All articles tagged with #us soccer federation
The U.S. Soccer Federation's data-driven and complex process to find a new USMNT head coach ended up renewing Gregg Berhalter's contract, which was deemed a failure after the team's early exit in the 2024 Copa América. With Berhalter now fired, Matt Crocker aims to refine the search criteria and target specific candidates more effectively.
New York-based event promoter Relevent Sports has dropped FIFA as a defendant in its antitrust lawsuit, signaling a potential shift in FIFA's stance on allowing domestic club games to be played in foreign countries. The resolution between Relevent and FIFA does not include U.S. Soccer, which remains a defendant in the case. The agreement calls for the dismissal of all claims against FIFA and states that FIFA will be bound by the final decision in the suit regarding official season games held outside of the participating league's home territory. This development could pave the way for teams to play official league matches outside their home territory, potentially opening up commercial opportunities in the United States.
The power dynamics in American soccer are shifting, with MLS exerting significant influence over the U.S. Open Cup. The U.S. Soccer Federation has compromised with MLS, allowing only eight of its 26 eligible teams to participate in the 2024 Open Cup, along with eleven "MLS Next Pro" teams. This compromise reflects the growing influence of MLS owners and the league's financial contributions to U.S. Soccer, raising questions about who truly controls the sport and highlighting the federation's dependency on MLS.
The U.S. Soccer Federation and the Mexico Football Federation have submitted a joint bid to host the 2027 FIFA Women's World Cup, aiming to deliver a tournament of unprecedented success and accelerate the growth of women's football globally. The bid proposes an integrated partnership model that brings together host cities, stadiums, partners, and FIFA to tap into greater economic benefits and drive the women's game forward. Leveraging the infrastructure and protocols from the 2026 FIFA Men's World Cup, the bid plans to sell out high-capacity stadiums and host fan festivals, elevating women's soccer to new heights. FIFA will announce the hosts in May 2024.
Kate Markgraf, the General Manager and Head of Women's Soccer for the U.S. Women's National Team, has decided to step down from her position after four years. She will assist in the transition until the end of the month. Markgraf, a former player who represented the U.S. Women's National Team 201 times, was instrumental in building the foundation for the team's success. U.S. Soccer expressed gratitude for her contributions and looks forward to continuing to improve under a new strategic plan.
Gregg Berhalter, the coach of the U.S. men's national team, has acknowledged that there is "work to do" in rebuilding his relationship with Gio Reyna, one of the team's star players. Berhalter has not spoken to Reyna since the World Cup and will not be coaching the CONCACAF Gold Cup. The U.S. Soccer Federation's sporting director, Matt Crocker, said there are "some real big ticket items around some real strategic stuff over the next couple of seasons we need to map out first."
The U.S. Soccer Federation has appointed Oguchi Onyewu as the Vice President of Sporting. Onyewu, a former player and sporting executive, will work closely with U.S. Soccer’s Sporting Director Matt Crocker in supporting all sporting initiatives within the Federation. He will also play a prominent role in managing relationships with clubs and leagues in the United States and across the world, along with strengthening other stakeholder relationships. Onyewu's initial responsibilities will include assisting Crocker with the hiring of the next U.S. Men’s National Team head coach and driving increased funding for Youth and Extended National Teams.
The U.S. Soccer Federation has appointed Matt Crocker as the new Sporting Director. Crocker will oversee U.S. Soccer’s entire Sporting Department, focusing on the Men’s and Women’s National Team programs, Youth National Teams, and the Extended National Teams. He will start fulltime on August 2nd, but will immediately begin the process of hiring the head coach of the Men’s National Team and supporting the U.S. Women’s National Team general manager Kate Markgraf and USWNT head coach Vlatko Andonovski.