Major League Soccer announced that Alan Kelly has been voted the 2015 MLS Referee of the Year, while Corey Parker has been named the Assistant Referee of the Year 2015.
Kelly, in his second season as an MLS referee, was the center official for 21 MLS regular season matches in 2015, which was second most among PRO referees. He brought an impressive resume to his current position: A native of Ireland, Kelly moved through the ranks in his home country, notably winning the inaugural Players’ Football Association of Ireland’s Referee of the Year Award in 2006 (and four subsequent ones). He eventually served as a UEFA official, where he was a referee for Champions League and World Cup qualifiers, among other competitions.
Parker receives his first Assistant Referee of the Year Award after being named a finalist in 2012. In his fifth year running the sidelines, Parker was an assistant referee for 19 MLS regular season matches this year, also second-most among all assistant referees. Parker made his FIFA debut in January at the 2015 CONCACAF U-20 Championship in Jamaica.
These two awards were voted on by media, MLS players and MLS club management. The other two finalists for Referee of the Year were Baldomero Toledo and Jair Marrufo. The other two finalists for Assistant Referee of the Year were Peter Manikowski and George Gansner.
Source: MLS
