(Reuters) – Former U.S. Soccer president Carlos Cordeiro and incumbent Cindy Parlow Cone are the two candidates seeking election to the position in March, the national governing body said on Monday.
Cordeiro resigned under pressure two years ago after a legal filing that was widely condemned as misogynistic and was succeeded in the position by Parlow Cone, a former national team player who was U.S. Soccer’s vice president at the time.
The two candidates were confirmed by the Nominating and Governance Committee of U.S. Soccer, and the election will take place on March 5 during the National Council Meeting at U.S. Soccer’s annual general meeting in Atlanta.
Parlow Cone, the first female U.S. Soccer president, led the federation through the unprecedented challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic and brought in a new leadership and legal team.
As president, Parlow Cone also oversaw the signing of the largest sponsorship deal in U.S. Soccer history, led the organization through a governance restructuring and increased its diversity and inclusion efforts.
Cordeiro resigned in March 2020 after the organization sparked a backlash when legal papers in a gender discrimination lawsuit claimed the men’s national team players had a greater level of responsibility than the women’s team and that their job required more skill based on speed and strength.
On his campaign website, Cordeiro said stepping down was “deeply humbling” and that he had put in place multiple layers of oversight to ensure the litigation with the women’s team was conducted in keeping with the values of U.S. Soccer.
“In hindsight, I realize that a matter of this importance deserved much more personal oversight from me so that the Federation’s legal strategy and filings showed our women’s players the respect and dignity they deserve,” wrote Cordeiro.
Cordeiro has served various roles with U.S. Soccer since being appointed as the federation’s first independent director in 2007.
He has been treasurer, chaired the budget committee, and been director of the U.S. Soccer Foundation. In addition, he represents the United States on the CONCACAF Council and FIFA’s Stakeholders Committee.
(Reporting by Frank Pingue in Toronto, editing by Pritha Sarkar)
