Who is the referee in the game between the USMNT and Mexico in the Concacaf Nations League?

The clock ticks down as both the Mexican National Team and the USMNT prepare to face on another in Nevada with a place in the 2023 Concacaf Nations League final on the line. The record of the US has them firmly in the driving seat ahead of kick-off as they are unbeaten against their neighbours in five straight matches.

The game promises to be a tense affair, with a majority Mexican crowd spurring on the ‘away side’ who will be looking to put a disappointing draw vs Cameroon behind them and push on ahead of a plethora of national team competitions that are on the horizon.

Who is the referee in the Nations League semi-final?

The official charged with overseeing the potentially tasty game today is 32-year-old Iván Barton, from El Salvador in Central America. The referee has plenty of experience in high profile international matches and was one of the selected officials to whistle games at the Qatar World Cup last December, making him the third-youngest referee at thr tournament.

His first taste of top level refereeing came in the Concacaf Under-20 championship in 2018, which is the same year in which he became a FIFA referee. After that, he oversaw games in the 2019 Gold Cup, Nations League and the Under-17 World Cup in 2019. He was one of four Concacaf referees chosen to represent the continent at the 2022 FIFA Club World Cup. Nowadays, the majority of his games take place in El Salvador’s Primera Division.

Barton will hopefully have an easy and quiet night at Allegiant Stadium, however, given the fact that there is so much on the line for both teams in so many respects, it would take a brave soul to think that the referee will duck and weave through the game like pro boxer. He might just have to stop some punches flying himself.