The Professional Referees’ Organization has announced that Silviu Petrescu, who earlier this week became the first Canadian to win the MLS Referee of the Year, will serve as the head referee when the LA Galaxy host the Houston Dynamo in the MLS Cup at The Home Depot Center on Dec. 1.
Daniel Belleau and Darren Clark will serve as assistant referees, while Hilario Grajeda will serve as the fourth assistant.
Petrescu was named the MLS Referee of the Year on Monday after he topped all other referees by winning 37 percent of the votes from MLS players, and 50 percent of the vote from the media.
Petrescu, 42, has never served as a head ref during MLS Cup. He served as the man in the middle for one other postseason game this year – the Galaxy’s 2-1 win over the Vancouver Whitecaps in the Western Conference Knockout Round on Nov. 1 at the Home Depot Center.
He handed out four yellow-card cautions in that game and issued a penalty kick to LA Galaxy forward Landon Donovan in the 73rd minute after he was taken down by Whitecaps defender Martín Bonjour.
Petrescu, who hails from Waterloo, Ontario, also officiated both legs of the 2012 Amway Canadian Championship between Toronto FC and Vancouver.
Petrescu has also officiated matches in the CONCACAF Champions League and worked three World Cup qualifying matches in 2008, along with a series of international friendlies, including Mexico’s 2-0 win over Brazil at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas, in June.
