Chicago, IL (My Sportsbook) - U.S. Soccer referees Jennifer Bennett and Kari Seitz have been named to the final list of referees for the 2007 FIFA Women's World Cup in China. The announcement was made by FIFA Vice President Angel Maria Villar Llona, the chair of the FIFA Referees Committee.

Overall, FIFA named 12 referees and 23 assistant referees from across the globe, with an additional six referees assigned as reserves. The U.S. is the only country to be represented by two referees.

"I'm extremely excited I'm honored and fortunate to have the opportunity to pursue a dream of mine and to participate in a game I love at the highest level," Bennett said. "I think its a huge statement and a testament to our commitment to making our program one of the best in the world. A single ref doesn't make it to the World Cup on their own. It takes a team of people who are willing to take the time and make the investment in that referee. Having two referees at the world cup is phenomenal for U.S. soccer and is really representative of the quality of the programs that we have in place."

The selection process included intense scrutiny of the world's best women's soccer officials at the last three Algarve Cups (2005, 2006 and 2007), the 2006 FIFA U-20 Womens World Championship in Russia, a training camp in the Canary Islands in January 2007 and a final period of preparation and training at the home of FIFA in Zurich in May.

"This is the most excited I've ever been," Seitz said. "This is an incredible honor. This is the most stringent qualification process to date and to continue to prove yourself time and again is really a testament to the hard work, dedication and support that we get. It is a particular honor because of the time and effort that went into it."