# Hope Solo opposes the U.S.-led 2026 World Cup bid...



## younothat (Jun 7, 2018)

Hope Solo opposes the U.S.-led 2026 World Cup bid, says it should go to 'more deserving' country
https://www.yahoo.com/sports/hope-solo-campaigning-u-s-led-2026-world-cup-bid-course-151638427.html

"Hope Solo is one of the most accomplished American soccer players ever. She also genuinely cares about the growth of the sport in the United States. A natural conclusion to draw from those two facts would be that Solo, two years removed from her playing days, would wholeheartedly support the U.S.-led bid to bring the 2026 World Cup to North America.

Ah, but that conclusion would ignore a third fact: Hope Solo _despises_ the United States Soccer Federation.

So, understandably, she doesn’t want the United States Soccer Federation to have nice things. And the 2026 World Cup, whose hosting rights will be awarded by a June 13 FIFA vote, falls into the “nice things” category.

Solo is openly rooting against the United Bid"

“I can’t say it should be awarded to Morocco,” the North American bid’s only rival, Solo told the Associated Press. “But I don’t think it should go to the United States, and that’s hard to say.”

And to CNN: “I think it should be awarded to a country which abides by federal law, who is transparent, who runs their non-profit organizations in the way it should be run, who aren’t hiding millions of dollars, and a company who actually answers these questions that want to be answered,” Solo said, referencing U.S. Soccer. “They just ignore everybody.”

“I do have a problem with an organization like that being awarded something so big,” Solo continued. “I would like to think there’s another country out there who is more deserving than the United States.”

*Well, is there somebody ‘more deserving’?*
Fortunately or unfortunately, depending on your perspective, there is not. FIFA’s bid evaluation team recently wrapped up its inspections, and concluded that the three North American nations, which plan to stage 60 of 80 games in the U.S., are far more equipped to host the 2026 World Cup:

Wow is she really that bitter to go against the united bid or what?

My son was at one point a big Hope Solo fan due to meeting her when he was  young at a training event before all the drama;  she was very nice to him and gave him some special world cup pins for winning goalie wars at the end of camp. 

Never played keeper before and he was actually a striker invited to give the keepers some work but he was fascinated by her and learned to play keeper for the first time.  Hasn't played much keeper at all since unless the backups are not around but will  still practice blocking shots and has come on to block PK's  or in Sudden death once in a blue moon.


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## outside! (Jun 7, 2018)

While she raises some good points about USSF, I can't think of any national soccer federation that is not less corrupt or more transparent.


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## reno114 (Jun 7, 2018)

Being awarded the opportunity to host the World Cup would give the U.S. an automatic berth and  an opportunity to watch them play, sounds like a win win for us.


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## Frank (Jun 7, 2018)

She may be right in some of her evaluations (I have no idea), however what I know is that she carries zero credibility and I don't care what she thinks/knows.


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## JJP (Jun 7, 2018)

Whoever said she should be voted in as president of USSF needs to identify him/herself publicly in this thread and eat some crow.


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## MWN (Jun 7, 2018)

Hope Solo is just bitter and a bit immature.  She is surrounded by some advisors who told her that her "sh@# don't stink."  Her lawsuit isn't going anywhere and her time in the spotlight is quickly evaporating.  I'm not writing her off, but will be ignoring her until she matures a bit more.


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## reno114 (Jun 7, 2018)

Hope Solo struggles to be a good person.


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## espola (Jun 7, 2018)

JJP said:


> Whoever said she should be voted in as president of USSF needs to identify him/herself publicly in this thread and eat some crow.


She couldn't have been worse than the last one, and it remains to be seen whether she would have been better than the one we ended up with.


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## Sheriff Joe (Jun 7, 2018)

reno114 said:


> Hope Solo struggles to be a good person.


What a keeper though.


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## Lambchop (Jun 7, 2018)

Frank said:


> She may be right in some of her evaluations (I have no idea), however what I know is that she carries zero credibility and I don't care what she thinks/knows.


Read the entire article.


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## JJP (Jun 8, 2018)

espola said:


> She couldn't have been worse than the last one, and it remains to be seen whether she would have been better than the one we ended up with.


I’ve seen u post a lot of stupid shit on these forums.  Can’t tell if u r being serious or just trying to troll.

Hope Solo has a history, and it’s a bad one.  She has a vicious temper, she makes everything personal, she lashes out, she can’t take criticism, she is a publicity hound in a Khardasian way, her instinct is to double down on her mistakes instead of backing off.  She clearly believes she’s a lot smarter than she actually is, which is a terrible characteristic in a federation leader because those kinds of people don’t listen to good advice.

Her only good leadership quality is that she’s decisive, but in her case, she makes so many bad decisions it’s not even a good trait for her.

There’s no question the US would benefit from hosting WC2026, plus we have tons of stadiums already built so we don’t need to build lots of useless stadiums.  Plus we could spread the economic benefits to several cities.  Hope Solo saying a more “deserving” country should get the WC just shows that she’s bitter and pissed off and lashing out.


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## espola (Jun 8, 2018)

JJP said:


> I’ve seen u post a lot of stupid shit on these forums.  Can’t tell if u r being serious or just trying to troll.
> 
> Hope Solo has a history, and it’s a bad one.  She has a vicious temper, she makes everything personal, she lashes out, she can’t take criticism, she is a publicity hound in a Khardasian way, her instinct is to double down on her mistakes instead of backing off.  She clearly believes she’s a lot smarter than she actually is, which is a terrible characteristic in a federation leader because those kinds of people don’t listen to good advice.
> 
> ...


In order to respond properly, I would like to know your mindset about me.  What have I posted that you consider to be "stupid shit"?


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## Sheriff Joe (Jun 8, 2018)

espola said:


> In order to respond properly, I would like to know your mindset about me.  What have I posted that you consider to be "stupid shit"?


How much time do you have?


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## Dos Equis (Jun 8, 2018)

This is simply be about Hope Solo, in the most attention grabbing way, trying to focus attention on issues concerning the organization who she blames for her current exile from domestic soccer.   

Hope Solo has always been a sort of conundrum.  How many times do we hear coaches say great goalkeepers are unique or different -- they need to be confident in their decisions and believe they can stop every shot, they need to be vocal and direct their teammates,  organize the game, take control, and they have to be a little bit crazy, willing to charge at a player who is about to kick them in the head, put their face in front of a soccer ball tavelling 70 mph (or more).  

Yet in the case of Hope, who had/has all those qualities and more (her special talents become even more obvious with every game the USWNT  plays without her), we wanted all that keeper uniqueness in a polite package.  _Believe you can stop every shot -- just do not tell anyone that after we lose and you are not in goal.  Be a little crazy -- but do not date it. Be a beast and tyrant on the field, but a good girl off the field. _ As for calling Sweden cowards, would it have been better for her to more correctly say we were out-coached, and call her coaches out instead of the opposition?  Does anyone really think Sweden had more talent and the better team on the field that day?  

So I do not think this is really about the World Cup, this is about Hope, trying to shout at the top of her lungs, "I want to play soccer, but because one organization weilds practically monopoly power over the women's game, and they do not like me, I am being prevented from playing the game I love and making a living."

I do not think the women's game is better for her exclusion.


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## Fact (Jun 8, 2018)

JJP said:


> I’ve seen u post a lot of stupid shit on these forums.  Can’t tell if u r being serious or just trying to troll.
> 
> Hope Solo has a history, and it’s a bad one.  She has a vicious temper, she makes everything personal, she lashes out, she can’t take criticism, she is a publicity hound in a Khardasian way, her instinct is to double down on her mistakes instead of backing off.  She clearly believes she’s a lot smarter than she actually is, which is a terrible characteristic in a federation leader because those kinds of people don’t listen to good advice.
> 
> ...


How do you know there will be any economic benefit? Given the way things are going, more security will be required then ever, depending upon the teams, and it could be a logistic nightmare.


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## GoWest (Jun 8, 2018)

Dos Equis said:


> This is simply about Hope Solo, in the most attention grabbing way, trying to focus attention on issues concerning the organization who she blames for her current exile from domestic soccer.


....personally, I appreciate someone of her "presence" drawing attention to just how twisted, poorly lead, misguided, self-serving, __________ (fill in the space), etc., US Soccer has become. Failing on so many levels on both the men's and women's sides....and they do it with such arrogance. Whatever your take on Solo as a person or agent provocateur, focusing a spotlight on the ilk that is / has become US Soccer, IMHO, is deservedly illuminating and refreshing.


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## Surfref (Jun 8, 2018)

reno114 said:


> Hope Solo struggles to be a good person.


She is the Tanya Harding of US Soccer.  Great goalie, but needs to just keep her mouth shut and avoid getting arrested.


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## MWN (Jun 8, 2018)

MWN said:


> Hope Solo is just bitter and a bit immature.  She is surrounded by some advisors who told her that her "sh@# don't stink."  Her lawsuit isn't going anywhere and her time in the spotlight is quickly evaporating.  I'm not writing her off, but will be ignoring her until she matures a bit more.


When I made the above opinion I didn't think it through.  I forgot that the "lawsuit" is actually an administrative action with the USOC and USSF, the status of which is unknown, but I believe still pending with AAA.  Her words mirror the complaint she filed.  Because her complaint will be mired in arbitration in a non-public forum, her best strategy to raise awareness is suck the media into writing about it.

I believe what she is doing is strategic and not just popping off.  She knows that her words have no impact on the 207 WC voters, but are designed to get the USSF to publicly respond by attempting to raise the stakes by attacking the WC Bid.  At a minimum, she has now attached ancillary allegations of corruption to the WC Bid, which will get a mention in many articles moving forward.

As other's have pointing out, Solo's credibility is tarnished and her reputation as the "bad girl" of US Soccer firmly in place.  She was dismissed from the 07 WC team for critical comments about Briana Scurry, 2014 arrest for domestic violence; Her husband's 2015 DUI while driving a USSF-rented vehicle; the "cowards" quote about the Swedish team resulting in a 6 month suspension, and to top it all off she was the victim of a hacker getting into her "solo" nudes on her phone.   All of this makes for a pain is the USSF side and the fact she is essentially retired makes her a polarizing figure and the best advocate for those that believe US Soccer needs to refocus.


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## Surfref (Jun 8, 2018)

JJP said:


> ......There’s no question the US would benefit from hosting WC2026, plus we have tons of stadiums already built so we don’t need to build lots of useless stadiums.  Plus we could spread the economic benefits to several cities.  Hope Solo saying a more “deserving” country should get the WC just shows that she’s bitter and pissed off and lashing out.


By 2026 California will have seceded from the USA and will be their own country, so maybe California should host WC2026.  There are more than enough stadiums in California to host all of the games.


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## GoWest (Jun 8, 2018)

Surfref said:


> By 2026 California will have seceded from the USA and will be their own country, so maybe California should host WC2026.  There are more than enough stadiums in California to host all of the games.


Add to that, California has a plan in place to 'tax the air you breathe'....imagine the revenue!


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## Surfref (Jun 8, 2018)

GoWest said:


> Add to that, California has a plan in place to 'tax the air you breathe'....imagine the revenue!


After reading about the water restrictions, it would not surprise me if they started taxing the air we breathe.  Only eight years and 7 months until I can retire and move to a state that will not regulate and tax the crap out of it's people.  I just don't understand why people continue to vote the same morons into state government every election.


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## Fact (Jun 8, 2018)

Surfref said:


> She is the Tanya Harding of US Soccer.  Great goalie, but needs to just keep her mouth shut and avoid getting arrested.


There must be something in the water in Seattle.


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## Sheriff Joe (Jun 8, 2018)

Surfref said:


> After reading about the water restrictions, it would not surprise me if they started taxing the air we breathe.  Only eight years and 7 months until I can retire and move to a state that will not regulate and tax the crap out of it's people.  I just don't understand why people continue to vote the same morons into state government every election.


Deplorable.
You might even be able to buy real weapons there as well.


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## MWN (Jun 8, 2018)

GoWest said:


> Add to that, California has a plan in place to 'tax the air you breathe'....imagine the revenue!


For the record it already does.  Income tax is tied to location of activities and residency (i.e. breathing in California).


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## Dos Equis (Jun 8, 2018)

Surfref said:


> She is the Tanya Harding of US Soccer.  Great goalie, but needs to just keep her mouth shut and avoid getting arrested.


Sounds uncomfortably close to "shut up and dribble."


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## Sheriff Joe (Jun 8, 2018)

Dos Equis said:


> Sounds uncomfortably close to "shut up and dribble."


Solo and Cher.


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## Real Deal (Jun 8, 2018)

Surfref said:


> She is the Tanya Harding of US Soccer.  Great goalie, but needs to just keep her mouth shut and avoid getting arrested.


Uhh Tonya Harding had a husband who hired someone to break the legs of her opponent...  which, while she still denies any blame, Tonya has now admitted that she at least "overheard something" about while promoting her whiney biopic.

Hope Solo probably would've just done it herself.   

They were both on Dancing with the Stars though...


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## JJP (Jun 8, 2018)

Fact said:


> How do you know there will be any economic benefit? Given the way things are going, more security will be required then ever, depending upon the teams, and it could be a logistic nightmare.


The major costs for hosting sporting events is 1) preparing the bid, 2) the bid fee and then 3) building infrastructure to host the event.

I’m pretty sure the US has enough stadiums that meet minimum requirements such that item 3) would be close to zero.  When item 3) is zero, that drastically reduces the cost of item 1) because you don’t have to prepare architecture plans, site plans, all the other construction stuff involved to show you can build a viable stadium.

Item 1) cost should also be reduced because a lot of the cost of “preparing the bid” is bribing the right officials, but a lot of the most corrupt FIFA officials have been arrested or ousted after the Qatar debacle.  Plus we have weak competition for 2026 so far, so we shouldn’t have to spend as much money to convince officials when the obvious choice is the US.

I can’t sit here and say for sure that we will profit from WC2026, but we won’t suffer what Brazil and China did from overbuilt, white elephant stadiums that can be used for one sporting event and then slowly rot away.  My guess is that the tourist money, tv money, money WC teams spend in the US should make us a profit.  But even if we don’t profit, it will be a minimal loss, and soccer in the US will definitely grow from having the WC.


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## JJP (Jun 8, 2018)

Dos Equis said:


> Hope Solo has always been a sort of conundrum.  How many times do we hear coaches say great goalkeepers are unique or different -- they need to be confident in their decisions and believe they can stop every shot, they need to be vocal and direct their teammates,  organize the game, take control, and they have to be a little bit crazy, willing to charge at a player who is about to kick them in the head, put their face in front of a soccer ball tavelling 70 mph (or more).
> 
> Yet in the case of Hope, who had/has all those qualities and more (her special talents become even more obvious with every game the USWNT  plays without her), we wanted all that keeper uniqueness in a polite package.


U r right on the qualities making her a great keeper make her unsuited to be a politician. IMO the USSF screwed up banning her.  Who cares about the controversy, get the best girls on the pitch,


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## Fact (Jun 8, 2018)

JJP said:


> The major costs for hosting sporting events is 1) preparing the bid, 2) the bid fee and then 3) building infrastructure to host the event.
> 
> I’m pretty sure the US has enough stadiums that meet minimum requirements such that item 3) would be close to zero.  When item 3) is zero, that drastically reduces the cost of item 1) because you don’t have to prepare architecture plans, site plans, all the other construction stuff involved to show you can build a viable stadium.
> 
> ...


I agree that bids and infrastructure are the major costs but who knows what the world will be like in 8 years. With increase in the cost of security at stadiums rising sharply over the last few years,
the cost ticket prices and lower attendance numbers at many events and the desire to remodel stadiums for the World Cup, I don’t think we can speculate that it will be a winner.

And why would he want to grow the sport? That just means more crazy parents!


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## Keepermom2 (Jun 8, 2018)

So I went looking for the latest Audited Financial Statements for US Soccer because they include a discussion on material litigation and probability of an outcome including accruals and wanted to see if I could find out anything about the Hope Solo case.  Not only did I not find the 2017 Audited Financial Statements posted, but I realized the 2017 year end was March 31, 2017 and their Audited Opinions are generally issued in the fall after their year end (March 31).  Hmmm  Here is a link to an interesting article that summarizes the tax information that they did post but was very late because of filing extensions.

Maybe somebody has already gone off on this and I missed it but this NOT FOR PROFIT business has $110 million invested in public traded securities.  Without financial statements I don't know the risk they invested in but on the face, this appears ???????

https://www.starsandstripesfc.com/2018/2/21/17034108/us-soccer-releases-2017-financial-records


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## MWN (Jun 8, 2018)

Keepermom2 said:


> Maybe somebody has already gone off on this and I missed it but this NOT FOR PROFIT business has $110 million invested in public traded securities.  Without financial statements I don't know the risk they invested in but on the face, this appears ???????
> 
> https://www.starsandstripesfc.com/2018/2/21/17034108/us-soccer-releases-2017-financial-records


Non-profits are businesses and good business dictates you have at least 6 months to 1 year of reserves to cover cash flow challenges.  Investing those reserves in the stock market can make sense depending on the type of stocks/bonds.  Stronger non-profits will have up to 2 years of reserves.  With operating expenses of at least $105M, it would seem to me that the USSF is on good financial footing.  

The concern I have with the USSF is all of its eggs are in the national program basket.  It only generated about $10M in membership fees.  Of course when you consider the Youth Affiliates get most of the youth revenue it makes sense, but $10M in membership fees for a membership driven non-profit is concerning.


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## Keepermom2 (Jun 8, 2018)

MWN said:


> Non-profits are businesses and good business dictates you have at least 6 months to 1 year of reserves to cover cash flow challenges.  Investing those reserves in the stock market can make sense depending on the type of stocks/bonds.  Stronger non-profits will have up to 2 years of reserves.  With operating expenses of at least $105M, it would seem to me that the USSF is on good financial footing.
> 
> The concern I have with the USSF is all of its eggs are in the national program basket.  It only generated about $10M in membership fees.  Of course when you consider the Youth Affiliates get most of the youth revenue it makes sense, but $10M in membership fees for a membership driven non-profit is concerning.


It is usually recommended that Non-profit reserves be invested in easily accessible low risk investments and considering they were tracking at a loss as of 3/31/16, that does not appear to be the case.  I just wonder why they haven't disclosed their financial statements since they usually do it 6 or 7 months after their year end and it is now 14 months after the year ended 3/31/17.


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## MWN (Jun 8, 2018)

Keepermom2 said:


> It is usually recommended that Non-profit reserves be invested in easily accessible low risk investments and considering they were tracking at a loss as of 3/31/16, that does not appear to be the case.  I just wonder why they haven't disclosed their financial statements since they usually do it 6 or 7 months after their year end and it is now 14 months after the year ended 3/31/17.


https://www.starsandstripesfc.com/2017/5/18/15639840/us-soccer-100-million-a-long-time-in-the-making


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## GoWest (Jun 9, 2018)

Keepermom2 said:


> .....US Soccer because they include a discussion on material litigation and probability of an outcome including accruals and wanted to see if I could find out anything about the Hope Solo case.


Do they mention anywhere if they are a 'captive' model? Even if it's unlikely they would publish any discussed reserve ... they do seem quite secretive.

From the article:
"For a Federation whose remit is to further the game of soccer in the USA, it’s an odd choice to consistently invest the majority of their assets in things that don’t further the game. Are there some soccer based ventures that might provide a return and improve infrastructure at the same time? The fact that US Soccer quietly releases their financial statements every year makes it even more odd that they don’t publicly justify their strategy. As ticket prices for US national team matches increase you would think Sunil Gulati would feel some sense of responsibility to divulge his plans for the money and not just tuck it quietly into the latest ETF."


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## younothat (Jun 9, 2018)

Keepermom2 said:


> So I went looking for the latest Audited Financial Statements for US Soccer because they include a discussion on material litigation and probability of an outcome including accruals and wanted to see if I could find out anything about the Hope Solo case.  Not only did I not find the 2017 Audited Financial Statements posted, but I realized the 2017 year end was March 31, 2017 and their Audited Opinions are generally issued in the fall after their year end (March 31).  Hmmm  Here is a link to an interesting article that summarizes the tax information that they did post but was very late because of filing extensions.
> 
> Maybe somebody has already gone off on this and I missed it but this NOT FOR PROFIT business has $110 million invested in public traded securities.  Without financial statements I don't know the risk they invested in but on the face, this appears ???????
> 
> https://www.starsandstripesfc.com/2018/2/21/17034108/us-soccer-releases-2017-financial-records


Yup being posting for years about how the wall street investment bankers have used soccer including some local youth clubs for years to make larger sums of $ out of "non profit" fund investment.  You know the cut for these investors is pretty good so they normally go for higher yields. 
http://www.socalsoccer.com/threads/u-s-soccer-is-a-for-profit-business-harming-the-diversity-of-the-sport-holding-the-national-team.15240/unread

You might be surprised to find investment bankers & lawyers either as pres/vp and/or on the boards of several clubs who give advise on where/how to play the shell games with all that money that goes through the clubs....Millions at stake...


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## MWN (Jun 9, 2018)

The breakdown of the investments as of the 2016 Audited Financials were:


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## Dos Equis (Jun 9, 2018)

younothat said:


> Yup being posting for years about how the wall street investment bankers have used soccer including some local youth clubs for years to make larger sums of $ out of "non profit" fund investment.  You know the cut for these investors is pretty good so they normally go for higher yields.
> http://www.socalsoccer.com/threads/u-s-soccer-is-a-for-profit-business-harming-the-diversity-of-the-sport-holding-the-national-team.15240/unread
> 
> You might be surprised to find investment bankers & lawyers either as pres/vp and/or on the boards of several clubs who give advise on where/how to play the shell games with all that money that goes through the clubs....Millions at stake...


This is nonsense.  US Soccer likely has the largest reserves of any soccer entity, and even if they are paying a full 1% management fee, that means some lucky company is making $1 million to manage this portfolio, gross.  If they were giving away 20% of the upside to a hedge fund, that would be listed as their investment. I expect US Soccer pays less than 1%, but it is not worth my time to look it up.  How they spend this money is a worthy discussion.

All non-profit youth clubs file tax returns if they want to maintain their non-profit status, and must disclose not only reserves and investments, but payments made to any officers and directors.  So find the club IRS 990 filings that prove your hypothesis, and link them here.  No investment banker or lawyer in their right mind would risk their career or license over the few thousand bucks they could make by de-frauding a youth soccer club and playing some shell game.  As for the millions of dollars at stake, large clubs pull in around $2 million in fees and revenues a year, and pay out 80-85% of this in coaching salaries and field costs alone (also available on these forms to see).  The balance is registration fees, league fees, and general overhead.   

Most of the clubs who are not non-profits do not have boards, and are run by coaches/DOCs.  Very few coaches are current or former Wall Street professionals.

You got a problem with a non-profit youth board, go join one and run a club for a while.  Stop smearing those who volunteer their time, and also often donate a lot of money for scholarships  -- one reason why bankers and lawyers are often on these boards.  The other reason is that they need experienced people to help them comply with the reporting and filing requirements, and manage the legal risks, if they do not want to pay third parties thousands for this service.


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## Keepermom2 (Jun 9, 2018)

younothat said:


> Yup being posting for years about how the wall street investment bankers have used soccer including some local youth clubs for years to make larger sums of $ out of "non profit" fund investment.  You know the cut for these investors is pretty good so they normally go for higher yields.
> http://www.socalsoccer.com/threads/u-s-soccer-is-a-for-profit-business-harming-the-diversity-of-the-sport-holding-the-national-team.15240/unread
> 
> You might be surprised to find investment bankers & lawyers either as pres/vp and/or on the boards of several clubs who give advise on where/how to play the shell games with all that money that goes through the clubs....Millions at stake...


Yeah I don't think that is the case considering they only paid $153k in fees on approximately $94M in investments for 2016 and $200k in fees on $110M investment in 2017.  Those fees appear very low.


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## jpeter (Jun 9, 2018)

Dos Equis said:


> This is nonsense.  US Soccer likely has the largest reserves of any soccer entity, and even if they are paying a full 1% management fee, that means some lucky company is making $1 million to manage this portfolio, gross.  If they were giving away 20% of the upside to a hedge fund, that would be listed as their investment. I expect US Soccer pays less than 1%, but it is not worth my time to look it up.  How they spend this money is a worthy discussion.
> 
> All non-profit youth clubs file tax returns if they want to maintain their non-profit status, and must disclose not only reserves and investments, but payments made to any officers and directors.  So find the club IRS 990 filings that prove your hypothesis, and link them here.  No investment banker or lawyer in their right mind would risk their career or license over the few thousand bucks they could make by de-frauding a youth soccer club and playing some shell game.  As for the millions of dollars at stake, large clubs pull in around $2 million in fees and revenues a year, and pay out 80-85% of this in coaching salaries and field costs alone (also available on these forms to see).  The balance is registration fees, league fees, and general overhead.
> 
> ...


I guess you don't know who manages those funds are what they really make each year.

Big clubs two mil in revenue, nope your way off,  4m+ plus and some are much more than that.

Non-profit sports is a 4+ billion dollar industry and you're taking about some volunteers likes it's some small time enterprises of mom  & pops.   There are some great volunteer organizations but US soccer is not one of them. 

I like my local  medium sized club but heck when they have a million+ in reserves invested on 3.5 mil in revenue and have board members who don't even have kids playing and they all work in the finance or law it's clear what's going on and somebody besides the kids are profiting in some way, indrectly or not. I don't mind playing but I don't pretend like the profits are  going back to the club or the fees are being reduced, they increase every year and I see the 990 showing increased levels of investments each year because without them they can't balance the ledge, they would have to show a profit.    Regular businesses can't do this and would be subject to taxes.  Pretty simple


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## jpeter (Jun 9, 2018)

Keepermom2 said:


> Yeah I don't think that is the case considering they only paid $153k in fees on approximately $94M in investments for 2016 and $200k in fees on $110M investment in 2017.  Those fees appear very low.


Fees?  what does that have to do with holding back a $ 110 million dollar surplus that's not being invested in anything soccer realted?

If us soccer had to spend the excess revenue or get taxed on the profit wouldn't they actually have to put that money to use for something soccer realated as opposed to investing in financal firms who also earn real profits and turn that money over?  Those firms pay taxes but us soccer does'nt so called that what you want to.


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## espola (Jun 9, 2018)

jpeter said:


> I guess you don't know who manages those funds are what they really make each year.
> 
> Big clubs two mil in revenue, nope your way off,  4m+ plus and some are much more than that.
> 
> ...


https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/953731566/201733199349318798/IRS990


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## reno114 (Jun 13, 2018)

America Qualifies for the World Cup 2026!!!!!!!!
Let's get to work on putting out a great team!!!!!


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## MWN (Jun 13, 2018)

reno114 said:


> America Qualifies for the World Cup 2026!!!!!!!!
> Let's get to work on putting out a great team!!!!!


We still have the 2020 Olympics and Qatar 2022 WC to think about first, but yes, we are in - in 2026.


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## reno114 (Jun 13, 2018)

We need to implement a strategy, in developing our youth to be prepared to compete with the best, we have eight years to do this. Time to recruit experts for this.


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## Sheriff Joe (Jun 13, 2018)

reno114 said:


> America Qualifies for the World Cup 2026!!!!!!!!
> Let's get to work on putting out a great team!!!!!


*MAGA.*


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## outside! (Jun 14, 2018)

Is Iceland's coach available?


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## GoWest (Jun 14, 2018)

What's the general consensus on Jill Ellis and the job she has done with the WNT?


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## outside! (Jun 14, 2018)

GoWest said:


> What's the general consensus on Jill Ellis and the job she has done with the WNT?


My opinion only, could be worse, could be better. If she is in a position to influence the coaches of the YWNT's then it could definitely be much better.


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## younothat (Jun 28, 2018)

Well, well just in;

"Hope Solo calls US soccer a 'rich white-kid sport"
http://www.foxnews.com/sports/2018/06/28/hope-solo-calls-us-soccer-rich-white-kid-sport.html

One reason why the U.S. men’s national soccer team failed to qualify for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia is that soccer in America is a “rich white-kid sport,” former U.S. women's team goalie Hope Solo said Wednesday.

Solo, a two-time Olympic gold medalist, was speaking at the Hashtag Sports conference in New York City. She said the sport in the U.S. is too expensive for Latino, African-American and rural kids to play -- adding that if she was a kid today her family wouldn’t be able to afford to help her advance in the game.

“We have alienated the Hispanic communities. We have alienated our black communities. We have alienated the underrepresented communities, even rural communities," Solo said, according to Sporting News. "So soccer in America right now is a rich white-kid sport.”


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## MWN (Jun 28, 2018)

younothat said:


> Well, well just in;
> 
> "Hope Solo calls US soccer a 'rich white-kid sport"
> http://www.foxnews.com/sports/2018/06/28/hope-solo-calls-us-soccer-rich-white-kid-sport.html
> ...


The irony is Hope Solo and the players are the factor that prevents us from eliminating Pay-To-Play for the elite youth players.


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## espola (Jun 28, 2018)

MWN said:


> The irony is Hope Solo and the players are the factor that prevents us from eliminating Pay-To-Play for the elite youth players.


How so?


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## MWN (Jun 28, 2018)

espola said:


> How so?


Most folks would agree that operating youth programs costs money.  Fields, insurance, coaches, staff, uniforms, referees, travel, etc.  Under the current economic model, Clubs have a single source of revenue to pay for all of those expenses ... parents.  The attacks on "pay-to-play" argue that the costs are just too dang high for some parents, thus, potential superstar talent from lower income families are priced out of youth development.  Pay-to-play.

Where will the Clubs get the money to pay all these expenses or at a minimum subsidize the expenses?

The model used around the world is found in FIFA's Rules Relating to Training and Solidarity Fees, which basically earmark a portion of player transfer fees to be distributed to the youth clubs (12-23) that had a role in training the player.  What this does is allow clubs to "invest" in players by providing those clubs with financial incentives.  For example:

When, for example, Germany’s *Bastian Schweinsteiger* moved from Bayern Munich to Manchester United in 2015, the village club he played for 17 years earlier, at ages 12 and 13, received $42,000.
*DeAndre Yedlin*, move from the Seattle Sounders to Tottenham Hotspur generated a transfer fee of about $3.7 million, which would have entitled his youth club, Crossfire to be entitled to a solidarity payment of about $60,000, but Crossfire received nothing, with the MLS team keeping it all.
Which brings us to the question of who is against paying transfer and solidarity fees ... youth clubs?  No, they are arguing for it.  Parents? No, assuming parents understand what the hell transfer and solidarity fees are.  The biggest "opponent" is the MLS Players Union and the Players in general, who believe that paying transfer fees would strip money from their pocket.  They are wrong, but that is the argument.  The MLS also opposes it because right now it has the monopoly and pockets all transfer/solidarity fees if paid by a professional club.

Finally, we have the Federation who has taken the position that it simply doesn't want to enforce the payments and relies on a consent decree to feign an argument that collection is illegal.

If the players, who weld significant power with the Federation came out today and said we want Article 19 fees to be paid to youth clubs, two things would happen:

Federation would adopt rules that make it work given the unique US market (setting floors for payments to ensure the marketability of development players is not impacted); and,
Non-MLS clubs would now have incentives to invest in players by subsidizing training/development fees for those that need ... i.e. eliminating "pay to play."
Now, to Solo's credit, she did adopt a stance that training and solidarity fees should be paid during her candidacy for the Presidents position.

My fundamental problem with all this rhetoric about "pay to play" is that it is merely the symptom and not the disease.  The disease is the failure of US Soccer to adopt the FIFA regulations regarding training and solidarity fees.  Cure that and the problem goes away.  Its foolish to think pay-to-play can be eliminated without first adopting the FIFA regulations, where will the money come from then?  In order to cure it, the players must change their position.

So in conclusion, the players are the primary problem standing in the way of eliminating pay to play for elite youth athletes.  Note, non-elite athletes will always pay to play.


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## espola (Jun 28, 2018)

MWN said:


> Most folks would agree that operating youth programs costs money.  Fields, insurance, coaches, staff, uniforms, referees, travel, etc.  Under the current economic model, Clubs have a single source of revenue to pay for all of those expenses ... parents.  The attacks on "pay-to-play" argue that the costs are just too dang high for some parents, thus, potential superstar talent from lower income families are priced out of youth development.  Pay-to-play.
> 
> Where will the Clubs get the money to pay all these expenses or at a minimum subsidize the expenses?
> 
> ...


I don't think that responds to " Hope Solo and the players are the factor that prevents us from eliminating Pay-To-Play for the elite youth players."


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## outside! (Jun 28, 2018)

espola said:


> I don't think that responds to " Hope Solo and the players are the factor that prevents us from eliminating Pay-To-Play for the elite youth players."


I do.


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## MWN (Jun 28, 2018)

espola said:


> I don't think that responds to " Hope Solo and the players are the factor that prevents us from eliminating Pay-To-Play for the elite youth players."


Why not? 
https://mlsplayers.org/news/youth-soccer-club-lawsuit-against-players-and-the-union-dismissed


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## espola (Jun 28, 2018)

MWN said:


> Why not?
> https://mlsplayers.org/news/youth-soccer-club-lawsuit-against-players-and-the-union-dismissed


Coocoo.


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## Surfref (Jun 28, 2018)

Canada actually does something correctly.  In Canada if you spend money for your kid to play an organized sport such as soccer or  hockey, you can write off a fairly significant amount on your taxes.  Last I heard from my buddy in Toronto is that it is around US$1800. Maybe US Soccer should lobby Congress and Trump to pass similar tax reform as a way to get kids out of the house.  That would make many of the pay-to-play sports accessible to the lower income families.  But, I am sure there would be greedy club officials that would just raise fees.


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## AZsoccerDad (Jun 29, 2018)

Yay, I am rich...I didn't know but thank you Hope for informing me!


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## younothat (Sep 4, 2018)

Hope Solo talks about the problems with soccer in the US: Youth soccer is paying $70 million in surplus to US Soccer 




__ https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=259052624745534


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## Kicknit22 (Sep 4, 2018)

outside! said:


> I do.


I do too.


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## INFAMEE (Sep 5, 2018)

I still wouldn't pull out on Hope Solo.


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## Zdrone (Sep 5, 2018)

I know I’m being a bit ridiculous here but when I see Hope Solo, I think of Han and Lea’s lost daughter that was hidden on a backwater planet from the clutches of the dark side.


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