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Kathy Carter reveals plan for Independent Commission to reform U.S. Soccer

U.S. Soccer presidential hopeful Kathy Carter laid out her platform at the United Soccer Coaches Convention in Philadelphia on Thursday.

The main focus of her plan was the formation of an Independent Commission in charge of reforming the federation at every level.

“Based on the overwhelming feedback from the front lines of soccer in the U.S., and my 30 years as a player at the youth and amateur level, fan and executive in the game, I am proposing that U.S. Soccer establish an independent commission to determine what factors impede our country from developing world-class players more consistently and teams that succeed in international competitions,” she wrote in her overview of the commission.

The group would be chaired by Casey Wasserman, who led the city of Los Angeles’s efforts to land the 2028 Summer Olympics.

According to Carter, Wasserman and his team would focus on three broad areas: success on the pitch from the youth levels all the way into the professional ranks, growing the number of kids playing soccer, and improving the quality of officiating and coaching.

She wants to model the commission on the efforts taken by the United States Olympic Committee that responded to poor performances in the 1972 and 1988 Olympic Games, as well as how USA Basketball restructured after they failed to win gold at the 2004 Olympics.

Nobody on the commission would sit on the federation’s board, as Carter claims “it needs autonomy and to remain unencumbered by the day-to-day workings of the Federation.”

Nobody on the commission would be paid.

Carter also spoke on other topics related to the state of soccer in the United States. She was asked about the linking of MLS and USSF media rights and claimed she was “in favor of what will drive the most revenue into our sport.”

She also talked about the sport being a business, saying, “I believe that our sport is our business and our business is our sport. I don’t believe they are separate.”

Comments

  1. Mary Stock, “MNTs Bundesliga Boys” YouTube – ZMW: Rumors are rife that she could win based on her infuence w/Gulati and MLS,. SKG has been seen talking her up to voting members. Probably a deal. I, too, suspected it after a revealilng shock talking to him via email. People on the COUNCILS who will be voting. 25.8% of the PRO, YOUTH, ADULTS councils get total of over 75% of the votes. I have their names. But it’s also easy to check on the USSoccer, USSF, and individual names of these 3
    councils.Their votes are the meat that will determine the outcome of this election.

    I am very, very worried about the future of the MNT. WE DON”T NEED A STUDY. THIS WILL TAKE 3 YEARS! WE NEED ACTION! A GREAT COACH FIRST. i have vetted them all. Kyle Martino is the most sincere and the best of them. I’m sure he will want the best coach..One wiith a VERY good reputatiion, is in Europe, and highly recommended by our own guys over there.) PLEASE GET ON THE PHONE TO THE 3 COUNCILS WHO DO THE ACTUAL VOTING. WE CAN’T LET OUR INACTION CAUSE THIS DISASTER. I WANT TO SET A TARGET TO WIN THE WORLD CUP. WE CAN’T DO IT WHEN SHE’S STUDYING SOMETHING FOR 3 YEARS! WHAT ME AND PROFESSIONALS IN SOCCER COULD TELL HER IN 15 MINUTES !

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  2. especially useful if the agenda includes making unpopular sweeping changes that especially would benefit the established powers

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  3. well the “independent” commission might turn out to be not so independent. it might turn out to be friends/associates of the existing power structure and in this way the existing powers can put forth their own agenda under the guise of it being someone else’s idea. or maybe not? we’ll see, i guess.

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  4. Honestly: ” angry” Eric , connected with cuasi ” Mafiosi of Riccardo Silva will be a no-no , but, those little clubs, with mafiiosi on board wants the corruption back.. Look out the NPSL its and scheme in the amateur leagues. Baronne and Co. are the mafiosis in order. Motta ? hum … a complete A.H… big time..

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  5. Linda,
    Please drop out as you are not qualified to run a football club much less a football federation.
    We need football people. First order of business would be to change the name back to the original,United States Football Federation before the people in the NE US changed it to the desires of the prejudiced (NO DOGS or IRISH ALLOWED) population of those areas.
    A Footballer

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  6. All these candidates are talking about youth development and having better coaches at the youth levels that’s funny cuz I remember JK talking about that a few years ago and him hiring an auditor to look at the system and people had an issue with that. Now that’s what everyone wants when they failed to qualify.

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  7. “USA Basketball restructured after they failed to win gold at the 2004 Olympics.”

    She is comparing US Soccer to the Dream Team? Thats all I have to know. She doesn’t have a clue whats going on. Honestly for all the people running I’m not sure any of them have a great plan.

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    • 2004 was when the US got Bronze with Dwade, LeBron, Carmelo, Allen Iverson, and Tim Duncan. A squad that should have been plenty good enough (yes Bron, Wade, Melo were young but still). Maybe it’s not a good analogy for winning a WC but being the best in the region it works. The realization was that you couldn’t just win international basketball with the better talent you had to choose players who complimented each other and wanted to play as a team. The also went to a general manager to oversee the program and work hand in hand with Coach K on the roster and team direction. USAB also developed a system of summer workouts and non-Olympic competition to build depth and possible future Olympic players. 1972 was about adjusting a recognizing the differences of international play, 1988 perhaps doesn’t make sense because we don’t have a bunch of soccer legends waiting in the wings, but the overall statement holds water.

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      • In one case you have the clear most talented team in the world not quite living up to that in a single tournament. That’s just no where near what is facing US soccer.

      • We obviously don’t have a top team on the world stage, but we are unlikely to win a WC in my lifetime, and I most likely have 30 to 40 years left, no matter who is the next federation president. We have at worst the 2nd best talent in the region yet finished 5th, it seems the issue is the same, why when we have more talent than CR, Honduras, and Panama did we finish behind them.

  8. The Pro Council has roughly 26% of the vote. USL and NWSL both share ownership with MLS clubs and will vote the same as MLS/SUM, too much overlap and shared business interest. Back out 1.6% for NASL and the MLS/SUM group is at just under 25% of the vote. With some many candidates its already over folks, this puppet is going to be next president of USSF.

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  9. Wynalda is a dumpster fire of a candidate. He’s the Trump of all these contenders, spouting ridiculous talking points and claiming he knows how to fix everything, without putting forth anything of substance. He’s the “just trust me” candidate. Reminds me of Klinsmann: arrogant, condescending, superficial.

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      • flat? no. but it’s unfair, to be honest.

        “An ignorant bloviating jackass who’s in way over his head has zero concrete plans & is beholden to insidious foreign interests who’ll undermine what he’d be charged to protect? Yeah nothing like Trump at all. #Trumpnalda”

  10. Alright. Then whi is your pick? This question is for all of you? Maybe unfair not having heard what any of the others is proposing yet. But who do you lean towards and why?

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  11. listening to her on US of Soccer this morning was hard. she sounds like a politician. sounds like Gulati and Garber, shocker. she’s more of the same although it seems she is open to doing some things differently. but as a whole, I was not remotely impressed.

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      • The scope of Double Pass is more limited than what Carter is suggesting. Sounds like she wants an audit of every level of the federation, which is sorely needed.

    • in 1998 USSF paid Carlos Querioz $50m to make a plan to win the 2010 WC (Project 2010/Q Plan). some limited benefits came out of this plan (Generation Adidas/Nike40, Bradenton) but it was a short lived top down expensive doc that probably could have been created in house if anyone there had any leadership abilities.

      this is basically the Sunil, Carter, SUM platform. every 10 – 20 spend millions of dollars on a consultant to write a fairly obvious top down plan, and then spend the years between maximizing revenues from whatever comes out of their top down creation.

      i don’t think electing more non-soccer people to hire more non-soccer people to develop another expensive top-down plan is going to reduce the costs, barriers and unsuccessful culture of youth soccer or increase the scouting network into communities previously ignored nor is it going to make our pro leagues more competitive ..(insert other us soccer issue here)..

      its time for people who have lived US Soccer’s ups and downs as well as experienced soccer outside of the US bubble to take over. Wynalda is the #1 candidate, Martino is my second pick. Caligurri’s plans are okay (all about the ODP), Winograd and Gans seem like good guys to have involved but it sounds like Carter is exactly where she should be, working for SUM and not USSF.

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      • Yes, soccer people need Control then they hire the business folks. Not the reverse which is current way USSF works.

  12. Yahoo front page has a fluff piece on their female empowerment golden calf Hope Solo and how she is the best candidate. Its completely ridiculous.

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  13. So, “elect me so I can put the decisions into the hands of some unelected people, and nothing will change.” I’m sure she’s a nice lady and a competent businesswoman, but we should not let her anywhere close to the Presidency of US Soccer. This is the more of the same candidate.

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    • How is that more of the same? The whole point of her platform is to get an outsider’s perspective on what needs to be fixed and to make sure there are no conflicts of interest. That is the most coherent idea any of the candidates have put forth so far.

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