The first American referee assigned to referee a game between two European teams in Europe.
Kleinitis, who was an FIFA international referee from 1985 to 1990, handled an Ireland-Soviet Union game in Dublin in 1990. His international assignments during those years also included the Pan-American Games in 1987 and several World cup qualifiers. Kleinitis had risen very rapidly through the refereeing ranks, moving from beginning status to becoming a FIFA referee in only 11 years. He refereed in the North American Soccer League during its 1983 and 1984 seasons, and the NCAA Division One championships games in 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983 and 1989.
Inducted in 1995