Cindy Parlow Cone reelected as president of U.S. Soccer Federation

Cindy Parlow Cone was reelected to a four-year team as U.S. Soccer Federation president on Saturday, beating predecessor Carlos Cordeiro in an endorsement of the governing body’s settlement of a lawsuit by women players.

Cone, a former national team player, received 52.3% of the weighted vote on the first ballot during the USSF National Council meeting, held online and in Atlanta.

Cordeiro, a former Goldman Sachs partner and current advisor to FIFA president Gianni Infantino, got 46.6% of the ballots as he tried to regain the job he held from 2018 until 2020, when he quit amid the fallout from legal filings by the U.S. federation that claimed women players had less physical ability and responsibility than male counterparts.

“Now is the time for all of us to work together,� Cone said. “No more divisions. We don’t have time for all of that.�

The USSF Athletes Council got to cast one-third of the votes, and the Youth, Adult and Pro Councils got 20% each, with the remaining delegates 6.7%.

Cone was vice president when Cordeiro resigned and moved up to president, then was elected last winter to a one-year term. As president, she will play a role in the leadup to the 2026 World Cup, which the U.S. will co-host with Canada and Mexico.

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Women’s team players and the USSF announced a settlement Feb. 22 under which the players will split a $22-million bonus. The USSF also agreed to establish a $2-million fund to benefit the players in their post-soccer careers and charitable efforts aimed at growing the sport for women. The agreement is contingent on a deal for a new collective bargaining agreement to replace the contract that expires March 31.

“Equal pay has gone from a whisper in the locker room to a roar on the field to fundamentally changing the business of sports and soccer in the United States and around the world,“ the women players said in a statement. “We look forward to Cindy’s leadership.�

Under Cone, the USSF in November reached a new equipment agreement with Nike that starts in January 2023 and this week announced an eight-year agreement with WarnerMedia that will shift USSF English-language broadcasts to HBO Max, TNT and TBS in 2023 from ESPN and Fox.