When the U.S. men's national team takes the field in Honduras, it will see plenty of familiar faces on the opposing team, but the Americans will see an even more familiar face working the game as referee.
The match referee for Saturday's World Cup qualifier is Panamanian official Roberto Moreno, a referee who has become somewhat of a regular in U.S. national team qualifiers.
How much of a regular? Consider that the last three World Cup qualifiers Moreno has worked have all involved the United States.
Is that a good thing? Let's consider those three matches.
Moreno was the referee in the U.S. team's 2-1 loss to Mexico at Estadio Azteca. He didn't issue any red cards on that day, but did issue yellow cards to three U.S. defenders in the first half, and did call more fouls against the Americans than Mexicans (16 to 10) in a match that saw both sides playing physically.
Moreno's performance led to some direct criticism from U.S. goalkeeper Tim Howard after the Mexico match.
“It seems that a lot of times you come to a place like this and the most intimidating person in the stadium is the referee,” Howard said. “It’s disappointing. There were tough plays that went against us. I think the bar was probably tilted in their favor and that’s unfortunate because it was a hard-fought game.
“We went in hard. They went in hard. And for some reason, we always came out with a foul.”
Before that Mexico qualifier, Moreno had actually been a bit of a good-luck charm, working three other qualifiers involving the United States that were all victories:
USA 3, Trinidad & Tobago 0 (April 1, 2009)- Americans dominated and Moreno didn't have much to do.
USA 6, Cuba 1 (Oct. 11, 2008)- Another blowout on American soil where Moreno had little to do.
USA 1, Barbados 0 (June 22, 2008)- An ugly and rather boring game that mattered little after the USA's 8-0 win in the first leg of this two-leg series.
As familiar as Moreno is with the United States, he isn't a stranger to Honduras or San Pedro Sula, having officiated Honduras' 2-0 win vs. Jamaica in third-round qualifying action on Sept. 10, 2008. Other matches of note on his resume include the Mexico-Guadeloupe Gold Cup semifinal in 2007, and the Costa Rica-Mexico Gold Cup semifinal this past summer.
D.C. United fans won't have fond memories of Moreno. He was the referee who issued a second yellow card and red card ejection to D.C. goalkeeper James Thorpe for time-wasting in a crucial CONCACAF Champions League match in 2008.
So what is our take on Moreno? His officiating in the Mexico match left something to be desired, but when you consider the other USA games he has officiated, it is tough to say he has been a bad referee for the Americans. That said, you have to wonder if he is capable of making a tough call against the home team.
What do you think of Moreno? Like the idea of him being the referee for this match, or are you still having bad memories about the Mexico match?
Share your thoughts below.
