Assistant referee Kathryn Nesbitt will become the first woman to work a Major League Soccer title game when Portland Timbers play Orlando City in the MLS is Back tournament championship on Tuesday night.
Nesbitt and Felisha Mariscal are currently the only two women among more than 40 officials that have been concealed in Florida for the month-long tournament. In a statement, the 32-year-old said everyone came into the tournament under unusual circumstances.
She lauded other referees and said the entire referees have worked incredibly hard, and to be named in the final is a privilege which shows a strong performance.
Nesbitt has officiated over 60 matches in the MLS since her debut in 2015, she was also part of the referees for the Women’s World Cup last year in France. The now FIFA official was a professor of chemistry at Towson University before becoming a referee.
She was one of three U.S. women chosen for the envied job, joining Mariscal and NWSL referee Katja Koroleva, in France last year, which was also the first senior international event for the ladies.
She has said working in a bubble in the MLS is Back tournament, is similar to working at a World Cup or other big tournament. Women first officiated an MLS game in 1998 with Nancy Lay and Sandra Hunt and Lay was reportedly an elementary school teacher.
But Nesbitt’s position has been considered rare. The most famous female referee Bibiana Steinhaus became the first woman to officiate a top-flight European men’s league in 2017 when she officiated a German Bundesliga match.
While France’s Stephanie Frappart made headlines when she officiated the UEFA Super Cup final last year.