On Tuesday, Major League Soccer announced that Professional Referee Organization officials Allen Chapman and Corey Parker were tabbed as Referee and Assistant Referee of the Year respectively.
Shining among all officials, PRO referee Allen Chapman was named MLS Referee of the Year, garnering more than 48 percent of the player vote, 54 percent of the club vote, and 40 percent of the media vote. Chapman is a seasoned PRO official with MLS experience dating back to his first match in 2012. He has officiated in the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs from the center and he last year served as the fourth official during MLS Cup.
Earning his second MLS Assistant Referee of the Year honors in three years, Corey Parker received 60 percent of the overall voting tally, including 50 percent of the player vote, 68 percent of the club vote, and 23 percent of the media vote. Parker was the 2015 recipient of the award, and has been on the FIFA panel dating back to that year. He has run the sidelines at key MLS events, including the 2014 AT&T MLS All-Star Game, MLS Cup Playoffs, and MLS Cup 2015.
Nominated by U.S. Soccer, Canadian Soccer Association and the MLS Competition Committee, candidates for MLS Referee of the Year and Assistant Referee of the Year Awards were voted on by MLS club management media and MLS players. Below is the breakdown of the voting results for these two awards:
Referee of the Year
Referee |
Player Vote |
Club Vote |
Media Vote |
Total Vote |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Allen Chapman |
47.95% |
53.85% |
39.58% |
47.13% |
Ismail Elfath |
32.88% |
26.92% |
36.46% |
32.09% |
Mark Geiger |
19.18% |
19.23% |
23.96% |
20.79% |
Assistant Referee of the Year
Referee |
Player Vote |
Club Vote |
Media Vote |
Total Vote |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Corey Parker |
50.00% |
68.00% |
60.92% |
59.64% |
Adam Wienckowski |
22.82% |
20.00% |
22.99% |
21.94% |
Jeremy Hanson |
27.18% |
12.00% |
16.09% |
18.42% |
