US referee Mark Geiger has picked up another World Cup assigment – FIFA on Sunday listed him as the fourth official for Tuesday's semifinal meeting between hosts Brazil and Germany.
This is the fifth assisgnment for Geiger in the 2014 World Cup, and his second as a fourth official. The former math teacher from New Jersey had previously been the center official for the round of 16 game between France and Nigeria, where he was the first American to officiate a World Cup knockout round game, as well as Colombia-Greece and Spain-Chile in the group stage of the tournament.
Mexican official Marco Antonio Rodriguez will be refereeing in the center for the match. Rodriguez was the center official and Geiger the fourth official in Uruguay's controversial group stage win over Italy, which saw Luis Suarez bite Italian defender Giorgio Chiellini, but escape unpunished during the game. The incident would eventually result in a nine-game, four-month ban for the Uruguayan star.
Though Geiger drew praise for his work in the two group stages matches he officiated, he came under criticism from Nigeria head coach Stephen Keshi for his work in France's 2-0 win over the Super Eagles.
The 39-year-old Geiger, a member of the Professional Referee Organization, has been a longtime referee in MLS, with more than 100 matches to his credit over the past decade.
