Ricardo Valenzuela (referee)
Encyclopedia
Ricardo Andres Valenzuela (born February 7, 1964) is a United States
former football (soccer)
referee from Richmond, California
, who officiated for the U.S. Soccer Federation in various leagues and competitions, as assigned. He was also a FIFA
referee. His other occupation is as a schoolteacher.
, and progressed to become a FIFA
referee in 1999. In the lead-up to the 1999 FIFA Women's World Cup tournament, he was appointed to a friendly match
between the United States
and Canada
at the Civic Stadium
, Oregon
, on June 6, 1999, which finished 4–2 to the USA women. On July 13 of that year, he also oversaw the representative friendly at the Mile High Stadium
, Denver, Colorado
, between the United States men's national soccer team
and Derby County
, from the East Midlands
of England
, which the United States won 2–1.
He was in charge of one of the semi-finals in the 2001 U.S. Open Cup, between Los Angeles Galaxy
and Chicago Fire at Titan Stadium
, Fullerton, California
, on August 22, 2001, when Galaxy beat Fire 1–0 after overtime
, and went on to win the tournament.
On December 21, 2003, he was given control of the UNCAF Tournament Final at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
in California
, played between Deportivo Saprissa of Costa Rica
, and Comunicaciones
of Guatemala
, and which Deportivo won 3–2.
Amongst his work for FIFA, he refereed a 2002 FIFA World Cup qualifying
game in Tegucigalpa
on October 8, 2000 between Honduras
and Jamaica
, which finished 1–0 to the home side, and four years later was appointed to three 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification
matches in the CONCACAF
region. As well as being fourth official to Kevin Stott
for the Haiti
against Turks & Caicos
Preliminary Round match on February 18, 2004, he took charge of the return match in the Turks & Caicos Islands on February 22, 2004, which ended 2–0 to Haiti. Later in the year, on October 10, 2004, he was referee for Trinidad & Tobago's 5–1 home win at the Dwight Yorke Stadium
over St. Kitts & Nevis
in the Semifinal Round of the same competition.
In later years, he took charge of such prestige games as the MLS All-Stars
showpiece on July 30, 2005 in the Columbus Crew Stadium
, Ohio
, against Fulham F.C.
from London
, England, which finished 4–1 to MLS.
Valenzuela had retired from refereeing by late 2006, leaving the FIFA list at the end of 2005.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
former football (soccer)
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
referee from Richmond, California
Richmond, California
Richmond is a city in western Contra Costa County, California, United States. The city was incorporated on August 7, 1905. It is located in the East Bay, part of the San Francisco Bay Area. It is a residential inner suburb of San Francisco, as well as the site of heavy industry, which has been...
, who officiated for the U.S. Soccer Federation in various leagues and competitions, as assigned. He was also a FIFA
FIFA
The Fédération Internationale de Football Association , commonly known by the acronym FIFA , is the international governing body of :association football, futsal and beach football. Its headquarters are located in Zurich, Switzerland, and its president is Sepp Blatter, who is in his fourth...
referee. His other occupation is as a schoolteacher.
Career
He first took up refereeing in 1982, officiating in youth soccer in New MexicoNew Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
, and progressed to become a FIFA
FIFA
The Fédération Internationale de Football Association , commonly known by the acronym FIFA , is the international governing body of :association football, futsal and beach football. Its headquarters are located in Zurich, Switzerland, and its president is Sepp Blatter, who is in his fourth...
referee in 1999. In the lead-up to the 1999 FIFA Women's World Cup tournament, he was appointed to a friendly match
Exhibition game
An exhibition game is a sporting event in which there is no competitive value of any significant kind to any competitor regardless of the outcome of the competition...
between the United States
United States women's national soccer team
The United States women's national soccer team represents the United States in international soccer competition and is controlled by U.S. Soccer. The U.S. team won the first ever Women's World Cup in 1991, and has since been a superpower in women's soccer. It is currently ranked first in the world...
and Canada
Canada women's national soccer team
The Canada women's national soccer team is overseen by the Canadian Soccer Association. The team reached its all-time high of 6th in the March 2011 rankings. The team reached international prominence finishing in 4th place at the FIFA Women's World Cup 2003, losing to their archrival American team...
at the Civic Stadium
Civic Stadium (Eugene)
Civic Stadium is an outdoor athletic stadium in Eugene, Oregon, owned by the Eugene School District.-History:Originally built for high school football and baseball in 1938, it became the home of the Eugene Emeralds minor league baseball team in 1969, who previously played at Bethel Park...
, Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
, on June 6, 1999, which finished 4–2 to the USA women. On July 13 of that year, he also oversaw the representative friendly at the Mile High Stadium
Mile High Stadium
Mile High Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium, that stood in Denver, Colorado, from 1948 until 2001.It hosted the Denver Broncos, of the AFL and the NFL, from 1960-2000, the Colorado Rockies, of the National League, of the MLB, from 1993-1994, the Colorado Rapids, of MLS, from 1996-2001, the...
, Denver, Colorado
Denver, Colorado
The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
, between the United States men's national soccer team
United States men's national soccer team
The United States men's national soccer team represents the United States in international association football competitions. It is controlled by the United States Soccer Federation and competes in CONCACAF...
and Derby County
Derby County F.C.
Derby County Football Club is an English football based in Derby. the club play in the Football League Championship and is notable as being one of the twelve founder members of the Football League in 1888 and is, therefore, one of only ten clubs to have competed in every season of the English...
, from the East Midlands
East Midlands
The East Midlands is one of the regions of England, consisting of most of the eastern half of the traditional region of the Midlands. It encompasses the combined area of Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Rutland, Northamptonshire and most of Lincolnshire...
of England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, which the United States won 2–1.
He was in charge of one of the semi-finals in the 2001 U.S. Open Cup, between Los Angeles Galaxy
Los Angeles Galaxy
The Los Angeles Galaxy are an American professional soccer team, based in the Los Angeles suburb of Carson, California, which competes in Major League Soccer , the top professional soccer league in the United States and Canada. It is one of the ten charter clubs of MLS, and the league's second...
and Chicago Fire at Titan Stadium
Titan Stadium
Titan Stadium may refer to:*Titan Stadium at the California State University, Fullerton*Titan Stadium , at the University of Wisconsin-Oskhosh*LP Field, the home of the Tennessee Titans American Football team...
, Fullerton, California
Fullerton, California
Fullerton is a city located in northern Orange County, California. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 135,161.It was founded in 1887 by George and Edward Amerige and named for George H. Fullerton, who secured the land on behalf of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway...
, on August 22, 2001, when Galaxy beat Fire 1–0 after overtime
Overtime (sports)
Overtime or extra time is an additional period of play specified under the rules of a sport to bring a game to a decision and avoid declaring the match a tie or draw. In most sports, this extra period is only played if the game is required to have a clear winner, as in single-elimination...
, and went on to win the tournament.
On December 21, 2003, he was given control of the UNCAF Tournament Final at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum is a large outdoor sports stadium in the University Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, at Exposition Park, that is home to the Pacific-12 Conference's University of Southern California Trojans football team...
in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, played between Deportivo Saprissa of Costa Rica
Costa Rica
Costa Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....
, and Comunicaciones
Comunicaciones
Club Social y Deportivo Comunicaciones is a Guatemalan football club located in Guatemala City.The club is currently playing in the highest Guatemalan league, the Liga Nacional. Their home venue is the Estadio Cementos Progreso in the nation's capital. Nicknamed Cremas , they are the second-most...
of Guatemala
Guatemala
Guatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast...
, and which Deportivo won 3–2.
Amongst his work for FIFA, he refereed a 2002 FIFA World Cup qualifying
2002 FIFA World Cup qualification
A total of 199 teams entered the 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification rounds, competing for a total of 32 spots in the final tournament. and , as the co-hosts, and , as the defending champions, qualified automatically, leaving 29 spots open for competition....
game in Tegucigalpa
Tegucigalpa
Tegucigalpa , and commonly referred as Tegus , is the capital of Honduras and seat of government of the Republic, along with its twin sister Comayagüela. Founded on September 29, 1578 by the Spanish, it became the country's capital on October 30, 1880 under President Marco Aurelio Soto...
on October 8, 2000 between Honduras
Honduras national football team
The Honduran national football team, nicknamed Los Catrachos, La Bicolor or La H, is the national team of Honduras and is controlled by the Federación Nacional Autónoma de Fútbol de Honduras...
and Jamaica
Jamaica national football team
The Jamaica national football team is the national team of Jamaica and is controlled by the Jamaica Football Federation. After decades in CONCACAF obscurity, they gained many fans throughout the world after they qualified for the 1998 FIFA World Cup...
, which finished 1–0 to the home side, and four years later was appointed to three 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification
2006 FIFA World Cup qualification
A total of 197 teams entered the qualification process for the 2006 FIFA World Cup, competing for a total of 32 spots in the final tournament. Germany, as the host, qualified automatically, leaving 31 spots open for competition...
matches in the CONCACAF
CONCACAF
The Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football is the continental governing body for association football in North America, Central America and the Caribbean...
region. As well as being fourth official to Kevin Stott
Kevin Stott
Kevin Stott is a soccer referee from the United States of America. He has been a FIFA referee since 1995. Stott was selected as a referee for the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany....
for the Haiti
Haiti national football team
The Haiti national football team represents Haiti in association football and is controlled by the Fédération Haïtienne de Football, the governing body for football in Haiti. Haiti's home ground is Stade Sylvio Cator in Port-au-Prince and their head coach is Edson Tavares...
against Turks & Caicos
Turks and Caicos Islands national football team
The Turks and Caicos Islands national football team is the national team of the Turks and Caicos Islands and is controlled by the Turks and Caicos Islands Football Association...
Preliminary Round match on February 18, 2004, he took charge of the return match in the Turks & Caicos Islands on February 22, 2004, which ended 2–0 to Haiti. Later in the year, on October 10, 2004, he was referee for Trinidad & Tobago's 5–1 home win at the Dwight Yorke Stadium
Dwight Yorke Stadium
The Dwight Yorke Stadium, located in Bacolet, Tobago, , is named after former Manchester United footballer Dwight Yorke. The stadium was constructed for the 2001 FIFA U-17 World Championship which was hosted by Trinidad and Tobago...
over St. Kitts & Nevis
Saint Kitts and Nevis national football team
The Saint Kitts and Nevis national football team is the national team of Saint Kitts and Nevis and is controlled by the St. Kitts and Nevis Football Association...
in the Semifinal Round of the same competition.
In later years, he took charge of such prestige games as the MLS All-Stars
MLS All-Star 2005
The 2005 Sierra Mist Major League Soccer All-Star Game was the 10th MLS All-Star Game, played on July 30, 2005 at the Columbus Crew Stadium in Columbus, Ohio between the MLS All-Stars and Fulham of England...
showpiece on July 30, 2005 in the Columbus Crew Stadium
Columbus Crew Stadium
Columbus Crew Stadium is a soccer-specific stadium in Columbus, Ohio and the home stadium of Major League Soccer club, Columbus Crew. Built in 1999, Crew Stadium was the first soccer-specific stadium built for a professional soccer team in the second pro era of American soccer...
, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
, against Fulham F.C.
Fulham F.C.
Fulham Football Club is a professional English Premier League club based in southwest London Fulham, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. Founded in 1879, they play in the Premier League, their 11th current season...
from London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England, which finished 4–1 to MLS.
Valenzuela had retired from refereeing by late 2006, leaving the FIFA list at the end of 2005.