2018 United States Soccer Federation presidential election

Sunil Gulati, the incumbent president of U.S. Soccer, has held the position since he was first elected in 2006. Gulati ran unopposed for election in 2006, and for re-election in 2010 and 2014. On December 4, 2017, Gulati announced that he would not seek another term. In the months leading up to the election, the U.S. Soccer Federation submitted a joint bid with Canada and Mexico to host the 2026 FIFA World Cup. In October 2017, the United States men's national soccer team failed to qualify for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, missing the World Cup for the first time since 1986, sparking a major push for reform by supporters. ==Format==

The election took place on February 10, 2018, at the National Council Meeting during the U.S. Soccer Annual Meeting in Orlando, Florida. Candidates are required to pass a background check conducted by the federation and receive three letters of nomination from organization members or an athlete representative on the federation's Board of Directors. Eligible delegates will be drawn from the following groups: == General election campaign ==

On December 22, 2017, Grant Wahl of Sports Illustrated reported that outgoing U.S. Soccer President, Sunil Gulati and Major League Soccer commissioner, Don Garber were campaigning for, and hosted a campaign dinner for Kathy Carter. This sparked a potential conflict of interest given Carter's current role with Soccer United Marketing, and SUM's relationship with U.S. Soccer and MLS. Carter denied any collusion between her, Gulati and Garber. Shortly after, Carter received the endorsement from the Eastern New York State Soccer Association (ENYSSA) and the New Jersey Soccer Association (NJSA). When asked on Twitter about the decision-making process to endorse Carter, the ENYSSA blocked several accounts on Twitter, only to revert the blocks and claiming their account was "hacked". == Candidates ==

On December 20, 2017, USSF announced that eight candidates were eligible to stand for election, having met the federation's requirements, with only Paul Lapointe failing to qualify for the ballot. Confirmed • Paul Caligiuri, former player of the US national team • Kathy Carter, former college player and president of Soccer United Marketing • Carlos Cordeiro, USSF vice president since 2016 and member of CONCACAF Council • Steve Gans, attorney based in Boston • Kyle Martino, former player of the US national team, TV analyst • Michael Winograd, lawyer and former professional player and general manager in the A-League • Eric Wynalda, former player of the US national team, analyst for Fox Sports 1/FOX Sports and former head coach Failed to Qualify • Paul Lapointe, Massachusetts regional director of United Premier Soccer League • Joe Cummings, former head of National Soccer Coaches Association of America, now United Soccer Coaches • Brad Friedel, head coach of the New England Revolution and former head coach of the United States men's national under-19 soccer team • Angela Hucles, member of U.S. Soccer Athletes Council, former president of Women's Sports Foundation == Endorsements ==

{{Endorsements box Leagues • National Premier Soccer League • National Independent Soccer Association • North American Soccer League ==Results==

First ballot • Carlos Cordeiro – 36.3% • Kathy Carter – 34.6% • Eric Wynalda – 13.7% • Kyle Martino – 8.6% • Steve Gans – 4.1% • Hope Solo – 1.6% • Michael Winograd – 0.6% • Paul Caligiuri – 0.5% • Paul Caligiuri – withdrew Second ballot • Carlos Cordeiro – 41.8% • Kathy Carter – 33.3% • Eric Wynalda – 10.8% • Kyle Martino – 10.2% • Steve Gans – 2.4% • Hope Solo – 1.5% • Michael Winograd – 0.0% • Michael Winograd and Steve Gans withdrew Third ballot • Carlos Cordeiro – 68.6% • Kathy Carter – 10.6% • Kyle Martino – 10.6% • Eric Wynalda – 8.9% • Hope Solo – 1.4% • Carlos Cordeiro elected ==References==