The State Referee Committee would like to recognize the following referees that have qualified for higher grades in 2011:
State Referee 1 (Grade 5)
Joseph Carriero
Joe got involved with Cumberland Youth Soccer Association (CYSA) in the late 1980s and quickly moved up in grade, eventually working at the adult amateur level and the division 1 NELASA league. Joe has officiated professional matches in USL Premier Development Leauge. International experience includes matches at Schaefer Stadium (which would later be renamed Foxboro Stadium) where Joe officiated matches involving teams such as Benfica, Sporting, Maritimo, and the Cape Verde National Team. Joe referees for love of the game, and for the past 10 years has enjoyed refereeing College-level matches.
Joao “John” Ferreira
John moved from his native Portugal to Rhode Island in 1968 and played for P.A.C. of Central Falls from 1970-73 before going on to a sterling refereeing career that has spanned over 30 years. In 1991, he co-founded the R.I. Men’s Over-30 Soccer League, which has expanded from five original clubs to 43 at present. He has been president of the league for 20 years, which currently has over 1,000 registered players. He currently resides in Central Falls, R.I. and is a 2011 inductee into the New England Soccer Hall of Fame.
State Referee 2 (Grade 6)
Mike Correia
Mike Correia, from West Warwick, is a proud husband and father of three children. In addition to his refereeing pursuits, he holds a US Soccer national "C" coaching license. Mike has represented the state in regional-level competition many times over the years, working the USYSA Region 1 Championships (three times), Olympic Development Program (twice), and the Under-23 regional tournament (twice). Mike is a regular fixture at adult amateur competitions in the state and also officiates as the collegiate and high school level.
Krista McCann
Krista McCann, 19, from Cumberland, RI is currently in her second year at the University of Rhode Island School of Nursing. She started refereeing at the age of 12 in her home town recreational league. Krista quickly impressed her assignors and upgraded to grade 7 as soon as she was eligible at the age of 17, and earned her State Referee badge just 2 years later. Out-of-state tournament appointments include Washington Area Girls Soccer (WAGS) in Maryland, Score at the Shore and Disney's Soccer Showcase in Florida. Regional selections include the US Youth Soccer Region I Championships (twice), Olympic Development Program (ODP) Region I Championships, and the Region I Premier League Championshiops. Krista has been twice selected to national-level events, officiating at the 2010 President's Cup Championships in Tennessee and was the first female referee to attend the US National U-14 identification camp this past August in Massachusetts. Krista is looking forward to continuing to represent Rhode Island in out of town tournaments again this year.
Juan Montalvan
Juan Montalvan, from Pawtucket, has been a referee since 2001 and became a State Referee in 2010. Juan was born in Peru and played at the collegiate level for “La Agraria” University in Lima. Juan is also a distinguished coach, currently serving as the Head Coach at Wheeler High School. Juan graduated from Salve Regina University with a M.S. in Management and speaks fluent Spanish. Juan has been selected in the past to officiate at regional youth tournaments and he is currently coaching in the Olympic Development Program.
Rex Morris
Rex Morris, from Warwick, became a referee in 2000 and has been a State Referee since 2004. Rex was selected to officiate at the regional Presidents Cup twice and was selected to Presidents Cup national finals in 2010. Rex currently officiates high school and college games throughout New England.
Craig O'Rourke II
Craig O’Rourke II, from Richmond, has been a referee since 1989. He became a State Referee in 2002, and is currently the Men’s soccer coach at Salve Regina University in Newport. Upon becoming a State Referee, he was appointed to the USL Pro Referees List until 2004 and officiated professional matches in Division 2, 3, and 4 of US Soccer, including a May 15, 2004 international matchup between Sporting CP of Portugal and the Rhode Island Stingrays at Pierce Field in East Providence. Craig earned a national youth appointment in 2003 when he was selected to the US Youth Soccer National Championships in Germantown, MD. Currently, Craig referees all youth and amateur leagues in and around Rhode Island, including the first division Southern New England Super Cup.
Amilcar Sicaju
Amilcar began his referee career in 1999 officiating youth matches in his hometown of Central Falls, RI. He attained his State Referee badge in 2010 and regularly officiates in various youth and adult leagues throughout the state. Amilcar often represents Rhode Island at out-of-state tournaments and has been selected three times for national-level tournaments, being selected to the USYSA National Championships twice (2010, 2011) and once to the Olympic Development Program (ODP) National Championships in 2010. Regional selections include the USYSA Region I Championships (twice), ODP Region I Championships (twice), and the 2011 Region I Premier League championships.
Referee 1 (Grade 7)
- Jose Andrade, Pawtucket
- Al Behbehani, East Greenwich
- David Blezard, Warwick
- Mahfoud Boudjilida, Wakefield
- Tony Branco, Cranston
- Adam Briggs, North Smithfield
- Matthew DeBlois, West Warwick
- Nicholas DelGreco, North Kingstown
- Martinho Dias, Pawtucket
- Saleh Ead, Providence
- Joseph Giblin, North Kingstown
- Jerry Hobbs, Portsmouth
- Kabba Joof, North Providence
- Miguel Lara, Pawtucket
- Andrew Maldonado, Hope Valley
- Andrew Morris, Warwick
- Mike Parks, Warren
- Gordon Preiss, Westerly
- Norm Ripstein, West Kingston
- Kathy Souza, North Smithfield
- Susan Sparks, Lincoln
- Brian Sperlongano, North Kingstown
- Mike Williams, Lincoln
- Bob Wise, Providence
