NEW LEADERSHIP AT US SOCCER
It is needless to
say that the US Soccer Federation (USSF) is confronting another major crisis
since it has been living in a constant state of crisis for a long time. As
Grant Wahl put it so elegantly “The
culture of the U.S. Soccer Federation has long been described as clubby and
insular, resistant to change, quick to excommunicate anyone who rocks the boat
(as Michelle Akers, Hope Solo, Eric Wynalda and many others) and too slow to
welcome black Americans or Latinos”. To compile the problem for the past two
years “The Federation went full speed ahead with its business relationship with
Soccer United Marketing, owned by Major
Soccer League (MLS) owners, which
has raised serious questions over conflicts of interest. And the lawsuits against U.S. Soccer kept multiplying. The Federation
is now being sued by the US
Women’s National Team (USWNT) players for gender discrimination; by Hope Solo in a separate case; by the U.S. Soccer
Foundation, a charity; by the NASL; by Relevent Sports” and by other individuals.
Carlos Cordeiro, an “insipid” Harvard
graduated sports executive with very little (or none) experience in practical
soccer affairs, which served first as VP and then was elected to the Presidency
of the Federation to prolong the leadership of charismatic and controversial
former USSF last “tsar” Sunil Gulati. Cordeiro was elected in 2018 practically
by default and fail to make the urgent changes in direction and leadership that
Federation needs desperately. He ended up mismanaging the USSF legal battle with
the USWNT and resigned to the post. Give the impression that he took the easy stance
of escaping the problem rather that to find energy and ideas to solve it.
As a consequence of such
resignation the U.S. Soccer Federation Board has turned to North Carolina FC
(NCFC) Youth-affiliated individuals to fill massively important positions. In addition
to the naming Cynthia (Cindy) Parlow Cone Cone as Interim President, USSF designated
Will Wilson as its new CEO and Secretary General.
Cindy Parlow is a former USSF Women’s
National team midfielder and soccer coach with a strong personality. She has the difficult job of trying to resolve
the Federation ongoing Equal Pay Act lawsuit
with the women’s national team before it goes to trial and to reorganize, or at
least to start the process of reorganization, of the different modules of the
Federation.
Will Wilson, a seasoned industry veteran with
experience at MLS and the NFL most recently worked as an Executive Vice
President at global sports agency Wasserman. Additionally, Wilson served on the
NCFC Youth Board of Directors, also chairing the Alliances and Collaborations
Committee.
The new USSF leadership already announced
significant cuts in youth developing programs, which in our view were not
successful or beneficial by any means. The important issue here is not to just
simply scaling down programs, it is also to implement useful alternatives. We
must sit there and watch how those changes- if any- may benefit soccer in the
US. If good things happened, we will welcome them; if not, sorry, we are well
accustom to suffer.
The million-dollar question remains the usual:
Is this leadership adjustment just a “cosmetic change” keeping business the
same as before or we will see significant improvements? To begin with, this
move gives more control and power to the MLS, a curious pro league very
different of all the other FIFA Professional National Leagues that does well financially
but weakly in terms of soccer quality and development.
In the meantime, we, in South Florida, will
continue working on the trenches developing local players, clubs, teams and
leagues, independently and without support from anybody, as it has been the
norm for decades.
Personally I wish Cindy good fortune. I share
with her my strong involvement in the prevention and management of concussions
in soccer, a serious condition affecting a myriad of soccer players thorough the
world, most of which still go unnoticed/unreported.
We have the terror of COVID-19, and now the
USSF ultimate crisis. Is there any light at the end of the tunnel?
Dr. JC Meeroff
Dr. JC Meeroff
