CHICAGO (Thursday, October 11, 2001) - U.S. Soccer referee Brian Hall has been selected as the head referee by FIFA to work an important 2002 World Cup Qualifying game between Saudi Arabia and Thailand.

The 40-year-old Hall and a trio of U.S. Soccer officials will call the upcoming World Cup qualifying match between Saudi Arabia and Thailand to be played in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on October 21, 2001. The two teams are competing in Group A, vying for a spot in the 2002 World Cup.

Saudi Arabia narrowly trails Iran in the group standings while Thailand is at the bottom of Group A. The group winner will qualify directly for Korea/Japan 2002, while the second-place team will face United Arab Emirates (runners-up to China in Group B) for third-place in AFC Qualifing. The winner of the third-place playoff will play Ireland for a place in the World Cup Finals.

Working alongside the California-based Hall will be referee assistants Thomas Bobadilla and Craig Lowry, along with Ali Saheli as the fourth official. Hall has been an international FIFA official since 1992, the longest current tenure of any U.S. Soccer official.