U.S. Soccer has confirmed the eight candidates that will stand for election to become the next president of the federation -- Paul Caligiuri, Kathy Carter, Carlos Cordeiro, Steve Gans, Kyle Martino, Hope Solo, Michael Winograd and Eric Wynalda. Massachusetts soccer official Paul Lapointe is the only person to announce their candidacy that did not meet the necessary qualifications. The USSF will hold the election at its annual general meeting Feb. 10 in Orlando. Outgoing USSF President Sunil Gulati announced that he would not be seeking re-election earlier this month, a position he has held since '06 (Ian Thomas, Staff Writer). USA TODAY's Andrew Joseph wrote the names "aren't surprises as they had all made their candidacy public over the past few months." But the "biggest name" on that list, Solo, has "no chance at winning." Even if Solo's message is "totally reasonable, her candidacy stands no shot beyond being among the final 8." Her "ugly exit" from the USWNT will "play a major role in that." Solo also "continued to take shots at U.S. Soccer in her candidacy announcement, calling out the organization's 'stubborn and elitist attitude.'" While there was a "lot of truth in her platform, it won't help her get votes over someone" like Carter, who "has the backing of MLS and Soccer United Marketing" (USATODAY.com, 12/20).
BREAKING AWAY: SI.com's Brian Straus noted among the eight candidates certified yesterday, Cordeiro is the "only one who currently sits on a board that's served for the past dozen years under the leadership" of Gulati. For a long time, his "proximity to Gulati appeared to represent Cordeiro's short, easy runway to succession." But Cordeiro, a longtime Goldman Sachs exec, "publicly broke with Gulati six weeks ago, announcing his run for U.S. Soccer's presidency before Gulati decided whether he'd seek a fourth term." Sources indicated that Gulati "wasn't happy with Cordeiro's decision, the timing of which now seems shrewd" (SI.com, 12/20).
