Geiger first took up refereeing in 1988. In 2003, he was named Referee of the Year by the New Jersey Soccer Association. He became a
United States Soccer Federation National Referee in 2003 and officiated in
Major League Soccer from 2004 to 2018. He has officiated in
CONCACAF tournaments since becoming a
FIFA referee in 2008, and has officiated
Gold Cup and other international tournaments and fixtures. Geiger was selected for the
CONCACAF U-20 Championship in 2011, where he refereed the final.
Major League Soccer Geiger was selected as the Major League Soccer referee of the year for the 2011 season, and then again in 2014. He was the referee for the
MLS Cup in 2014
2011 U-20 World Cup Geiger officiated at the
2011 FIFA U-20 World Cup in
Colombia. He officiated the
Group E game between eventual tournament champions
Brazil and
Austria at
Estadio Metropolitano Roberto Meléndez in Barranquilla. He then took charge of the
Group B game between
Uruguay and
Cameroon at
Estadio El Campín in
Bogotá. He was appointed to the
Round of 16 match between
Spain and
South Korea at
Estadio Palogrande in Manizales. Finally, he refereed the
Final with American Assistant Referee Sean Hurd and Canadian Assistant Referee
Joe Fletcher, between
Brazil and
Portugal at
Estadio El Campín in Bogotá. This was the first time a referee from the
United States has ever officiated a major men's tournament final. during a 2012 MLS match
2012 Summer Olympics In 2012, Geiger was selected as one of 16 referees to officiate at the
2012 Summer Olympics in London. Geiger took charge of the Group D
match between Spain vs. Japan and the
quarterfinal between Japan vs. Egypt.
2013 Club World Cup Geiger was selected as
CONCACAF's representative referee for the
2013 Club World Cup. He took charge of the match for fifth place, which was between
Al Ahly and
Monterrey.
2014 FIFA World Cup Geiger was one of 25 referees appointed for the
2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil. Geiger described the assignment to the World Cup as "an immensely proud moment". Geiger officiated the 2014 World Cup
Group C match between
Colombia and
Greece at the
Estadio Mineirão in Belo Horizonte; the 2014 World Cup
Group B match between
Chile and
Spain at the
Maracanã Stadium in Rio de Janeiro; and the 2014 World Cup
Round of 16 match between
France and
Nigeria at the
Estádio Nacional in Brasilia, the first American to referee in the knockout round of a FIFA World Cup.
2016 Copa America Centenario In 2016, Geiger was selected as a referee for the
2016 Copa America Centenario, which was hosted in the United States. Geiger had the whistle for the group stage match between Brazil and Haiti.
2017 FIFA Confederations Cup Geiger was selected to officiate the
2017 FIFA Confederations Cup in
Russia. In the Group Stage, Geiger officiated the
Group B match between
Australia and
Germany in
Sochi as well as the
Group A match between
New Zealand and
Portugal in
Saint Petersburg.
2017 Club World Cup In 2017, Geiger was selected as a VAR for the Club World Cup. Geiger was assigned as a VAR for several matches, then was named the VAR for the final between
Real Madrid and
Gremio.
2018 FIFA World Cup Geiger was one of 36 referees selected for the
2018 FIFA World Cup, working with a North American crew of
Joe Fletcher from Canada and Frank Anderson from the United States. Geiger served as referee on three matches at the tournament and was VAR in five matches. Geiger's first assignment was the second group stage match of Group B between
Portugal and Morocco. Geiger worked as the
VAR In the match between
Denmark and Australia. During the match he advised the referee,
Antonio Mateu Lahoz, to review a possible handball in the penalty area. After review, Lahoz awarded a penalty kick that allowed the Socceroos to score and secure a 1–1 draw. He subsequently worked as VAR for the Group D match between Argentina and Iceland, the Group G match featuring Belgium and Tunisia and the Round of 16 contest between Uruguay and Portugal before his final assignment in the tournament's match for third place. Geiger then officiated the Group F third match between
South Korea and Germany. South Korea defeated Germany 2–0, but neither team advanced since Sweden defeated Mexico. He then officiated at the Round of 16 game between
Colombia and England. England advanced on penalties after a 1–1 draw. Geiger was selected as one of the final 12 referees on the shortlist to officiate the final or match for third place, and was ultimately selected to be VAR on the match for third place between
Belgium and England.
Retirement On January 9, 2019, Geiger announced that he would retire from refereeing and take up a position within PRO as its director of senior match officials. == Controversies ==