New VAR assigned to Real Salt Lake vs LAFC match, based remotely from Atlanta

Video Assistant Referee - IFAB workshop - July 20, 2016

MLS confirmed that due to travel delays, a new Video Assistant Referee was assigned to the Week 11 match between Real Salt Lake and LAFC.


However, the new VAR Guido Gonzales Jr. was not stationed on-site at Rio Tinto Stadium. He was based remotely at the Video Review Technology Center at Hawkeye headquarters in Atlanta, where he had real-time communication with head referee Victor Rivas and his crew.


Gonzales Jr. replaced veteran referee Edvin Jurisevic, who was the previously assigned Video Assistant Referee for the RSL-LAFC match.


It's not the first time that a regular season match featured a remote VAR after the league used a centralized VAR hub in Orlando for the MLS is Back Tournament. Other official competitions around the world have also used Video Assistant Referees based in remote central locations.