Earnie Stewart OUT as US Soccer's Sporting Director
"We would like to have the new GM and USMNT coach by the end of the summer."
After almost four years as sporting director of the US National Teams, Earnie Stewart will leave US Soccer to join legendary Dutch club PSV Eindhoven. He will continue in his role until February 15.
Adding to the upheaval, U.S. Men’s National Team General Manager Brian McBride decided earlier this week to move on after serving in the role for the past three years, effective January 31st. According to US Soccer, McBride informed the organization of his decision before the 2022 World Cup… Ok.
The official communication from USSF also states the decisions of Stewart and McBride were made independently of each other and were not impacted by U.S. Soccer’s process for naming the next USMNT head coach or the ongoing investigation.
Who will be leading the USMNT manager search?
Now two of the most senior officials in the organization will be on their way out as the USMNT look for their next manager. Who will be in charge of this critical decision?
In the search for the next leader of the U.S. Men's National Team, the hiring process for the head coach will be led by the organization's next Sporting Director. As U.S. Soccer continues to search for the right candidate to fill this crucial role, they have enlisted the help of Sportsology Group to help move the head coach search forward.
The official communication from USSF states:
“The Sportsology team will conduct a thorough analysis of the market for head coaching candidates, providing a foundation for the new Sporting Director to build upon once they are in place. By doing this, the process of finding the next head coach can be accelerated, ensuring that the U.S. Men's National Team is in the best possible hands as they look to compete on the global stage.
The search for the Sporting Director will take place first, but U.S. Soccer is running concurrent reviews of both the Sporting Department and the Men’s National Team program to help accelerate the selection of the next USMNT head coach. This holistic review of the sporting department is already in progress. Once it’s been determined what the department will look like moving forward and the qualifications that will be required to lead it, U.S. Soccer will determine the appropriate pool of candidates for the next Sporting Director.
The search for the next USMNT head coach started prior to this announcement, but the next USMNT head coach will be hired by the new Sporting Director.
While the process to select the next sporting director remains underway, U.S. Soccer will work with Sportsology to continue to move the head coach search along by analyzing the market of head coaching candidates so the new sporting director isn’t starting from scratch, and the process can be accelerated once that person is on board.”
From the press conference with U.S. Soccer President Cindy Parlow Cone and CEO/Secretary General JT Batson
US Soccer President Cindy Parlow Cone:
While we certainly didn’t plan it this way, it presents us with a great opportunity. As much as we want to have every answer right now, we want to do this right but we don’t want to rush it.
I know this moment feels uncertain for fans, players, and media, but what this actually is is a clean canvas. We have a great plan in place to lead us through this transitional time to get us into the next chapter.
Q: What extent did the investigation of Berhalter have to do with these decisions and what is the timeline?
No impact whatsoever from the investigation. On the timeline, we’ve already kicked off a review of our sporting structure. We want to bring this to life quickly. We want the right leadership in place as we go into big tournaments on the Men’s side.
Q: It’s hard not to tie these two moves to the investigation of Gregg Berhalter and the connection of leaders of the organization to the Men’s National Team. Can you shed light on that?
Before the World Cup we were informed that Brian McBride would be moving on. We asked him to stay on until the end of January to help with the transition. In regards to Earnie, he is an accomplished and highly sought-after leader. He informed us of the opportunity and it’s something he wanted to do to return home closer to his family. I know what you’re getting at with the question but we did not plan it this way.
Q: Was Earnie’s contract extended to 2026? Once the Sporting Director is hired they will hire the USMNT coach - what will the hierarchy look like?
We did extend Earnie’s contract but I don’t recall the length of time. We let him out of this contract to pursue the new job. We would like to have the new GM and MNT coach by the end of the summer.
Q: Is Gregg still be considered in the coaching search?
Gregg is still being considered.
Q: Is it a sure thing that you will hire a replacement of Brian McBride as GM?
We will evaluate the GM position as part of a holistic review. We’re not dead-set on having the exact same structure on the Men’s side that we have on the Women’s side so more to come on that front.