It's been two weeks, and the lack of any news coverage regarding potential candidates to replace Jay Berhalter is staggering to me. You would think that after the AGM last weekend that there would be some activity on that front. It's very worrying to me that we aren't hearing any names whatsoever. The leadership vacuum only amplifies the issues with the WNT equal pay issues as well as trying to clear the toxicity out of the work environment at Soccer House. You would think someone like Wahl, Carlisle, or any of the writers at The Athletic would have some information to report (and hold US Soccer's feet to the fire), but it seems like the media is content with allowing US Soccer to operate in the shadows on this.
It's very possible that his former role doesn't have day to day operational impact on the USSF. Even if it did, there's still time for a proper executive search.
My guess is that given how Cordeiro appears to want USSF to run compared to Gulati, that the position will be critical. Cordeiro appears to operate much more like the chairman of an oversight board, which is exactly what he should be doing. Gulati was far too hands-on. I get that an executive search is going on, but the "insiders" should be writing about what qualities the CEO should have. This is an incredibly important hire for USSF. Given the misgivings of the past several years on many fronts, US Soccer has to get this hire right. They need a strong, outside CEO and should be willing to pay what's needed for the right person. To not see the people I've mentioned write anything about the search - from ideal qualities to possible candidates - is concerning. It took a major NY Times investigative report to finally derail the almost-inevitable march of Jay Berhalter to the USSF CEO position. I'm not always the biggest fan of the media, but it does hold a key place in our society when it's done right. As a fanbase, we really need people like Tenorio, Wahl, Carlisle, Stesjkal, etc. to step up and hold US Soccer accountable.
I could see some really good candidates in other high profile leagues not wanting their names mentioned until they're hired in case it affects their current job and they don't get an offer.
Did it though? Are you assuming this, or is it factually the case? Cordeiro to me doesn't seem to be the type of leader to make decisions in a vacuum or knee jerk decisions. The hiring of a new CEO, as you have correctly stated previously, is a very important hire. It will quite possibly be a transformational hire. As such, finding the right candidate is paramount. Executive searches of this magnitude/importance are generally conducted in private. Candidates for this types of roles are typically currently holding a similar or same role at high profile institutions. If their name surfaces for another CEO roll, that news could have negative impacts on stock prices, shareholders, etc. The media can ask all they want, US Soccer is not obligated to answer, or give out any information. We'll hear about a candidate shortly before or after all of the finer details of a contract are completed for the new CEO.
I think it's pretty clear Cordeiro has no love lost for Gulati's favorites. The purge has been pretty extensive. It was reported that he did not want Jay Berhalter as CEO early on, and I don't think it was entirely or even mostly due to the Glassdoor reviews. Although that might have given him political capital.
Exactly, the New York Times article likely had no baring on the decision to not offer Jay the CEO position. Some folks were just assuming he'd get the roll. We all should know what happens when we assume..... I'd imagine that Cordeiro figured out rather quickly that major changes needed to happen throughout the leadership and overall structure of the Federation not long after taking over as president.
Point taken on Wahl. I know he should be tougher on USSF than he is. My point is that there is a startling lack of information and reporting on this hire. If Rob Manfred is fired as baseball commissioner, the content mill will be turning out all kinds of names as candidates to replace him. You'll see people like Tim Kurkjian, Jeff Passan, and others providing potential replacements. I'm surprised there hasn't even been an article detailing what ideal qualities the next US Soccer CEO should have or dropping names that might fit some sort of profile. It's no different than an article saying that if Tom Brady leaves New England, these are the 3-5 quarterbacks that may replace him. I've seen those articles and heard enough sports talk on that to last me a really long time. Given the status of the coaching hire and lack of timely response surrounding the NYT article, I don't think it was a major stretch to say that many fans felt like Jay was destined to be CEO no matter what. The hiring process for Gregg was far from timely, transparent, or objective. It seemed like every variable was set to steer the final hire to a single name. If Cordeiro really was that set against Jay being the CEO, then why didn't he (apparently) step in to provide additional oversight? He had 6-7 months to reset the ground rules related to the USMNT hire. Yes, I'm making some assumptions. But given past history, I don't think those assumptions are terribly off base.