Similar to any league around the world, an underlying storyline of any CONCACAF Champions League game surrounds the refereeing. Historically, CCL referees have provided questionable calls and have done few favors for MLS teams playing away from home (i.e. LA last Thursday).
So which official will man the field when the Dynamo and Santos Laguna take the field Wednesday at Estadio Corona? That honor goes to Suriname official Enrico Wijngaarde. Wijngaarde will be joined by Ricardo Louisville (SUR) and Egbert Paesch (ARU) as his assistant referees and Rudolph Angela (ARU) as his fourth official.
Wednesday will be the second time that Wijngaarde will have officiated a Dynamo match. Wijngaarde officiated the 2008 SuperLiga match between the Dynamo and Chivas de Guadalajara at Robertson Stadium. Chivas won the match 1-0 and six yellow cards were handed out.
Most recently, Wijngaarde officiated matches in the CONCACAF U-20 Championship including the final between Mexico and the United States. In that match, the 39-year-old official handed out five yellow cards and one red card.
Also, it should be noted that in 10 of the previous 19 matches in which he has served as the center referee, Wijngaarde has handed out a minimum of four yellow cards.
