United States Soccer Federation


The United States Soccer Federation, commonly referred to as U.S. Soccer, is a 501 nonprofit organization and the official governing body of soccer in the United States. It is a full member of FIFA and governs American soccer at the international, professional, and amateur levels, including: the men's and women's national teams, Major League Soccer, the National Women's Soccer League, youth organizations, as well as the beach soccer, futsal, Paralympic, and deaf national teams. U.S. Soccer sanctions referees and soccer tournaments for most soccer leagues in the United States. It also administers and operates the U.S. Open Cup and SheBelieves Cup. U.S. Soccer is headquartered in Chicago.

History

The United States Soccer Federation was originally established as the United States Football Association on April 5, 1913, at a meeting held in the Astor House Hotel in Lower Manhattan, New York City. Shortly after its creation, on August 15, 1913, the USFA was provisionally accepted as a member association of the Fédération Internationale de Football Association, becoming one of the earlier federations to affiliate and the first from the North and Central American region to join FIFA’s global governing structure. At the FIFA Congress in Oslo, Norway, on June 24, 1914, this provisional status was elevated to full membership.
Over the decades, the organization underwent several name changes reflecting both the evolution of the sport domestically and linguistic differences in how “football” and “soccer” were used in the United States in comparison to the rest of the world. In 1945, the word “soccer” was formally incorporated into its title — becoming the United States Soccer Football Association — as the term “football” in the U.S. increasingly referred to American football rather than association football. Later, in 1974, the federation dropped “football” entirely and adopted its current name, the United States Soccer Federation, often abbreviated as U.S. Soccer.
Beyond FIFA membership, the United States Soccer Federation was a founding member of the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football when the confederation was established in 1961. CONCACAF was formed through the merger of the North American Football Union and the Football Confederation of Central America and the Caribbean, creating a unified governing body for football in the region and expanding organized competition and development across member associations.

International tournaments hosted

U.S. Soccer has been instrumental in bringing international soccer tournaments to the United States, significantly influencing the sport’s visibility and popularity domestically, such as when the federation successfully bid for the FIFA World Cup and hosted it in 1994. The edition broke attendance records for the tournament and provided a major catalyst for growth in the sport nationwide, and its success contributed directly to the founding of MLS in 1996. The United States will again be in the global spotlight as a co-host of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, alongside Canada and Mexico, in a tournament that will feature an expanded field of 48 teams.
The US has also hosted two editions of the FIFA Women’s World Cup: in 1999 and 2003, both of which helped elevate the women’s game to new heights in the United States and around the world.
U.S. Soccer also served as the organizing host for the Olympic soccer tournaments during the 1984 edition and the 1996 edition, hosted in Atlanta and the first time a women's soccer tournament was held, integrating the sport into these high-profile global multi-sport events.

Headquarters and national training center

Originally based in Colorado Springs, Colorado, U.S. Soccer headquarters were moved to Chicago in 1991 under the leadership of former Secretary General, Hank Steinbrecher Called U.S. Soccer House, it is currently located in two refurbished mansions at 1801 South Prairie Avenue in Chicago.
In 2003, U.S. Soccer opened its National Training Center at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California. The $130 million facility includes a soccer-specific stadium, home to the MLS team Los Angeles Galaxy. Additionally, four grass soccer fields, a FieldTurf soccer field, and a general training area are specifically dedicated to U.S. Soccer. Both the senior and youth men's and women's U.S. national teams hold regular camps at Dignity Health Sports Park.
U.S. Soccer was also exploring the possibility of building the National Training and Coaching Development Center in Kansas City, Kansas. On April 9, 2015, the Development Center received final approval from the local governments. U.S. Soccer agreed to a 20-year lease, with the project set to break ground in 2016 and finishing some time in 2017.
In September 2023, U.S. Soccer announced they were moving from Chicago to a new headquarters and training center south of Atlanta, which will be partially funded by Arthur Blank, cofounder of The Home Depot and owner of the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons and MLS’s Atlanta United. In December 2023, U.S. Soccer announced they had chosen a site for the new national training center in Fayette County, Georgia. The site is scheduled to be developed and opened before the 2026 FIFA World Cup; it is in the same metropolitan area as the headquarters of Coca-Cola, one of the founding partners for the training center. The new training center will be named after Arthur Blank to honor his involvement in the move.
There are currently temporary offices for U.S. Soccer in Fayette County at Town Trilith where Trilith Studios is located.

Organization and governance

U.S. Soccer serves as the official governing body for soccer in the United States, and it is tasked with organizing national teams, sanctioning professional and amateur leagues, overseeing refereeing and coaching standards, and promoting the game at all levels across the country working closely with state and local level organizations for youth and amateur leagues. Throughout its history, U.S. Soccer has presided over a significant expansion of soccer’s popularity and infrastructure, from grassroots youth participation to professional leagues such as Major League Soccer, and the national teams, youth and senior.
The federation has also established and supported national competitions, such as the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, established in 1913, which is the oldest ongoing national soccer competition in the United States, open to all professional and amateur teams. The U.S. Open Cup later was renamed in honor of Lamar Hunt, a key figure in the development of American sports as a whole.
U.S. Soccer is governed by a board of directors that administers the affairs of U.S. Soccer. Cindy Parlow Cone, former 1999 FIFA Women's World Cup champion and long-time U.S. Soccer administrator, became president in March 2020 following the resignation of Carlos Cordeiro. JT Batson was named chief executive officer and secretary general in September 2022.
U.S. Soccer members are individuals and affiliate organizations. The national council is the representative membership body of the federation. It elects the president and vice president, amends the bylaws, approves the budgets, decides on policies adopted by the board, and affirms actions of the Board. The non-profit organization is a member of the worldwide soccer body FIFA and the North American soccer body CONCACAF, and also has a relationship with the U.S. Olympic Committee and the International Olympic Committee.
The federation convenes an annual meeting, usually held in February. Every four years, the annual meeting's attendees hold an election for the federation's president and vice president.

Members of the U.S. Soccer Federation

USSF recognizes the following members:

Professional Council

Other affiliate members

U.S. men's national team

The United States men's national team was assembled in 1885 to play Canada in the first international match held outside the United Kingdom. The team was invited to the inaugural FIFA World Cup in 1930 and qualified for the World Cup in 1934, finishing third place in 1930 out of 13 teams participating. In 1950 the United States scored one of its most surprising victories with a 1–0 win over heavily favored England, who were amongst the world's best sides at the time. The United States did not reach another World Cup until an upstart team qualified for the 1990 World Cup with the "goal heard around the world" scored by Paul Caligiuri against Trinidad and Tobago, which started the modern era of soccer in the United States.
The United States hosted the 1994 FIFA World Cup, setting total and average attendance records that still stand, including drawing 94,194 fans to the final. The United States made a surprising run to the second round in 1994, but finished last among the 32 teams in the 1998 World Cup. The tournament was marred by poor team chemistry and leadership, which led head coach Steve Sampson to resign. Sampson was replaced by Bruce Arena, a two-time MLS Cup winner with D.C. United, in 1998. Arena led a mix of veterans and youth players to a quarterfinal appearance in the 2002 World Cup, defeating rivals Mexico in the Round of 16 before losing to eventual runners-up Germany.
At the 2006 edition of the tournament, the U.S. failed to qualify for the knockout round with two losses and a draw in the group stage. Arena's contract was not renewed following the tournament; former assistant Bob Bradley was hired as head coach in 2007. The U.S. qualified for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa by winning the CONCACAF qualifying tournament. At the World Cup, the Americans were undefeated in the group stage but were eliminated in the round of 16 by a loss to Ghana. Bradley was dismissed following the 2011 Gold Cup, which the United States lost 4–2 to Mexico in the final.
The U.S. entered the 2014 FIFA World Cup under Jürgen Klinsmann, who had led Germany to third place in the 2006 World Cup and had lived in the United States for several years. Klinsmann recruited dual national players, particularly Germans with American heritage, and favored youth in his rosters; this included his exclusion of Landon Donovan from the World Cup roster. The U.S. finished second in the "Group of Death" and advanced to the round of 16, where they lost to Belgium in extra time after goalkeeper Tim Howard's 16 saves set a World Cup record. Klinsmann was retained as head coach for the 2018 World Cup qualifying cycle, but was fired in November 2016 after the team had lost the opening two matches of the final qualifying round. Bruce Arena was hired to replace Klinsmann, but the United States finished fifth and were unable to qualify for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. It was the first time the U.S. had failed to qualify for the World Cup since 1986.
Arena resigned following the qualification campaign and was replaced by Dave Sarachan, who was the interim coach during the search for a permanent head coach. Sarachan's year-long tenure included the introduction of several young players to replace veterans who had resigned following the 2018 qualification cycle. Columbus Crew coach Gregg Berhalter was selected and hired as head coach in December 2018; his rosters rely mostly on younger players who had played in MLS academies or were developed by teams in Europe. During qualification for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, the United States had rosters with an average age of under 24 years old; the team finished 7–3–4 during the final round and qualified for the World Cup. Berhalter used the second-youngest roster at the World Cup with only DeAndre Yedlin retained from a previous World Cup team. The United States finished second in their group with a win against Iran and ties with England and Wales. The team were eliminated in the round of 16 by the Netherlands.
Berhalter's contract was renewed in June 2023 following an investigation by U.S. Soccer into allegations of domestic abuse from a 1991 incident. During his absence from the team, two assistant coaches served as interim coaches. B.J. Callaghan, the second interim coach, led the United States to a second CONCACAF Nations League title but failed to reach the final of the 2023 CONCACAF Gold Cup. Berhalter was fired in July 2024 following the team's group-stage exit at the 2024 Copa América and replaced in September 2024 by Mauricio Pochettino, an Argentinian manager with experience in European leagues.
The United States will co-host the 2026 FIFA World Cup alongside Canada and Mexico after their joint bid was selected over Morocco by FIFA in 2018. The tournament will be the first World Cup to feature 48 teams. The United States will also host the 2024 Copa América, the championship of South American teams; it will be the second Copa América to be played in the United States following the Copa América Centenario in 2016. The United States did not automatically qualify as hosts, but earned a spot through their performance in the 2023–24 CONCACAF Nations League.