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Carlos Cordeiro elected president of U.S. Soccer

It took three round of voting, but current U.S. Soccer vice president Carlos Cordeiro was elected the new president of the United States Soccer Federation at their annual general meeting in Orlando on Tuesday.

He ended up with 68.6% of the third round vote.

After one round of voting, Cordeiro and SUM president Kathy Carter were running neck and neck with over 70% of the vote between them. Eric Wynalda led the way among the six “change” candidates with 13.7% of the vote.

Paul Caligiuri, who garnered a mere 0.5% of the tally, dropped out after round one.

Cordeiro gained more support in the second round of voting. His total jumped to 41.8% while Carter saw hers fail slightly down to 33.3%.

Support among the change candidates leveled out with Wynalda and Kyle Martino splitting 21% of the vote.

Steve Gans and Mike Winograd withdrew after round two.

Support shifted heavily in favor of Corderio in the third round. He ended up with his 68.6% with Carter dropping all the way down to 10.6%, the same total as Martino.

Cordeiro’s tenure begins immediately. In his brief acceptance speech, he thanked his support, the previous regime headed by Sunil Gulati, and the other candidates for a spirited campaign. He pledged to win the trust of those who did not vote for him in this election.

Comments

  1. This election is reflective of US Soccer in all aspects. When put under pressure did what we all become all too familiar with watching soccer in this country… the equivalent of the defender booting the ball upfield. The safe play that merely procrastinates, temporarily relieves pressure but neither solves nor creates anything… leads to nothing positive going forward.

    There were no miracles on the ballot. It’s a shame that the only “outsiders” willing to step forward and do the work were former athletes high on passion, low on experience. Good on them, at least they drew attention to some things. That said… the whole game need to develop capable depth.

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    • booting the ball upfield is because our midfield does not consistently show for the ball. Cameron would try to play it on the ground and force it in there only to turn it over, so would Ream, thinking they were playing with other players or something. I’ll take booting it up field any day to forcing it into the middle and turning it over because midfielders aren’t open. Lletget was one of the few who would do it the entire game in there, not lose his courage and show for the ball. The issue is the midfield

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  2. I have to agree with some here that the “change” candidates were mostly lightweights. Martino had the most potential IMO. Wynalda was the Trump-like candidate who would have likely been a complete disaster. Solo was a complete joke, I can’t believe any thinking human being voted for her.

    Maybe this Cordiero guy will follow through and hire real soccer people to make real changes without blowing everything up in the process. Martino would be a great choice to work under him I think.

    The fact that Cordiero announced his candidacy before Gulati bowed out makes all the difference to me. Plus Carter was handpicked by Gulati/MLS. Those things say the guy is independent to an extent.

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    • Pay to play exists in every sport in America, removing it would require a fundamental shift across American culture, not just soccer.

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      • Basketball and Football aren’t pay to play, at least not in the same way soccer, baseball, softball, lacrosse, field hockey, and volleyball are.

  3. This is arguably the best candidate. He is very aware of the changes that are needed, knows how the USSF system works and the challenges the Federation faces. To say he is just a Gulati carbon copy is uninformed. Take a listen to one of his interviews. Also, he was Treasurer of USSF so he probably has the best understanding of the economic realities the Federation faces.

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    • Have to agree. Among the options, this was the sensible if not sexy choice. Martino and Wynalda shared credible visions but their lack of practical qualifications and relevant experience gave little confidence that they could actually implement any of those things, let alone deal with the business side of the job. A few years in a front office job or in an administrative role elsewhere in the US game might inspire some better credibility here.

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      • My thought was Martino would be perfect as part of the technical team that Cordiero mentioned. Build some experience there and could run when Carlos is ready to retire or move on.

    • I tend to agree. I never thought any of the “change” candidates were anything but lightweights in the managerial and business skills the position requires. Cathy was too close to Sunil so she suffered from that.

      Let us hope that Cordiero does not have some fan-boy obsession like Sunil had with Klinsmann and makes an intelligent choice regarding the system he puts in place to manage the soccer programs in the US. FWIW, I never thought JK would do the work needed to improve player development in the US, though I do give him credit for pointing out needed changes, but he gets a big fat zero for actually doing anything.

      There are a large group of good soccer coaches in the US who likely have the time to serve on part-time panels to define a direction for youth soccer in the US. Actually a lot of that is pretty non-controversial so it is not rocket science. What is not known is how to direct the huge number of volunteer coaches in the US and the various splintered state associations to act in a coherent way.

      The talent and management skills needed to pull that off; remember we are talking volunteers which means they are coaching or administering leagues or whatever for a wide range of reasons from pure altruism to wanting to see better soccer in the US to wanting to see that their own kids succeed. USSoccer needs those volunteers so manage them effectively it must.

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      • I agree. Let’s smooth the egos and get on with what we all love. I wanted change but we got more of the same. I really don’t know how a kid in a mini van is ever going out perform a kid that rides a bus to training before school then to another training after school and then comes home to very little food. That kid is motivated while the kid in the mini van is on his phone playing some games on his phone on his way home to a 5 course meal. The pay to play rule. Oh and you can have mediocre team and use them to rent your NFL stadium for the summer and call yourself a soccer person. First of all it is not soccer, it is FOOTBALL like our fore fathers brought it to us until the bigots changed the name because they hated the immigrants that played it (No Irish or Dogs Allowed). I’m sure you cultured northeastern US citizens remember that. So now we a have a non-citizen as our football federation president. I’d like to know how that happens in the USA besides couruption

    • Yup- 100% agree.The hubris doesn’t seem to be there with Cordeiro. I look forward to seeing who he’s going to put in charge of the technical pieces. I would have shuddered to think what a Martino or Wynalda would have done managing the business end of this.

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  4. As long as everyone here keeps supporting US soccer, both our national program and domestic league, in any way shape or form, you’ll never have a voice and your opinions wont ever matter.

    Your the “core audience” and they know that they you’ll stick around no matter what because your addicts.

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  5. The difference between Cordeiro and Gulati seems to be Carlos understands what it is he doesn’t know. His plans for change seem rather in line with what Martino and Wynalda were suggesting without putting the financials at risk. At least, for now, is saying he’s going to put soccer people in charge of the soccer part instead of micromanaging and doesn’t seem as beholden to SUM/MLS. He brings the kind of stability that could attract a top-level manager, whereas Martino or Wynalda could have been seen as a risk.

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    • How is this so different then Gualti naming Klinsmann technical director and giving him a great deal of power You can say what you want about Klinsmann but he’s certainly a “soccer person”. Who probably had more of a voice and power then anyone Cordeiro will put in place.

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      • How would Wynalda or Martino be different? From Cordeiro’s interview it sounds like he will not be meddling in the on field aspects which wasn’t the case with Gulati. The other difference to me seems to be he isn’t tied to MLS as Sunil was.

    • hey johnny, how Martino or Wynalda would be different is they played, Wynalda extensively in the system, and won’t be as easily wooed by tales of El Dorado from appointed soccer folks while they produce garbage

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      • I don’t know there are plenty of players who are terrible execs and managers too. I doubt he worked his way up at Goldman Sachs by not doing his homework.

    • Spot on as usual Johnny Razor- let’s give this a chance all. Cordeiro is running the business end- that’s it folks. He’s going to put the Wynalda’s and Martino’s in charge of running the technical part of the men’s and women’s national team. He doesn’t claim to be a soccer brain- that’s what won him the trust of the athlete’s council. Everyone understands that MLS, the youth program etc. are going to grow on the backs of USMNT success in the World Cup.

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  6. Seems like he was able to sell people on the idea that he had the connections to get a World Cup in the US. A World Cup the US will likely be embarrassed in, at this rate.

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  7. Like most entrenched organizations, it is a self perpetuating machine. The way you become a voter is to be a cog in the driving mechanism. Who is going to vote themselves out of influence? Nnnnnnno one is who. An insider being elected is the only result remotely possible. The only hope for change is the luck of having a closet contrarian, someone who is an adept politician, that towed the party line while other/better ideas than their boss. Lets hope for that.

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  8. Looking a the voting %s, I’m a little confused by the process. Only Paul Caligiuri with 0.5% of the vote was eliminated after the first round, but not Michael Winograd with 0.6% of the vote. You can’t get rid of him and Hope Solo (1.6%)? Also, why did the Kathy Carter block defect to Carlos Cordeiro after the second round? Did something change in the five minutes between votes or were they in that big of a hurry to get home, so they’d rather lose in the third round instead of the sixth round?

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  9. I was disappointed at first until I read the ESPN interviews with him. The man is definitely not Sunil and has an intelligent plan to make US elite, with the background and experience to do it.

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    • Background to do it.? Read Ives article on Goal. The man admits he was introduced to soccer by Gulati 10 years ago. TEN!! So he goes from knowing nothing about soccer much less played it to being the head of the federation.

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      • I’ve read a fair bit of background on him- one of the things that swung the athlete’s council is Cordeiro admitting that he’s by far not the biggest soccer brain in the room. The idea is that a GM for both the men’s and women’s national program are first selected, and that they drive these programs and run the technical end. Cordeiro is just running the business end. These guys are not idiots- they understand that national team success is pivotal to growing the game on all fronts. The coffers have swollen over the past 20 years on the back of growing interest in the USMNT and the World Cup in general. Let’s give this a chance before everyone cries doomsday.

    • I listened to a few of Grant Wahl’s interviews with the candidates and Cordeiro was the only one who gave a decent response to a question about what to do with USSF’s surplus funds.

      I can see why people are upset, but I think those people are putting too much hope into the position of President. Real reform is going to have to come from the Board and I hope it starts with paying the President. You can’t hope to get top people for such a big job without offering a salary.

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  10. Disappointing, but about what I expected. The USSF is making a lot of money and that’s what those people care about most. As long as they make money, the US national teams can be garbage, it doesn’t really matter. At times like this I like to quote that well known radical, Herbert Hoover. “The problem with capitalism is that capitalists are too damn greedy.”

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  11. Joe Hojnacki : ” Six change ” candidates? You must be kidding , ” change ” to what? corruption and manipulation from these six loosers?

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  12. dadada Meet the new boss, same as the old boss….wont get fooled again.

    Its now a toss up between Arena, Klinsmann or Bob Bradley for the new coach

    Totally disappointed, there is no hope

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  13. Unbelievable. The Old Boys Network continues. Shame on voters for changing absolutely nothing. Sunil remains on the board, and you think he won’t influence Cordeiro’s decision making? Nothing will change but the money in the pockets of all these corporate-minded idiots. Cameron said it best in his article: US Soccer is status quo, arrogant (just look at the way Sunil moderated, rudely throughout), and unwilling to take chances and get out of comfort zone. This is the mindset at the top, so is it any wonder that the players don’t take chances abroad, challenge themselves? Honestly, this presidential election was like watching Michael Bradley lollygagging through the midfield, while McKennie just sits on the bench, waiting for something to happen…

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    • Cordeiro or K. Carter were the only viable candidates, the rest was pure garbage. The only idiots here, are the stupid people like you, thinking that an a__ hole like ” angry ” Eric Wynalda could be elected US. Federation president. And BTW , The US. Federation exist today thanks only to the MLS and SUM . The so call adult league and the NPSL is in the hands of mafia people , manipulated by no other than Mr. Riccardo Silva.

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      • When you compare someone to the Mafia, you should provide some supporting information and be prepared to back up your charges. I don’t know this guy Silva, nor do I know you, but if you are not being accurate, this is libelous speech.

  14. I’d like to hear from the Athletes Council on why they chose to vote their 20% as a block for Cordero. Why him instead of others? Ultimately I’m glad Kathy did not win and SUM appears to have lost but I’m not convinced Cordero is committed to real change. Hopeful but also disappointed. Really want to know the Why for the Athletes Council vote which ultimately blocked Kathy and elected Carlos.

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