a 31-minute span.

For more, visit EclipseSelect.org.

Schedule unveiled for Audi 2017 MLS Cup Playoffs Knockout Round

By CHARLIE CORR
charlie.corr@mlssoccer.com

NEW YORK – Following an action-packed Decision Day 2017 presented by AT&T that included an MLS single-day league record 46 goals across the 11 simultaneously-played matches, the Audi 2017 MLS Cup Playoffs berths and seeding have been set.

The postseason begins on Wednesday, October 26 and Thursday, October 27 with four single-elimination, intraconference Knockout Round matches. UniMás will air all four matches nationally in Spanish language, while ESPN2 and FS1 will each air a Knockout Round match in English. TSN and TVA Sports will provide coverage of all four Knockout Round matches nationally in Canada.

For more, visit mlssoccer.com.

Eclipse Select product Staton finishes 182nd at Chicago Marathon

Eclipse Select alumna Pam Staton

By CHARLIE CORR
slidetackles@mail.com

CHICAGO - Former Eclipse Select Soccer Club players raced during the 2017 Bank of America Chicago Marathon on Sunday, and over the years it has been common to spot former club and collegiate standouts running this famed event. This year was no different.

Among the top finishers was former Loyola Chicago soccer player and cross country/track athlete Pam Staton (Ingleside, Ill.). She finished with a time of 3:08:54, which was good for 182nd place among all women and 50th in the 30-34 age group.

For more, visit EclipseSelect.org.

Atlanta United's Almirón voted No. 1 in MLSsoccer.com's 24 Under 24

By CHARLIE CORR
charlie.corr@mlssoccer.com

NEW YORK – MLSsoccer.com announced that Atlanta United midfielder Miguel Almirón has been voted the No. 1 player in the 2017 MLSsoccer.com 24 Under 24. The top 10 players were unveiled on a special edition of ExtraTime Live driven by Continental on Facebook Live.

Almirón headlines a star-studded group that features seven Young Designated Players, including fellow Atlanta player and eighth-ranked Héctor Villalba, Real Salt Lake teammates Albert Rusnák and Jefferson Savarino, D.C. United newcomer Paul Arriola, Houston Dynamo striker Alberth Elis and FC Dallas midfielder Carlos Gruezo. The average age of this Designated Player group is 22.5 years old.

For more, visit MLSsoccer.com.