The future of U.S. Soccer is female

After U.S. Soccer President Sunil Gulati announced he won’t be running for a third term, Kathy Carter became the first woman to join the race.

“The rise of the woman = the rise of the nation.” U.S. women’s national soccer team forward Alex Morgan posted to her Instagram back in March these very words, encouraging her followers near and far to march and to make that day a #DayWithoutAWoman. Members of the USWNT and people from all over the country marched in various cities after the election of Donald Trump. To see these members of the USWNT march and publicly encourage others to do so, was far from unexpected. The USWNT have never been shy about fighting for their rights. From demanding equal pay from their federation, to fighting for fair field conditions in the World Cup, there’s no keeping these women on the sideline.

On Monday, Sunil Gulati, the president of U.S. Soccer since 2006 told ESPN he won’t run for re-election next year. This couldn’t have surprised many, given the U.S. men’s national team’s failure to qualify for the 2018 World Cup.

“I spent a lot of time thinking about it, and talking about it with people in many different positions — many of whom told me I should run,” Gulati told ESPN. “But in the end, I think the best thing for me personally, and for the federation, is to see someone new in the job.”

The field of candidates to succeed Gulati keeps on growing, and on Tuesday Kathy Carter, the President of Soccer United Marketing (SUM), announced her candidacy. Carter is the only woman in the race so far and joins a long list of other USSF President hopefuls. But what makes Carter stand out, apart from being the sole woman in the running, is her rich resume, which could bring U.S. Soccer to new heights.

Carter’s background is in soccer and in marketing. In an open letter on her website, she wrote:

"“The game of soccer has been a consistent thread through every aspect of my life. I have spent more than 40 years as a player, executive, and fan of the beautiful game. The United States Soccer Federation needs new leadership that understands both business operations and the game. Our growth and advancement as a sport require excellence at every level — from our youth and adult programs to our professional leagues to our national teams.”"

Carter gets it, from both sides, and at a time when U.S. Soccer really has no choice but to go up, why not shake things up and invest in someone who’s not only qualified but can also pave the way for young women in top business roles? Young girls who play soccer have players like Alex Morgan and the entire USWNT to look up to, but what about that young girl who aspires to be in a top business position or wants to coach? There are far too few women in those roles.

Even in the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) there was only one woman head coach in the 2017 season, Laura Harvey. Just this past month, another woman was named a head coach, making it just two women in head coaching roles in the only women’s professional soccer league in the U.S.

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As the soccer landscape in the U.S. continues to change, roles for women are still few and far between, which is hard to believe given the success of the USWNT, NCAA soccer and the NWSL making it past the three-year hump. There needs to be a shift in mindset, and Carter gets that.

“Whenever someone bemoans the fact that they won’t be able to see the United States in a World Cup for four years,” Carter reminds everyone in an interview with the New York Times … “They can cheer for the women at the 2019 tournament in France.”

In order to be officially eligible to run, Carter needs three nominations by a Dec. 12 deadline.

With Morgan, Megan Rapinoe, Julie Ertz, Lindsey Horan and Samantha Hewis standing tall as nominees for U.S. Soccer’s Female Player of the Year, and U.S. Soccer in a place where a woman is running for USSF President, it seems the future is, in fact, female.