NEW YORK — Numbers don't always tell the whole story, but referee Hilario Grajeda certainly has the numbers to back up his accolades.
MLS announced on Tuesday that Grajeda was voted Referee of the Year after dominating the vote. The award is voted on by the media, MLS players and MLS club management.
Grajeda, who made his MLS debut in 2004, was in the middle for 22 games in 2013, handing out an average of 2.6 yellow cards and 0.2 red cards. He was also the referee for this year's AT&T MLS All-Star Game between the MLS All-Stars and AS Roma. And he will be in charge of the MLS Cup final.
The other two finalists for Referee of the Year were Ismail Elfath and Baldomero Toledo. Below is a breakdown of the voting:
Referee |
% of Club Votes |
% of Media Votes |
% of Player Votes |
Weighted Total |
Hilario Grajeda |
52.17 |
47.83 |
40.44 |
<b>140.44</b> |
Ismail Elfath |
26.09 |
24.64 |
29.78 |
<b>80.51</b> |
Baldomero Toledo |
21.74 |
27.53 |
29.78 |
<b>79.05</b> |
Also on Tuesday, MLS announced that Kermit Quisenberry was voted the Assistant Referee of the Year, using the same voting procedures. Quisenberry also won this award in 2008.
The other two finalists for Assistant Referee of the Year were Frank Anderson and Bill Ditmar. Below is a breakdown of the voting:
<p class="p1">Asst. Referee</p> |
% of Club Votes |
% of Media Votes |
% of Player Votes |
Weighted Total |
Kermit Quisenberry |
61.36 |
53.73 |
29.46 |
<b>144.55</b> |
Frank Anderson |
25 |
28.36 |
40.18 |
<b>93.54</b> |
Bill Ditmar |
13.64 |
17.91 |
30.36 |
<b>61.91</b> |
