US Soccer Presidential Election

Finally happens Saturday at 10:30 am. There are a whopping eight candidates in the field to replace Sunil Gulati, who announced last year he would not run for a third term.

Among the entrants are Carlos Cordeiro, one of the current Vice Presidents of US Soccer; Kathy Carter, president of Soccer United Marketing; former US Men’s National Team player and FOX Soccer commentator Eric Wynalda; and former women’s national team goalkeeper Hope Solo.

The favorite at this point is definitely Kathy Carter. Her company, Soccer United Marketing (SUM), has the owners of Major League Soccer as its shareholders. The entirety of the MLS vote will undoubtedly go to her along with the rest of the professional leagues (save NASL, which would rather have thumbtacks driven into their eyes than see Carter elected).

It’s an interesting group and I hope one of the non-establishment candidates can put up a strong challenge to Carter and Cordeiro.

Good article on the candidates and the election process from SI’s Grant Wahl.

US Soccer presidential election: Who votes, how it will be won | SI.com

Paul Caligiuri is in the field. I don’t know what he’s been up to these last couple decades because I really know him as the man who made the Shot Heard Round the World and kicked off the modern era of US International Soccer.

If no politics are allowed on BGP I’m not sure anything is more political than US Soccer...

Election is going to start at about 10 with the first ballot.

Grant Wahl is reporting that the Athlete’s Council will vote in a bloc for Cordeiro. Gives him 20 percent right out of the gate. Nearly as much as Carter can expect from her MLS and NWSL support on the professional council.

Big early lead for the two well-connected establishment candidates.

Am I wrong to think that we need new blood and not the current VP?

Am I wrong to think that we need new blood and not the current VP?

No I definitely agree. We’re headed for a lot of the same with either Carlos Cordeiro or Kathy Carter.

I think Michael Winograd probably has the best and most workable ideas for fixing some of the systemic problems in US Soccer but he’s way down the list of likely winners. Lots of good ideas to make youth soccer more accessible and improving the pro game and amateur adult leagues as well.

First ballot complete:

Cordeiro 36 percent

Carter 34 percent

Wynalda 14 percent

My preferred guy, Winograd, gets less than 1 percent.

Paul Caligiuri finishes with fewest votes, 0.5 percent, announces he will withdraw.

Second round:

Cordeiro 41 percent

Carter 33 percent

Wynalda 10 percent

Martino 10 percent

Winograd is out so we’re down to six.

No one can beat Carter and Cordeiro. I think Cordeiro whips up some other support and takes it in the third round.

Carlos Cordeiro gets almost 69 percent on the third ballot and is elected.

For Carter to go from 33 percent to 10 percent in one ballot suggests to me that the entire MLS contingent of the professional council switched en masse.

@CACSoccer

It's an incredible honor to be elected @ussoccer President. I'm grateful to everyone who supported my campaign and I salute all the candidates who ran. I promise to work with all our members to unite our soccer family! #AimHigher

He is getting hammered on Twitter

He is getting hammered on Twitter

The fan at large (especially the ones on Twitter) has very different interests from the average voter in that room. Big disconnect between the fans and the stakeholders in American soccer. If Twitter voted, the two biggest vote getters probably would’ve finished at the bottom of the poll.

His biggest ideas — like Kathy Carter — have to do with better monetizing soccer in this country. Not exactly going to get the masses clamoring for you.