September 13, 2023
U.S. Soccer Family:
We are on the cusp of the most consequential era in the history of American soccer. The 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup will bring the biggest sporting event in history to our shores in less than three years. Opportunities like these are once-in-a-generation, which is why we are committed to working with all of you to use this moment to transform the game in our country forever and for the better. Together, we have an extraordinary opportunity to inspire millions of players, coaches, referees and fans of all ages.
After countless conversations with our members, staff, partners and other key stakeholders, today we’re outlining our strategy to guide this important work. We listened to what everyone had to say and came up with a plan that directly addresses what you told us is most important. The strategy is built around five incredibly ambitious key pillars that will be imperative to our success moving forward:
- Grow the game.
- Foster the best playing environments.
- Develop winning teams.
- Grow the soccer economy to fuel reinvestment.
- Create a world-class organization.
Achieving ambitious goals takes time, resources and hard work. That is in part why we’re sharing this vision with the entire U.S. Soccer community today. You can read more about our strategic framework as well as the key philosophies that will drive our decision-making through 2026 and beyond.
It will require all of us working together to take the next steps, to build benchmarks, timelines, detailed programmatic initiatives and budgets. U.S. Soccer’s external engagement team will be reaching out to discuss what this means for you and to determine next steps to operationalize these goals.
We will share a detailed plan next year that describes how we will use the 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup and other major soccer events to transform our landscape over time, but in the meantime, we are already taking concrete steps to deliver more value to our members and stakeholders. We’ll be sharing updates on these accelerated initiatives – including growing the number of referees in our game, implementing our new Safe Soccer Clearance Program, sharing soccer knowledge across the landscape, rolling out an ambitious new sporting strategy and more – regularly on our website in the months ahead.
As we’ve developed our strategy, we’ve been blown away by the enthusiasm of the entire soccer community. Everywhere we have traveled, at all levels of our game, folks are busting at the seams with ideas for how to grow the game. We welcome your energy – along with your continued feedback and engagement. We are committed to transparency and will continue to communicate with all our members as we execute our five key pillars. Working with all of you, we are confident in our strategy and our ability to come together as a soccer family to make the most of this transformational moment.
On behalf of the entire U.S. Soccer team, we are honored by the opportunity to lead this critical work and look forward to collaborating with each and every one of you to make it happen.
Onward,
Cindy Parlow Cone
President, U.S. Soccer
JT Batson
CEO / Secretary General, U.S. Soccer
