| Roles | Referee |
|---|---|
| Sex | Male |
| Full name | David Stanley•Socha |
| Used name | David•Socha |
| Born | 27 September 1938 in Springfield, Massachusetts (USA) |
| Died | 10 February 2025 (aged 86 years 4 months 13 days) |
| NOC |  United States |
David Stanley Socha was an American football (soccer) referee. He made his début in the top U.S. league in 1972 and was appointed a FIFA international referee in 1977.
Soucha is known for having refereed in two editions of the FIFA World Cup. Officiating in the Scotland-New Zealand game at Malaga, Spain, in 1982, he became the second US referee at the World Cup after Henry Landauer in 1970. Socha´s other appearance was at Puebla, Mexico, in 1986 when he was in charge of the Italy-South Korea match.
Socha also refereed in the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics football tournament, in which he refereed three matches, including the prestigious semi-final at Palo Alto between Brazil and Italy, which the South Americans won 2-1 after extra time.
Socha retired from refereeing immediately after the 1986 World Cup.
| Games | Sport (Discipline) / Event | NOC / Team | Phase | Unit | Role | As | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 Summer Olympics | Football (Football) | USA |
David Socha | ||||
| Football, Men (Olympic) | Match #2 | Brazil — Italy | Referee | ||||
| Football, Men (Olympic) | Match #1 | Italy — Chile | Linesman | ||||
| Football, Men (Olympic) | Match #3 | Brazil — Canada | Linesman | ||||
| Football, Men (Olympic) | Match #1 | Chile — Norway | Referee | ||||
| Football, Men (Olympic) | Match #3 | Cameroon — Iraq | Referee | ||||
| Football, Men (Olympic) | Match #5 | Canada — Cameroon | Linesman |
