The US Soccer Federation (USSF) has elected the successor of exiting President Sunil Gulati. USSF Vice President Carlos Cordeiro will be the next head of US soccer.
After the US men’s team shockingly failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup, it became evident that American soccer needed reform. Soon after the World Cup qualification heartbreak, President Gulati announced that he would not run for reelection, sparking a wave of debates as to which director the US federation should take. There were calls for US soccer to undergo subtle changes or even a total overhaul, but regardless, it was obvious that a change was needed. Cordeiro was a candidate that worried many fans as he has been a USSF executive since 2007 and did not pose the radical ideology that other candidates campaigned under. He is perceived as someone who would likely maintain continuity within USSF, but fans should still hold optimism given his platform of promising changes.
Cordeiro’s first priority is to finalize the preparations of the 2026 World Cup bid with co-hosts Mexico and Canada. The bidding process was fast-tracked, and on June 13 of this year, the FIFA Congress will decide to award the World Cup rights to the North American countries, Morocco, or to push the selection to 2020 to allow more time for other countries to submit bids. Securing the rights to host the 2026 World Cup is a crucial first step for Cordeiro, since many of his propositions hinge on hosting the event. Cordeiro promised to lay out a plan to use the World Cup to attract corporate partners and sponsors to reinvest into US soccer.
Of his other propositions, Cordeiro plans to make youth soccer more affordable to expand and diversify the sport. He will tackle the pay inequality of the men’s and women’s national teams while also providing both teams with the same support. The federation received massive criticism for pay disparities; women receive less money per game, smaller bonuses, and less World Cup money. In addition, the women’s team endured unfavorable conditions and fewer accommodations than the men’s team. Cordeiro will see that conditions and pay are equal among both teams and he will increase the role of women in upper levels of USSF. He will also give more power to the board of directors and include former players in decision-making roles. Cordeiro did not offer many ideas for changes to major league soccer (MLS) since the soccer league and USSF are currently in a legal battle with the North American Soccer League. It is believed that Cordeiro will lean toward implementing a promotion-relegation system in MLS as he wants the US to compete with European leagues.
Most of the opposition to Cordeiro’s presidency is the fact the he is an USSF executive and that his platform was not as fan centered as other candidates. The voting delegates had an opportunity to elect someone who would truly transform US soccer, but instead went with the conservative choice in Cordeiro. While he was not the most enticing option, his presidency will bring much needed change and will hopefully lay a foundation to rebuild US soccer.