3 Days until Atlanta United play in Mercedes-Benz Stadium

Just when you thought Sunday’s Atlanta United debut at Mercedes-Benz Stadium couldn’t get any more intriguing, PRO’s weekend referee assignments have been revealed. Everyone’s favorite man in the middle, Mark Geiger, returns to Atlanta for the FC Dallas match according to the official Week 27 assignments.

Atlanta United v FC Dallas

Mercedes-Benz Stadium (3:30PM ET)

REF: MARK GEIGER

AR1: Ian Anderson

AR2: Brian Poeschel

4TH: Mark Kadlecik

VAR: Robert Sibiga

If you’ve been living under a rock and are unaware of Mr. Geiger’s exploits, here’s a rundown of his past visits to Atlanta:

July 2015 - Mexico vs. Panama at the Georgia Dome in the Gold Cup semifinals. Geiger is the referee for one of the most infamously CONCACAFy matches in recent memory. A penalty awarded to Mexico in second-half stoppage time brought that match to extra time. Mexico would go on to win that match thanks to another penalty. Calls aside, the match will be remembered most of crowd unrest and several near-brawls. After the match, CONCACAF admitted mistakes were made.

March 2017 - While not as dramatic or controversial as the Gold Cup match, Geiger was the ref for Atlanta United’s first-ever MLS match. A 2-1 loss to the New York Red Bulls at Bobby Dodd Stadium. He issued a red card to Carlos Carmona in that one, but it was justified. Overall, he seemed to do a fine job with very few contentious moments, but still managed to draw the ire of Atlanta fans:

It was a bad look at the time thanks to a few unruly fans. Thankfully, we haven’t seen anymore incidents like this.

Geiger has a gigantic reputation around MLS, but for the most part does his job well. In case he reads this, HE’S A FINE REFEREE WHO TRIES HIS BEST!

Sunday just got a little more interesting. Can it hurry up and get here?

Bonus: Here’s Julio Jones and Migos ready to make an impact off the bench if Tata needs them.