MLS Referees & Becoming a FIFA Referee

John,
I have spoken with Paul Tamberino, the Federation's new Director of Referee Development, who gives me the following:

There is a pool of 24 referees who work the top level of games in the country. Obviously the folks on the FIFA list are at the top of the chart for selection. Assignments to MLS (and USL-1) are based on performance. In other words, they are assessed on every game they work and their performance in those games determines what comes next. The four full-time referees, of whom Jair is one, get anywhere from 3 to 4 MLS games each month. (They also work USL-1 and are busy on other projects for the Federation.) FIFA referees from the Canadian Soccer Association (such as Silviu Petrescu) are used on some games.

As for getting to the FIFA list yourself, there is a prescribed procedure. Number of games worked, attainment of the National Referee badge (through the system; there are no shortcuts), two years of refereeing in the country's top division (MLS). Finally, no one can be considered if he (or she) has reached his fortieth birthday. (That's FIFA's rule, not ours.)

You can find all the requirements in the USSF Referee Administrative Handbook, downloadable from the referee page at ussoccer.com.

I hope this is helpful.

Jim Allen