28 Facts About Mark Geiger

Mark William Geiger was born on August 25,1974 and is an American sports administrator and former soccer referee.

Mark Geiger is the senior director of match officials at the Professional Referee Organization, which oversees domestic referees in Major League Soccer.

At the international level, Mark Geiger refereed the 2012 Olympics, the 2013,2015, and 2017 CONCACAF Gold Cups, and the 2014 and 2018 FIFA World Cups.

Mark Geiger became a United States Soccer Federation National Referee in 2003 and officiated in Major League Soccer from 2004 to 2018.

Mark Geiger has officiated in CONCACAF tournaments since becoming a FIFA referee in 2008, and has officiated Gold Cup and other international tournaments and fixtures.

Mark Geiger was selected for the CONCACAF U-20 Championship in 2011, where he refereed the final.

Mark Geiger officiated at the 2011 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Colombia.

Mark Geiger officiated the Group E game between eventual tournament champions Brazil and Austria at Estadio Metropolitano Roberto Melendez in Barranquilla.

Mark Geiger then took charge of the Group B game between Uruguay and Cameroon at Estadio El Campin in Bogota.

Mark Geiger was appointed to the Round of 16 match between Spain and South Korea at Estadio Palogrande in Manizales.

Mark Geiger was selected as the Major League Soccer referee of the year for the 2011 season, and then again in 2014.

In 2012, Mark Geiger was selected as one of 16 referees to officiate at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.

Mark Geiger took charge of the Group D match between Spain vs Japan and the quarterfinal between Japan vs Egypt.

In 2013, Mark Geiger was an official at the 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup.

Mark Geiger was selected as CONCACAF's representative referee for the 2013 Club World Cup.

Mark Geiger was one of 25 referees appointed for the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil.

Mark Geiger described the assignment to the World Cup as "an immensely proud moment".

Mark Geiger officiated the 2014 World Cup Group C match between Colombia and Greece at the Estadio Mineirao in Belo Horizonte; the 2014 World Cup Group B match between Chile and Spain at the Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro; and the 2014 World Cup Round of 16 match between France and Nigeria at the Estadio Nacional in Brasilia, the first American to referee in the knockout round of a FIFA World Cup.

Mark Geiger was selected to officiate the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup in Russia.

Mark Geiger was one of 36 referees selected for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, working with a North American crew of Joe Fletcher from Canada and Frank Anderson from the United States.

Mark Geiger served as referee on three matches at the tournament and was VAR in five matches.

Mark Geiger subsequently worked as VAR for the Group D match between Argentina and Iceland, the Group G match featuring Belgium and Tunisia and the Round of 16 contest between Uruguay and Portugal before his final assignment in the tournament's Third Place match.

Mark Geiger then officiated the Group F third match between South Korea and Germany.

Mark Geiger then officiated at the Round of 16 game between Colombia and England.

Mark Geiger was selected as one of the final 12 referees on the shortlist to officiate the final or third place play-off match, and was ultimately selected to be VAR on the 3rd place match between Belgium and England.

Mark Geiger admitted to making mistakes in that match as well.

On January 9,2019, Mark Geiger announced that he would retire from refereeing and take up a position within PRO as its director of senior match officials.

Mark Geiger was born on August 25,1974, and grew up in Beachwood, New Jersey.