CHICAGO (Aug. 23, 2024) – The U.S. Soccer Board of Directors held its third quarterly meeting of 2024 on Friday.
The meeting was held at the Marriott Trilith Guesthouse in Fayetteville, Ga., less than a mile from the location of the Arthur M. Blank U.S. Soccer National Training Center, which is in the early stages of development. The open session was streamed live to the public.
Successful Bond Sale for NTC
During the meeting, U.S. Soccer President Cindy Parlow Cone and CEO JT Batson proudly announced the extraordinary success of the Federation’s recent $200 million bond salefor the Arthur M. Blank U.S. Soccer National Training Center, a state-of-the-art facility that is poised to become the cornerstone for the future of soccer in the U.S.
The bond sale, which officially closed a day earlier, was oversubscribed by a staggering 16.2 times, resulting in over $3.2 billion in orders. Goldman Sachs served as the lead manager, while Alston & Bird acted as the bond counsel. The unprecedented demand underscores the financial community's overwhelming confidence in U.S. Soccer's strategic vision and its commitment to the long-term growth and development of soccer in the United States.
The remarkable success of the tax-exempt bond sale is further amplified by the contributions and support from key partners, including Blank, Dan Cathy, and Coca-Cola.Their involvement, along with the strong support from Fayette County, underscores the broad confidence in U.S. Soccer's ambitious goals and the widespread support for its vision of the future.
The Arthur M. Blank National Training Center is set to be a beacon of excellence for soccer in the U.S., offering world-class facilities that will benefit not only the U.S. Men's and Women's National Teams but players, coaches and referees from across the country. The center will include cutting-edge training fields, high-performance centers, and educational facilities designed to elevate every aspect of the game.
This initiative is a crucial part of U.S. Soccer’s broader strategy to position the United States as a global soccer powerhouse, particularly as the nation prepares to host the FIFA World Cup in 2026. The NTC represents a key investment in the infrastructure that will support U.S. Soccer's continued growth and success on the world stage.
New Board Members
Two new memberswere added to the Board of Directors and attended their first meeting. Both will serve on the Youth Council.
- Louis Mateus joined the U.S. Soccer Youth Athletes Council in July 2024. He is currently a member at large on the US Youth Soccer Board of Directors, a role Mateus has held since 2021. His soccer resume spans more than four decades, and his accolades as a player include induction into the Chicago Sockers and Rockford University halls of fame. Mateus was awarded an Illinois Youth Soccer Lifetime Achievement Award in 2020 and was tabbed Illinois Youth Soccer Competitive Coach of the Year in 2005. His head coaching credits include seven years at Benedictine University (Lisle, Ill.) followed by a five-year stint at National Louis University (Chicago). Mateus has been the general manager of MercyhealthSportscore 2 (Loves Park, Ill.) since 1999.
- Tina Rincon joined the U.S. Soccer Board of Directors following her election as US Youth Soccer chair. Rincon was also voted chair of U.S. Soccer’s Youth Council, having previously served as commissioner on the council. She has been part of the US Youth Soccer Board of Directors since July 2021, previously serving as the organization’s Treasurer. Rincon, a Dallas-area CPA and business owner, began playing soccer at age 8, ultimately moving on to a standout career as a student-athlete at Texas Tech University. She currently plays on an adult women’s team, coaches her son’s youth team, and is an assistant coach at a North Texas high school.
BELOW ARE OTHER TOPICS THAT WERE DISCUSSED BY THE BOARD IN THE PUBLIC AND EXECUTIVE SESSIONS:
- U.S. Soccer President Cindy Parlow Cone opened the meeting with a celebration of the U.S. Women’s National Team’s Olympic gold medal win, and recognized the Federation’s clubs and leagues, coaches and referees, athletes, volunteers, organizers, administrators, commercial partners, media members, philanthropic supporters, fans, and great staff for their contributions to the collective victory.
- On behalf of all of U.S. Soccer, Cindy Parlow Cone congratulated Don Garber on his 25th anniversary as Commissioner of MLS. During his tenure, his leadership has transformed MLS into a world-class league and has had a profound impact on the entire soccer landscape in our country.
- U.S. Soccer’s Safe Soccer Clearance Beta program now boasts over 20,000 cleared participants, a number which the Federation is intent on growing as it makes improvements based on beta feedback.
- U.S. Soccer is preparing an awareness campaign for ending referee abuse focused on the youngest and most vulnerable referees, teenagers, to provide them with a positive experience and grow in their abilities and love for the game.
- The Coca-Cola Foundation made a large-scale investment in a professional development program dedicated to introducing and propelling college students into successful and meaningful careers. As a first step, U.S. Soccer and The Coca-Cola Foundation launched an internship program for Atlanta-area students aspiring to work with U.S. Soccer. The internships in Atlanta will be held in summer 2025.
- U.S. Soccer has invested in its new community by way of McCurry Park South, a local Fayette County soccer facility. Partnering with Fayette County and the Fayette County Youth Soccer Leage, the Federation has committed to enhancing five soccer fields, including pitch improvements, upgrading facilities, and equipment. The investment will support the local community and our Youth and Extended National Team training camps at the facility starting this Fall, serving as an interim site while the Arthur M. Blank U.S. Soccer National Training Center is under construction.
- U.S. Soccer referees have had the most FIFA appointments in a single year and U.S. Soccer acknowledged those who are having an outstanding summer; three were appointed to the Olympics, seven represented U.S. on the pitch at Copa America, three were appointed to the U-20 FIFA Women’s World Cup, oneto the U-17 FIFA Women’s World Cup, and one for the Futsal World Cup in September.
The next Board of Directors meeting will take place on Nov. 22, 2024 virtually. For more information, visit ussoccer.com.
