The race to become the next leader of U.S. Soccer took an unexpected twist on Wednesday, as Carlos Cordeiro -- the vice president of U.S. Soccer and a longtime friend and colleague of the current president, Sunil Gulati -- has entered the campaign for the top job himself.
Many observers assumed Cordeiro would simply support Gulati's bid to win one final term as president, but Cordeiro -- a former partner at Goldman Sachs who has been increasingly involved in the soccer world over the past 10 years -- is striking out on his own.
In a letter to potential voters in February's election that Cordeiro sent Wednesday, he laid out a platform that calls for significant structural change within the federation and a bold financial growth strategy which includes bidding to bring the men's and women's World Cup tournaments to the United States in 2026 and 2027.