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59-596: Executives and representatives from 24 professional football leagues convened the Global Leagues Forum in April 2015 to discuss current issues with the football system and business as a whole. The World Leagues Forum was formed in early 2016 in preparation for the 2016 FIFA Extraordinary Congress , in which a new FIFA president would be elected. It convened its first meeting on 25 February 2016, in Zürich before

118-501: A 20-year lease, with the project set to break ground in 2016 and finishing some time in 2017. In September 2023, U.S. Soccer announced they were moving from Chicago to a new headquarters and training center south of Atlanta , which will be partially funded by Arthur Blank , cofounder of The Home Depot and owner of the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons and MLS’s Atlanta United . In December 2023, U.S. Soccer announced they had chosen

177-580: A broadcast agreement with ESPN that sees 20 regular season games televised nationally on ESPN2, ESPNews and ESPN Deportes in addition to national broadcast of the USL Championship Final, which in 2019 was aired on both ESPN2 and ESPN Deportes. The league's remaining regular season games are broadcast nationally on ESPN+, with 22 of the Championship's clubs also holding local broadcast agreements. The USL Championship's broadcast agreement

236-632: A general training area are specifically dedicated to U.S. Soccer. Both the senior and youth men's and women's U.S. national teams hold regular camps at Dignity Health Sports Park. U.S. Soccer was also exploring a possibility of building the National Training and Coaching Development Center in Kansas City, Kansas . On April 9, 2015, the Development Center received final approval from the local governments. U.S. Soccer agreed to

295-517: A key role in Infantino's margin of victory, reportedly shifting their vote from Prince Ali to Infantino after a series of conversations between the two rounds of voting. The second round of voting was the first to be held since 1974. The day prior to the election, Sepp Blatter gave a press interview in which he said that he was leaving the office "a happy man". Blatter later congratulated Infantino, but warned that he must stay vigilant and that in

354-640: A site for the new national training center in Fayette County, Georgia . The 200-acre (81 ha) site is scheduled to be developed and opened prior to the 2026 FIFA World Cup ; it is in the same metropolitan area as the headquarters of Coca-Cola , one of the founding partners for the training center. The new training center will be named after Arthur Blank to honor his involvement in the move. There are currently temporary offices for U.S. Soccer in Fayette County at Town Trilith where Trilith Studios

413-595: A women's sports event, to a sold-out Rose Bowl . After neither team scored in regulation or extra time, the final went to a penalty shootout , which the United States won 5–4. The celebration by Brandi Chastain after she converted the winning penalty, in which she took off her shirt, is one of the more famous images in U.S. women's sports. U.S. Soccer Federation oversees and promotes the development of 14 youth national teams: U.S. Soccer Federation had ceased operations on its youth national team programming with

472-644: Is composed of 14 teams based in the U.S. Two professional, top-division leagues preceded the NWSL: the Women's United Soccer Association (WUSA), which featured many players from the 1999 FIFA Women's Cup-winning team (as well as other national teams), ran from 2001 to 2003 and Women's Professional Soccer (WPS) ran from 2009 to 2011. Two second-division leagues currently exist: United Women's Soccer began play in May 2016 and as of 2020 features 30 teams in five conferences and

531-614: Is considered the most successful in international women's soccer. The team finished second in 2011 and third in 1995 , 2003 , and 2007 . It has won Olympic gold medals at the 1996, 2004, 2008, and 2012 Summer Olympics. In addition, it has won ten titles at the Algarve Cup and nine at the CONCACAF Women's Championship , the qualifying tournament for the FIFA Women's World Cup. The inaugural FIFA Women's World Cup

590-576: Is currently located in two refurbished mansions at 1801 South Prairie Avenue in Chicago. In 2003, U.S. Soccer opened their National Training Center at Dignity Health Sports Park (then named Home Depot Center) in Carson, California . The $ 130 million facility includes a soccer-specific stadium , home to the MLS team Los Angeles Galaxy . Additionally, four grass soccer fields, a FieldTurf soccer field and

649-798: Is governed by a Steering Committee composed of representatives and executives from top member leagues. Its current chairman is Enrique Bonilla of Liga MX . Its two vice chairmen are Don Garber of Major League Soccer and Christian Seifert , the CEO of the Deutsche Fußball Liga . Its general secretary is Jerome Perlemuter, former General Counsel of the French Football League, who was appointed in April 2017. 2016 FIFA Extraordinary Congress [REDACTED] Sepp Blatter [REDACTED] [REDACTED] Gianni Infantino The 2016 FIFA Extraordinary Congress

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708-576: Is located. U.S. Soccer is governed by a board of directors that administers the affairs of U.S. Soccer. Cindy Parlow Cone , former 1999 FIFA Women's World Cup champion and long-time U.S. Soccer administrator, became president in March 2020 following the resignation of Carlos Cordeiro . JT Batson was named chief executive officer and secretary general in September 2022. U.S. Soccer members are individuals and affiliate organizations. The national council

767-523: Is the representative membership body of the federation. It elects the president and vice president, amends the bylaws, approves the budgets, decides on policies adopted by the board, and affirms actions of the Board. The non-profit organization is a member of the worldwide soccer body FIFA and the North American soccer body CONCACAF , and also has a relationship with the U.S. Olympic Committee and

826-435: The 1990 World Cup with the "goal heard around the world" scored by Paul Caligiuri against Trinidad and Tobago , which started the modern era of soccer in the United States. The United States hosted the 1994 FIFA World Cup , setting total and average attendance records that still stand, including drawing 94,194 fans to the final . The United States made a surprising run to the second round in 1994, but finished last among

885-653: The 2006 edition of the tournament, the U.S. failed to qualify for a knockout round with two losses and a draw in the group stage. Arena's contract was not renewed following the tournament; former assistant Bob Bradley was hired as head coach in 2007. The U.S. qualified for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa by winning the CONCACAF qualifying tournament . At the World Cup, the Americans were undefeated in

944-447: The 2022 FIFA World Cup , the United States had rosters with an average age of under 24 years old; the team finished 7–3–4 during the final round and qualified for the World Cup. Berhalter used the second-youngest roster at the World Cup with only DeAndre Yedlin retained from a previous World Cup team. The United States finished second in their group with a win against Iran and ties with England and Wales . The team were eliminated in

1003-631: The International Olympic Committee . The federation convenes an annual meeting, usually held in February. Every four years, the annual meeting's attendees hold an election for the federation's president and vice president. USSF recognizes the following members: The United States men's national team was assembled in 1885 to play Canada in the first international match held outside the United Kingdom. The team

1062-729: The Kansas City , Portland , Seattle , and Washington, D.C. markets with the Portland team run by the Portland Timbers of MLS. The NWSL expanded to nine teams for 2014 by adding the Houston Dash , run by the Houston Dynamo of MLS. In 2016, it expanded to 10 with the addition of another MLS-backed team, the Orlando Pride . Ahead of the 2017 season, A&E Networks announced it had taken an equity stake in

1121-552: The U.S. Open Cup , the oldest continuous national soccer competition in the United States. Since 1914, the competition has been open to all U.S. Soccer affiliated clubs, and currently pits teams from all five levels of the American soccer pyramid against each other each year, similarly to England's FA Cup . The National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) is the professional, top-division league in North America and as of 2024,

1180-626: The Women's Premier Soccer League (WPSL), started in 1997, features over 115 teams across the United States and Canada (the largest women's soccer league in the world as of 2020). Previously, the USL W-League was a semi-professional league that ran from 1995 to 2015 and featured a mix of college students and international players. On November 21, 2012, U.S. Soccer, in conjunction with the Canadian Soccer Association (CSA) and Mexican Football Federation (FMF), announced

1239-470: The men's and women's national teams, Major League Soccer , National Women's Soccer League , youth organizations, beach soccer , futsal , Paralympic , and deaf national teams. U.S. Soccer sanctions referees and soccer tournaments for most soccer leagues in the United States. The U.S. Soccer Federation also administers and operates the U.S. Open Cup and the SheBelieves Cup . U.S. Soccer

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1298-425: The 2020 season, with the league divided into two conferences, Eastern and Western. The USLC is the world's largest Division II professional league by number of teams. Since 2014, valuation of USL Championship clubs have increased five-fold. In revenue, 2018 Championship clubs saw a 28% increase over 2017 numbers on an average of ticketing, sponsorship, merchandise, and ancillary revenue generation. The USLC also holds

1357-500: The 32 teams in the 1998 World Cup . The tournament was marred by poor team chemistry and leadership, which led head coach Steve Sampson to resign. Sampson was replaced by Bruce Arena , a two-time MLS Cup winner with D.C. United , in 1998. Arena led a mix of veterans and youth players to a quarterfinal appearance in the 2002 World Cup , defeating rivals Mexico in the Round of 16 before losing to eventual runners-up Germany . At

1416-542: The Ad-hoc Electoral Committee admitted and declared five candidates eligible to stand for election to the office of FIFA President. The FIFA presidential election entered a second round of voting for the first time in 42 years after Gianni Infantino of Switzerland secured more backing than pre-vote favourite Sheik Salman bin Ibrahim al Khalifa of Bahrain in the first round, when a two-thirds majority

1475-653: The CSA committing to paying 16 players and FMF pledging support for at least 12 and possibly as many as 16. In addition, U.S. Soccer housed the league's front office for the first four years, and scheduled matches to avoid any possible conflict with international tournaments. Four of the league's charter teams had WPS ties—the Boston Breakers , Chicago Red Stars , Sky Blue FC , and the Western New York Flash . The other four initial teams were located in

1534-631: The FIFA Congress. The WLF initially comprised 24 member football leagues, but has since expanded to 41 leagues and holds annual meetings that are hosted by members. In 2018, the group voiced its opposition to FIFA president Gianni Infantino 's plan to expand the FIFA Club World Cup and implement a global club league. As of 2024, the WLF has 45 member leagues and associations from five continental confederations. The World Leagues Forum

1593-604: The USL Championship as a Division II league it would start a new tier in its professional structure , which became USL League One , and seek Division III certification for the 2019 season. The league received sanctioning in December 2018 and conducted a successful first season in 2019 that saw 10 teams compete in a single-table format and North Texas SC claim its inaugural league title. The seven independent clubs averaged 2,496 fans per match in 2019, placing League One in

1652-671: The United States Soccer Federation. U.S. Soccer has hosted several global soccer tournaments, including the 1994 FIFA World Cup , the 1999 and 2003 FIFA Women's World Cup , and the Summer Olympic football tournaments in 1984 and 1996 . Originally based in Colorado Springs, Colorado, U.S. Soccer headquarters were moved to Chicago in 1991 under the leadership of former Secretary General, Hank Steinbrecher Called U.S. Soccer House, it

1711-635: The United States are the United Premier Soccer League , National Premier Soccer League and Ligas Unidas . In addition to MLS and the USL, the United States Adult Soccer Association governs amateur soccer competition for adults throughout the United States, which is effectively the amateur fifth-division of soccer in the United States. The USASA sanctions regional tournaments that allow entry into

1770-524: The United States is the USL League Two, which as of 2015 is expected to have 58 U.S. teams, and six Canadian teams. Though League Two does have some paid players, it also has many teams that are made up entirely or almost entirely of college soccer players who use the league as an opportunity to play competitive soccer in front of professional scouts during the summer, while retaining amateur status and NCAA eligibility. Other fourth-division leagues in

1829-460: The World Cup roster. The U.S. finished second in the " Group of Death " (eventual champion Germany, Ghana , and Portugal ) and advanced to the round of 16, where they lost to Belgium in extra time after goalkeeper Tim Howard 's 16 saves set a World Cup record. Klinsmann was retained as head coach for the 2018 World Cup qualifying cycle, but was fired in November 2016 after the team had lost

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1888-475: The ages of five and 19, while American Youth Soccer Organization has more than 300,000 players between the ages of four and 19. This makes soccer one of the most played sports by children in the United States. The professional first-division league in North America is Major League Soccer , which as of the 2023 season has 26 teams in the U.S. and 3 in Canada. The league began an aggressive expansion in 2017, with

1947-511: The creation of the NASL which applied for and was awarded by USSF second division status. The 2010 season was played as a combined USL/NASL league format before NASL officially separated in 2011. USL League One is sanctioned at the Men's Division III level. In March 2017, United Soccer League , administrator of the USL Championship and USL League Two , announced following the successful sanctioning of

2006-604: The deadlines for candidates and other necessary procedures. A "landmark" reform package was overwhelmingly approved during the first part of the session by 179 of 207 members. Among the promised tenants is the dissolution of the Executive Committee, to be replaced by a larger FIFA Council selected by regional confederations, as well as imposed term limits on executive offices such as the presidency. The deadline for candidates to formally present their nominations, with support of at least of five national federations,

2065-681: The exception of the U-23, U-20, and U-17 teams on the men's side and the U-20 and U-17 teams on the women's side due to the COVID-19 pandemic in April 2020. As of March 2023, U.S. Soccer Federation supervises nine extended national teams across the disciplines of beach soccer , CP soccer , deaf soccer , futsal , and power soccer . Men's coaches Women's coaches Extended teams' coaches Technical staff Referee programs staff Referee development staff Despite

2124-544: The final of the 2023 CONCACAF Gold Cup . Berhalter was fired in July 2024 following the team's group-stage exit at the 2024 Copa América and replaced in September 2024 by Mauricio Pochettino , an Argentinian manager with experience in European leagues. The United States will co-host the 2026 FIFA World Cup alongside Canada and Mexico after their joint bid was selected over Morocco by FIFA in 2018. The tournament will be

2183-589: The first World Cup to feature 48 teams. The United States will also host the 2024 Copa América , the championship of South American teams; it will be the second Copa América to be played in the United States following the Copa América Centenario in 2016. The United States did not automatically qualify as hosts, but earned a spot through their performance in the 2023–24 CONCACAF Nations League . Having won four FIFA Women's World Cup tournaments— 1991 , 1999 , 2015 , and 2019 —the United States

2242-575: The formation of a new professional league for the 2013 season. The league, unnamed at the time of the initial announcement but later unveiled as the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL), launched in April 2013 with eight teams. Like WUSA and WPS, NWSL teams are privately owned with some owned by existing MLS teams. The American and Canadian federations pay the salaries for many of their respective national team members. U.S. Soccer initially committed to funding up to 24 national team members, with

2301-460: The goal of adding at least eight clubs. That effort has resulted in the addition of the following nine clubs: Atlanta United FC (2017), Minnesota United FC (2017), Los Angeles FC (2018), FC Cincinnati (2019), Inter Miami CF (2020), Nashville SC (2020), Austin FC (2021), Charlotte FC (2022), and St. Louis City SC (2023). The league operates as a single-entity league, which means MLS, and not

2360-544: The group stage but were eliminated in the round of 16 by a loss to Ghana . Bradley was dismissed following the 2011 Gold Cup , which the United States lost 4–2 to Mexico in the final. The U.S. entered the 2014 FIFA World Cup under Jürgen Klinsmann , who had led Germany to third place in the 2006 World Cup and had lived in the United States for several years. Klinsmann recruited dual national players, particularly Germans with American heritage, and favored youth in his rosters; this included his exclusion of Landon Donovan from

2419-472: The growth of men's and women's professional soccer in the United States in the last few decades, by far the largest category of soccer in the United States, at least in terms of participation, is youth soccer. Though organized locally by organizations all over the United States, there are two main youth soccer organizations working nationwide through affiliated local associations. The United States Youth Soccer Association boasts over three million players between

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2478-509: The individual teams, holds the contracts on players. The one sanctioned second-division men's outdoor soccer league is the USL Championship (USLC). Previously, the second North American Soccer League had second-division status, sharing it with the USL in the 2017 season, but the NASL was denied second-division sanctioning for 2018 due to considerable instability in the league; the league effectively folded at that time. The USLC

2537-506: The job "friends become rare". United States Soccer Federation The United States Soccer Federation ( USSF ), commonly referred to as U.S. Soccer , is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and the official governing body of the sport of soccer in the United States . Headquartered in Chicago , the federation is a full member of FIFA and governs American soccer at the international, professional, and amateur levels, including:

2596-579: The league and Lifetime would begin broadcasting games to a national television audience. As of 2017 , additional expansion teams were being discussed by Los Angeles FC , Vancouver Whitecaps FC , and FC Barcelona , but none of these have yet materialized. Several league changes occurred in advance of the 2017 season. First, FMF and U.S. Soccer amicably ended their partnership following FMF's establishment of its own women's professional league, Liga MX Femenil . The Western New York Flash ceased fully professional operations (though retaining its youth and, for

2655-568: The old NASL, had no salary cap and players were contracted by the individual teams. The season was a split format (similar to that of many leagues in Latin America ) that features seven teams, including one Puerto Rican team. Previous to the reorganization of the NASL in 2009, the USL First Division operated as the professional second-division league in the United States. However, a dispute among its teams and ownership led to

2714-402: The opening two matches of the final qualifying round . Bruce Arena was hired to replace Klinsmann, but the United States finished fifth and were unable to qualify for the 2018 FIFA World Cup . It was the first time the U.S. had failed to qualify for the World Cup since 1986 . Arena resigned following the qualification campaign and was replaced by Dave Sarachan , who was interim coach during

2773-510: The round of 16 by the Netherlands . Berhalter's contract was renewed in June 2023 following an investigation by U.S. Soccer into allegations of domestic abuse from a 1991 incident. During his absence from the team, two assistant coaches served as interim coaches. B.J. Callaghan , the second interim coach, led the United States to a second CONCACAF Nations League title but failed to reach

2832-481: The search for a permanent head coach. Sarachan's year-long tenure included the introduction of several young players to replace veterans who had resigned following the 2018 qualification cycle. Columbus Crew coach Gregg Berhalter was selected and hired as head coach in December 2018; his rosters rely mostly on younger players who had played in MLS academies or were developed by teams in Europe. During qualification for

2891-422: The top three of Division III leagues globally, and the league has expanded to include 12 teams for its second season in 2020, with further expansion expected prior to the 2021 season. National Independent Soccer Association (NISA) led by former Chicago Fire general manager Peter Wilt plans on fielding 8–10 teams in 2018 and has stated that it will seek third-division certification. A fourth-division league in

2950-407: Was 26 October 2015, 23:59 CET (22:59 GMT ). Sepp Blatter was also a likely candidate, despite him saying that "I will not be a candidate for the election in 2016." Blatter previously said that he is "not resigning" before the announcement of the election date. On 28 October 2015, FIFA announced the names of the seven candidates to replace Sepp Blatter as its president. On 9 November 2015,

3009-504: Was abbreviated at the time, was accepted as a full FIFA member. The governing body of the sport in the United States added the word soccer to its name in 1945, when it became the United States Soccer Football Association ; by this point, football as a standalone word had come to define a totally different sport in the U.S. It dropped the word football from its name in 1974 to become known as

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3068-590: Was held at the Hallenstadion in Zürich , Switzerland , on 26 February 2016. This special session of the FIFA Congress , called as a result of the 2015 FIFA corruption case , included the passage of a major statutory reforms proposal as well as the election of Gianni Infantino to replace Sepp Blatter as the President of FIFA . Amid a major corruption scandal at FIFA, incumbent Sepp Blatter

3127-539: Was held in 1991 in China. The U.S. women's national team was the first team to win the prize after beating Norway in the final. In 1999, the United States hosted the FIFA Women's World Cup for the first time. During their tournament run, the women's national team established a new level of popularity for the women's game, culminating in a final against China that drew 90,185 fans, an all-time attendance record for

3186-430: Was invited to the inaugural FIFA World Cup in 1930 and qualified for the World Cup in 1934 , finishing third place (semifinals) in 1930 out of 13 teams participating. In 1950 the United States scored one of its most surprising victories with a 1–0 win over heavily favored England , who were amongst the world's best sides at the time. The United States did not reach another World Cup until an upstart team qualified for

3245-408: Was made possible in large part by a major investment by USL with league technology partner Vista Worldlink to establish a USL Broadcast Center out of Fort Lauderdale, Fla. The second NASL had no official tie to the former NASL that operated from 1968 to 1984, although some of the teams shared names with their historic counterparts. Unlike MLS that is a single-entity operation, the second NASL, like

3304-726: Was originally known as the United States Football Association . It formed on April 5, 1913, at the Astor House Hotel in Lower Manhattan , and on August 15 of that year was accepted as one of the earliest member organizations of FIFA and the first from North and Central America. The affiliation was originally provisional but during FIFA Congress in Oslo, Norway on June 24, 1914, the USFA, as it

3363-540: Was re-elected to a fifth term as FIFA President during the 65th FIFA Congress on 29 May 2015, defeating Prince Ali bin Hussein of Jordan . On 2 June, Blatter announced his intent to resign, remaining in office until an extraordinary FIFA Congress convened and elected a new president. An extraordinary congress was set for 26 February 2016 by the FIFA Executive Committee in July, who also announced

3422-461: Was required to win. A simple majority of more than 50 per cent (104 votes) was sufficient for victory in the second round. The unexpected victory of Infantino over Salman, named a heavy favorite in the lead-up to the election, surprised some observers; a bloc in opposition to Salman is speculated to have tipped the second round vote in Infantino's favor. United States Soccer Federation president Sunil Gulati and other CONCACAF federations played

3481-507: Was sanctioned as the United States' lone Division II men's outdoor soccer league in 2018. Formed in 2010 as a result of the merger of the former USL First Division and USL Second Division , the USL Championship was sanctioned as Division III league from 2011 to 2016 before becoming provisionally sanctioned as a Division II league for 2017, and receiving full Division II sanctioning in 2018. The USL Championship has expanded almost three-fold since its first season in 2011 to include 35 teams in

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