Newly installed U.S. Soccer President Cindy Parlow Cone and CEO & Secretary General Will Wilson yesterday said that they "hope to settle" the USWNT's pay-discrimination case against the federation "before the case goes to trial," according to Rachel Bachman of the WALL STREET JOURNAL. They also said that they "hope to heal rifts caused by a controversial legal filing" that led to former USSF President Carlos Cordeiro's resignation earlier this month. Parlow Cone said, "I don't think a trial is good for either party or for soccer, both in this country or internationally." Wilson said resolving the case before trial was a "priority, and finding a solution would be the best way to go forward." Parlow Cone added that there were "no settlement talks scheduled and that booking in-person meetings was complicated by coronavirus restrictions." But she said that she "hoped to schedule talks, at least by phone, in the coming weeks." Bachman notes the pandemic will "add a financial burden to a federation already beset by legal fees and public-relations challenges." In addition to adding a new legal team to "oversee the firm that made the controversial argument, U.S. Soccer also has placed on paid administrative leave" Chief Counsel Lydia Wahlke (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 3/25).
TASK AT HAND: THE ATHLETIC's Meg Linehan noted yesterday's call -- in which Parlow Cone and Wilson introduced themselves to the media -- "didn’t focus much on what Wilson envisioned for U.S. Soccer in his new role -- [but] instead, on what fires both he and Parlow Cone must immediately put out." While U.S. Soccer had "already changed course following the backlash earlier this month, questions still remain about the internal breakdowns that led to their attorneys leaning in on the 'equal work' argument." Parlow Cone had already promised a "comprehensive review of our internal process to better understand how this breakdown occurred and how it can be avoided in the future" (THEATHLETIC.com, 3/24). Wilson "expressed optimism" that he, along with Cone, "could lead the organization out of its current state." He said, "I am a problem solver. It’s something that I embrace, and I embrace those challenges around it. Obviously we have a number of issues to address as a federation." Several of Wilson's former colleagues said that he is "universally well-liked within American soccer circles." Multiple colleagues "remembered Wilson for his humility and relatability," and he also was "known for his calm personality and measured, quiet demeanor." THE ATHLETIC's Paul Tenorio: "Those qualities will be important for a federation that has come under scrutiny for a toxic work culture" (THEATHLETIC.com, 3/24).
