As the soccer conversation continues to evolve ahead of the sport’s biggest-ever moment in North America when the 2026 FIFA Men's World Cup takes center stage, PRO Referees are stepping up to illuminate the often-overlooked parts of the game.
Rhett Hammil, recently promoted from PRO2 to senior status, has big dreams and used MLS NEXT Pro as a proving ground just like the players he officiated. “Pathway” is a keyword woven within the league’s pillars and Hammil recently sat down with MLSNEXTPro.com to share what that looks like for referees, starting with the league's impact in his craft.
“It's definitely helping the referees and creating that pathway,” shared Hammil. “Games at the professional level mean more referees are needed, and you can get that experience where you can show the senior match official managers that you are good enough to get to that next level.”
Hammil started referring in Florida at the age of 12. A seasoned vet, of sorts, by the time he started officiating professional games, he still freshly recalls the rites of passage in stepping into the deep end.
“I remember thinking wow, these guys are fast," he continued. "I thought I was fast, and now I'm actually having to really sprint, and that's what was fun for me. I remember thinking these are good, competitive games where I'm actually having to push myself as hard as I can and really learn from at different moments, because these guys are challenging themselves and it's really challenging me on the field as well.”
By way of cutting his teeth in various competitions in North America on the come-up, Hammil's recent promotion means 2026 will be his first full season officiating MLS competitions.
Shaping the future
Part of Hammil’s success has been his role in implementing initiatives built to improve the quality of competition. Recent innovations implemented in MLS NEXT Pro and adopted by MLS, off-field treatment and timed substitutions, are up for vote to be added to IFAB's Laws of the Game.
Feeling out the new rules on-field creates the critical data and touchpoints needed to either move them forward or send them back to the drawing board. Balancing that with consistent performances week-in and week-out adds further pressure. With pressure comes the opportunity to rise above it, and there are rewards for succeeding.
But, before mastering all those things, referees must spend time at the grassroots level to develop their foundational instincts, and the beginnings are humble.
"Coming up, it's bare bones," explained Hammil. "You don't have the extra tools, so really, that's how you learn the game. At the basic level, you have to be able to rely on yourself and trust your teammates to get the right calls. And when you add in all these extra tools, it definitely makes it easier in certain points, but it also brings more pressure."
Modern times have made for more scrutiny. The jump to MLS comes with Video Assistant Refereeing, for example. Referees go through a range of emotions when the integrity of their decisions get tested for all to see.
"With VAR it's great to know that whatever happens is best for the game, but if you get told on the field that you got the call wrong, there's a lot of pride you have to swallow," Hammil continued. "As well as being able to check yourself and get back to the next moment instead of dwelling on it, because we're all trying to be perfect out here, our expectation is knowing we're going to make mistakes.
"But we don't want to make the mistake to mess up a goal or mess up someone's season. So you've really got to be able to move past that moment and look for the next play."
Mistakes happen
Another trait referees share with players is the quixotic quest for perfection. And the sooner they learn to have a healthy way to move past mistakes, the faster they find themselves ascending to a higher level.
"For me, it's still really hard to get over a mistake," Hammil admitted. "If it's something small, okay, fine, it happens. But if you ever make a mistake where it's offside that leads to a goal, or something that can actually change the decision of the match...For me, I can't get over it until I do another game. I'll think about it, and then I just want to get to the next game, and then the next game. I'm focused on that, and then that's how I get over it.
"But when I do make those mistakes, what I'll do is watch the play back and analyze it like 100,000 times. I'll watch the same clip over and over and just try to figure out what I saw in the moment and why I made that mistake and how my movement or anticipation can be better, or pretty much anything to help me never do it again."
Leveling up
Hammil's commitment to minimizing mistakes has led to a rapid ascent as one of PRO's shining up-and-comers in the last few seasons. In MLS NEXT Pro, he rode the momentum of a good year and earned selection to officiate the 2023 Cup Final.
"It kind of makes you realize all this hard work is finally paying off," he shared. "That was one of the first moments for me where I realized I'm actually going to do this and going to keep going with it."
The nature of being in the last game of the year, in MLS NEXT Pro or otherwise, means all involved: players, coaches, referees, and beyond, are on the right track.
"When you do big games, whether it's a big game for you or a big game for everyone, you're always going to remember certain moments and certain moments of those players," Hammil continued. "I think you always find those connections with the players or coaches and personnel during those big games, because everyone's excited about it, and it's a big moment no matter what."
Last year, he made his MLS debut in March when Atlanta United hosted New York City FC in Matchweek 6.
Mamba mentality
Many referees, including Hammil, live with the duality of growing up with ambitions of succeeding in both playing and refereeing in the formative years. Having a 360-degree view on both sides of the whistle while putting in the work, one might assume he'd be an ambassador between his teammates and the officials on gamedays.
"I always had an underlying respect, but I would never show it," he laughed. "I wasn't a player who was disrespectful to the referees, but I knew the Laws of the Game, and a lot of times I felt like I knew it more than the referees. So I would just do things to, like, confuse them, or there was so much stuff that I knew I could get away with, or things that I could manipulate."
A story similar to late NBA icon Kobe Bryant's famous tales of tormenting referees from his autobiography.
"It wasn't like I toned it down because I was a ref," said Hammil. "I probably just intensified it, because I tried to get the most out of it. So, when the players do it to me, I understand. I laugh, it's a part of the game."
Fun anecdotes aside, that competitive drive is a telling glimpse into what it takes to climb the pecking order of the refereeing world, making for real competition with your peers to be the best. Hammil's recent promotion comes with goals to climb the ladder all over again.
"This coming year will be my first full season at MLS. I always have high expectations for myself, so I try to keep that in check," explained Hammil. "I can't expect to do the final in the first year, even though if it was possible, that would be my expectation, but I'm always going to try to be perfect. I want to be recognized as one of the best, or at least one of the best upcoming to have that potential, and in the future, I want to be a FIFA referee.
"My goal now is just to build, starting at the bottom again, that base and experience to prove that I deserve to be here and I deserve to get the next shot at another level."
Keep pushing
How exactly does one become a professional referee? Turns out to be an interesting question. For Hammil, being humbled as a player at the University of Florida led him to explore other outcomes.
"I fell in love with the game even more in college. I was playing every single day; it was just a huge part of my life. And I kind of realized I'm not going to go professional or where I want to go. Like, I'm never going to be a World Cup player," Hammil recalled with a wry smile.
"But, I was also falling in love with refereeing almost more than playing, because I was doing it so much just to make money during college, and I just loved it. And so it kind of hit me that I could be a professional referee, and that's how I could stay a part of the game for as long as I wanted to."
To be a good referee, staying in tune with their starting point also plays a part. A common theme among Hammil and his peers is how the craft of officiating always starts with humble beginnings.
"I've always looked at it as a labor of love," he shared. "It's more than a hobby, it's a passion, just like someone going to play on weeknights to kick the ball around. That's kind of how I viewed it, but at an extremely high level where I'm going to do the best I can."
Rising to the professional level is still a routinely humbling experience.
"When you get to the level I'm at, yes, you do get paid more, and there's a lot more incentive and benefits, but it's still a labor of love," Hammil reiterated. "I still have a normal job that I do Monday through Friday, and every Friday night I fly out to a match, and I get back on Sunday."
Between traversing the MLS map on a weekly basis, reviewing video, taking care of business and family at home, all while maintaining a strict fitness and recovery routine, it adds up to be far more than meets the eye, and a journey that can create multiple breaking points.
"It's so much work throughout the week, just for a 90-minute game," Hammil said. "...When you're on the field, that is what makes it all worth it. I just worked my butt off for the past week. Now, I'm here for 90 minutes. So, you can't mess up. You've got to put in 110% because it's only 90 minutes compared to the 10-plus hours of work you put in this past week to be ready for this game."
