One of CONCACAF's most experienced referees will officiate the U.S. national team's World Cup qualification match against Honduras in March, according to the general secretary of the Honduran FA.
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Jose Ernesto Mejia tweeted a photo of a letter from FIFA indicating that Walter Lopez will oversee the March 24 qualifier. Among the matches on his resume, Lopez called the 2014 Club World Cup final between Real Madrid and San Lorenzo and more recently was in the middle for the USA's 2-1 loss to Mexico earlier in qualification.
Arbitros guatemaltecos para el USA vrs HONDURAS. de marzo! pic.twitter.com/GrP8bPkhka
— Jose Ernesto Mejía P (@PepeMejiaP) February 23, 2017
Lopez's brother, Gerson, and Hermenerito Leal are set to be the assistants.
Mejia also shared that Joel Aguilar, the 41-year-old Salvadoran referee, will call Los Catrachos' second March game, which is against Costa Rica. That has sparked controversy among fans who still remember Aguilar as the official who let the famous "Snow Clasico" in Colorado continue, with the U.S. topping Costa Rica 1-0 in the midst of a winter storm.
Aguilar has since called two Costa Rica games, a 2015 Copa Centroamericana draw and a World Cup qualifier that saw the Ticos top Panama.
Multiple reports in Costa Rica also indicated that Panamanian referee John Pitti will be the man in the middle for a March 24 qualifier between Mexico and Costa Rica in Mexico City's Estadio Azteca.
