News: Earnie Stewart Resigns

https://sports.yahoo.com/us-soccer-sporting-director-job-description-new-211010000.html

They announced the Sporting Director job will now solely focus on the sporting side and a new position is being created to deal with the other aspects Stewart dealt with.

Based on listening to the Athletic Soccer Podcast, Paul Tenorfio basically said he got the impression the responsibilities were so much that it turned candidates off, but also sounds like they're going more in line with other federations now

 

This seems like a no-brainer.

 

Parlow-Cone and Batson had wanted just one soccer administrator on the men's side of the game to the two they have on the women's side, and now it seems that they've relented. Stewart was the sort of person that we just can't replace with any one guy that we're likely to get.

 

Good thing because then the men would have striked for equal rights and held out for a new contract.

 

Do they have two administrators on the women's side? I thought it was just Kate Markgraf. Whereas we had both Stewart and McBride on the men's side. And Stewart also oversaw the women's team, but he was clearly significantly more hands on with the men's team.

I guess the part that doesn't make sense to me is that despite the reduced responsibilities, the new sporting director will still be in charge of all 27 national teams under the USSF's purview. And will decide later themselves as to the need for a GM.

It would make more sense to have one GM on the men's side, one on the women's side, someone else responsible for the other 25 national teams we field, and another person doing the referee and coaching education type stuff.

 

I misspoke a bit. The women have their own GM under the sporting director (obviously currently vacant), and the men originally weren't going to have one under the new re-structuring, according to Parlow-Cone and CEO Batson.

 

Not sure exactly how they should do it but I think at least all of the men's should be under one person and vice versa the women. I kind of like the idea of both sides having a similar philosophy but since they'd never play on the other's team it isn't necessary it would just be cool to have a national style. I think all of the best soccer nations do.

 

Is there really enough for a GM's job if they aren't responsible for youth teams?

I would think we'd have a Men's and Women's GMs responsible for the senior and youth teams on their respective side. You could either give the extended teams (para, beach, etc) to one of them or to the third person, who would do coaching and refereeing and youth league development.

 

I would make the GM responsible for the respective youth teams also. I just meant that the extended teams should have their own dedicated person.

 

I suspect we are having trouble with your meaning of extended. Do you mean youth teams of girls and boys or Futsal, beach etc?

 

So I think the respective youth teams should be run by the respective men's and women's GMs.

But by extended teams I mean futsal, beach, etc. There's no reason why the person who oversees the USMNT and related youth teams. should be the person overseeing those teams as well.

 

Ok, that makes sense and I agree.

 

Asked Nashville SC general manager Mike Jacobs about interviewing, withdrawing from U.S. Soccer sporting director search. This is what he said #EveryoneN

Jacobs' candidacy first reported by @tombogert https://t.co/gflVQ7EaHq

— Drake Hills (@LiveLifeDrake) March 22, 2023

 

That's a very diplomatic way of saying that the job just wasn't that appealing to him.