Carlos Cordeiro loses U.S. Soccer presidency bid 2 years after resigning in disgrace
Carlos Cordeiro, the former U.S. Soccer president who resigned in disgrace in 2020, failed in his bid for reelection on Saturday, losing out to incumbent Cindy Parlow Cone.
Cone, a former national team player who helped elect Cordeiro in 2018, and who ascended to the presidency in 2020 after one year as vice president, won Saturday's quadrennial election with 785.12 weighted votes to Cordeiro's 698.26.
The 5.9 percentage point difference was the smallest final margin in U.S. Soccer presidential election history, and an emblem of a tight race that exposed fissures within the federation's membership.
"Wow," Cone said with a big sigh of relief to open her acceptance speech at U.S. Soccer's annual general meeting in Atlanta. She'll serve a full four-year term through the winter of 2026.
Cordeiro's controversial presidential challenge
Cordeiro, who won U.S. Soccer's most heated presidential election ever in 2018, abruptly stepped down on March 12, 2020, after the federation used sexist language in court filings to defend itself in a legal battle with its women's national team over equal pay.
U.S. Soccer, via its lawyers, argued that "the overall soccer-playing ability required to compete at the senior men’s national team level is materially influenced by the level of certain physical attributes, such as speed and strength, required for the job,” and cited “the materially higher level of speed and strength required to perform the job of an MNT player" as a reason for discrepancies in compensation.
The filing sparked immediate backlash from players, media and even sponsors. Cordeiro apologized for the "offense and pain" it caused, but many in the American soccer community weren't satisfied. Multiple former USWNT players called for his ouster. A day after his apology, Cordeiro ceded to pressure and resigned.
Cone, the vice president at the time, assumed the presidency. Over almost two years at the helm, she helped navigate U.S. Soccer through the pandemic and oversaw a revamped legal strategy in the equal pay case. Just last month, U.S. Soccer and the USWNT players agreed to a $24 million settlement. Cone reiterated Saturday that it was a "huge win" for both sides.
Cone had announced last year that she planned to run for reelection, and with the Jan. 4 deadline for nominations approaching, it appeared that she'd run unopposed. But behind the scenes, Cordeiro had mounted another campaign. On Jan. 5, he announced that he'd run again.
In an open letter posted to his personal website, before touting his successes as president, he sought to explain the missteps that led to the sexist court filings.
"I had put in place multiple layers of oversight to ensure that the litigation with the women’s national team was conducted in keeping with the values of our federation," he wrote. "In hindsight, I realize that a matter of this importance deserved much more personal oversight from me."
In one final election day speech Saturday, he reiterated that he'd taken responsibility for the "inexcusable" and "hurtful" filing. He said that, over the past two years, he'd reflected and learned, and was "committed to doing better, to being a better listener, and a better partner."
But players weren't convinced. When Cordeiro's candidacy leaked, Megan Rapinoe immediately tweeted that he had "embarrassed everything and everyone with caveman levels of misogyny." More recently, with the election approaching, 32 USWNT players signed a Friday letter endorsing Cone.
"We respect Cindy’s integrity, her passion for the game as a former player and a coach, her pragmatic approach as a business leader, and commitment to its players at all levels from our national teams to the grassroots level," the players wrote. "We see how much our colleagues at the U.S. Soccer Federation – from the staff to the executives – value Cindy’s leadership and the cultural advances that she has championed."
Players help reelect Cone, but vote exposes division
A few of those players held votes in Saturday's election, and likely swung it in favor of Cone. The influential Athletes Council, a group of current and former players from all U.S. national teams, held 33.3% of the weighted voted.
A reminder of how the USSF electorate is set up: pic.twitter.com/PtyDmrRMDY
— Jonathan Tannenwald (@thegoalkeeper) March 5, 2022
It's unclear what proportion of that 33.3% went to Cone, but it was likely the most significant chunk of the 52.9% that Cone earned. She'd also been praised by prominent figures in Major League Soccer and the National Women's Soccer League, both of which carried significant sway on the Pro Council, which held 20% of the vote.
But many on the Youth and Adult Councils — the heads of state associations in charge of amateur soccer — supported Cordeiro. Soccer America's Paul Kennedy wrote that their support underscored "how hopelessly divided the federation is." Cordeiro said Saturday that many "felt ignored and marginalized." Many believe that U.S. Soccer currently dedicates far too many resources to its senior national teams and not enough to grassroots organizations.
"There's almost a total lack of support for the youth and adult organizations in the United States," North Texas Soccer Association president Janet Campbell complained Saturday. "And I hope you saw that with the vote that just came through."
Cone, in her acceptance speech, addressed these fissures.
"To all of you who supported me, and all of you who supported my opponent, I say the same thing: The moment of division is now in the past," she said.
"We are one federation. We are one team. I promise to be the leader for all of U.S. Soccer. I have never been more excited and more hopeful about the future of our beautiful game.
"Now is the time for all of us to work together. No more divisions. We don't have time for all of that. Our moment is now, and I promise you that each and every one of you have a friend and a partner in me as president of U.S. Soccer."
