U.S. Soccer President Cindy Parlow Cone to Run for Re-Election

Parlow Cone intends to run for a four-year term in the February 2022 election.

CHICAGO (AP) — Cindy Parlow Cone will seek a full four-year term as U.S. Soccer Federation president in February 2022.

The former national team midfielder became president March 11, 2020, when Carlos Cordeiro quit following a backlash over the federation’s role in a gender discrimination lawsuit filed by women’s national team players.

Parlow Cone had been elected vice president in February 2019 and moved up when Cordeiro quit. She ran unopposed last winter for the final year of Cordeiro’s term.

Parlow Cone helped settle the lawsuit over inequitable working conditions while leaving the dispute over unequal pay for additional litigation. She also presided over the hiring of Will Wilson as chief executive officer.

A four-year term would run until months before the U.S. co-hosts the 2026 World Cup with Mexico and Canada.

“I feel like there is a lot left to do. I’ve spent my entire presidency in COVID, which everyone knows the challenges that presents,” the 43-year-old Parlow Cone said Saturday during a conference call following the USSF’s board of directors meeting. “I think we have helped lead the federation in a new direction.”

She cited increasing diversity and settling litigation as among the accomplishments.

Ahead are new broadcasting contracts. Current eight-year deals with ESPN and Fox for U.S. English-language rights and with Univision for U.S. Spanish-language rights were negotiated jointly with Major League Soccer and run through 2022. The USSF is negotiating separately from MLS for new deals.