United States Soccer Federation

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The United States Soccer Federation (USSF), also known as U.S. Soccer, is the nonprofit group that governs soccer in the United States. It is the U.S. member of FIFA and CONCACAF and runs the men’s and women’s national teams, Major League Soccer (MLS), the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL), youth programs, and other formats like beach soccer, futsal, and Paralympic and deaf teams. It also sanctions referees and oversees many competitions, including the U.S. Open Cup and the SheBelieves Cup.

A brief history
- Founded on April 5, 1913 as the United States Football Association in New York City.
- Provisional FIFA member in 1913; full FIFA member in 1914.
- The name changed to United States Soccer Federation in 1974; the term “soccer” had been added to the title earlier, in 1945.
- Founding member of CONCACAF in 1961.
- United States hosted the FIFA World Cup in 1994 and will co-host the 2026 World Cup with Canada and Mexico. The U.S. women’s team has won four World Cups (1991, 1999, 2015, 2019) and Olympic gold medals (1996, 2004, 2008, 2012).

Headquarters and training centers
- U.S. Soccer is headquartered in Chicago. It previously operated the U.S. Soccer House in Colorado Springs and moved to Chicago in 1991.
- The National Training Center is at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California.
- In 2023, U.S. Soccer announced plans to move to a new headquarters and training center south of Atlanta, funded in part by Arthur Blank. A 200-acre site in Fayette County, Georgia was chosen for the new center, expected to open before the 2026 World Cup. Temporary offices are at Town Trilith near Fayetteville.

Leadership and structure
- The federation is governed by a board of directors and a national council.
- Cindy Parlow Cone has been president since 2020; JT Batson is CEO (Secretary General).

Leagues, clubs, and competitions
- MLS is the top professional league in the U.S. (27 U.S. teams and 3 Canadian teams as of 2025) and operates as a single-entity league.
- The USL Championship is the second-division men’s league; USL League One is Division III.
- There are several men’s and women’s leagues at various levels, including the NWSL (14 teams as of 2024), the WPSL, and United Women's Soccer.
- The U.S. Open Cup, started in 1913, is the oldest ongoing national soccer competition in the United States and is open to clubs from many levels.

Women’s national team
- The U.S. women’s national team is the most successful in women’s soccer, with four World Cup titles and multiple Olympic gold medals.
- In 2019, the team filed a gender discrimination lawsuit against U.S. Soccer. In 2022, the case was settled for $24 million, with commitments to equal pay for friendlies and World Cup play. U.S. Soccer also moved to equalize World Cup prize money between men’s and women’s teams.