Veteran whistle blower loves his job
Waterloo’s Petrescu has officiated in more than 170 Major League Soccer contests
WATERLOO — Silviu Petrescu is happy to be home.
The 52-year- old Major League Soccer referee just finished a whirlwind two-month stretch that saw him criss-cross the United States to officiate matches on North America’s premier soccer circuit.
But, even though he is back in Waterloo, there is no resting for the ref born and raised in Romania.
As soon as his two-week quarantine was over, it was right back to the soccer fields near RIM Park for a run.
“It’s a commitment,” he said. “It might look easy on TV but it’s lots of work. You have to stay in shape, especially when you get older.”
Running, biking and lifting weights year-round is mandatory to make it through a 90minute match, not to mention the MLS pre-season fitness test he’ll have to pass to return next season.
Petrescu is one of only three Canadian referees in the 26team league and, after a 34-year career on the pitch both domestically and internationally, he’s hoping to come back for at least one more.
“When people say: ‘I love my job,’ that’s me,” he said. “I love soccer. It’s part of my life.”
It was hard to avoid the sport while growing up in Brasov, a city in the Transylvania region in the heart of Romania.
Petrescu’s father, Radu, was a Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) referee and also called games in the country’s top league. In 1986, he urged his son, then a capable defender, to follow in his footsteps, figuring he’d have alonger career on the other side of the whistle.
And so the journey began. Petrescu was refereeing soccer games at just 18 years old. By 23, he was the youngest referee in Romania’s second division. But, just as his career was taking off, he left post-Communist Romania and immigrated to Canada, settling in Waterloo where his sister lived.
He spoke little English and had to start over. He turned to soccer to do it.
Petrescu was working children’s games around Waterloo Region and, later, in the Kitchener and District Soccer League, when one-time FIFA official Tony Camacho, of Cambridge, noticed his work and helped him move up the refereeing ladder in Canada.
By 2002, Petrescu had his FIFA badge and started working World Cup qualification matches and other top tournaments around the world until, seven years back, he reached the association’s mandatory retirement age of 45.
A 2012 friendly between Mexico and Brazil, before about 85,000 fans at Cowboys Stadium in Dallas, stands out from his time with FIFA.
“The atmosphere there was fantastic,” said Petrescu. “During the game, we used radio systems to talk but it was impossible to hear each other because it was so loud.”
Another highlight was the MLS Cup final between the Los Angeles Galaxy and Houston Dynamo FC that same year.
“I was the first Canadian referee to work an MLS Cup final,” he said. “It was the last game for David Beckham (with the Galaxy). That was one of my biggest games.”
Petrescu has officiated more than 170 MLS matches since coming into the league in 2007, the same year Toronto FC joined the loop. Over the years, he’s cultivated a reputation as a fair referee that treats players with respect. If he makes a bad call, he owns up to it.
“If you are honest with the players and coaches they appreciate that,” he said.
“We are humans and we make mistakes.”
The MLS playoffs are currently underway and the Cup final is slated for Dec. 12, but the league isn’t using any Canadian refs to avoid quarantine delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
That means Petrescu can concentrate on other things. Like managing the United Taxi car, that he used to drive up to 40 hours per week, but now leases.
He also helps younger referees-in-training in his role as vice-president and education director of the South West Soccer Referees’ Association.
Most importantly, he gets to spend time with his wife, Antonela, and daughters Michelle, 24, and Nicole, 20.
“I’m lucky,” said Petrescu. “You can’t do this by yourself. If you don’t have support from your family, it’s really hard to do it.”