August 13 – Kate Markgraf has been appointed general manager of the US women’s team and will immediately lead the search for a new head coach following Jill Ellis’ announcement last month that she is stepping down following the country’s World Cup victory last month.
Markgraf, who was part of the US World Cup-winning side of 1999, will also manage the overall technical plan for the Women’s National Team programme.
“We’re thrilled to have Kate as the first general manager of our women’s national team,” said Carlos Cordeiro, president of the U.S. Soccer Federation. “At a time when more countries around the world are investing heavily in women’s soccer and competition is getting more intense, Kate will help ensure that we achieve excellence across all our women’s teams and programmes, both at the Federation and across the United States.”
Cordeiro also announced that another former player, Earnie Stewart, is leaving his position as general manager of the US men’s team to become the first sporting director of US Soccer. Stewart, who helped in the process of hiring current head coach Gregg Berhalter, played in three World Cups.
In a statement, U.S. Soccer described the general manager position as having “an expanded scope beyond the senior team, influencing the development of women’s soccer within the Federation and serving as the external liaison to all stakeholders.”
“One of the priorities when I took over was making sure that our soccer operations were run by soccer experts,” added Cordeiro. “And that is what today is all about.”
Markgraf, 42, appeared in 201 games for the United States during a playing career that spanned 12 years. As well as being a member of the 1999 World Cup-winning team she also earned two Olympic gold medals.
While Markgraf’s main role will be overseeing the women’s national team, Cordeiro also said she would take a leading role in a potential United States bid to host the 2027 Women’s World Cup.
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