U.S. Soccer presidential election live stream: How to watch online

The future of the U.S. Soccer Federation could soon be dramatically reshaped, as for the first time since 2006, there will be a new face leading the charge for the sport in America after Saturday’s USSF Presidential election.

Sunil Gulati has served as the leader of U.S. Soccer for more than a decade, and it’s been a tumultuous journey at times. In recent times it’s been a very difficult path, with the U.S. men’s national team failing to qualify for the 2018 World Cup. That failure sparked numerous demands for change in the USSF, leading us to today and the very contentious election process between a huge and diverse field of candidates.

At the core of many of the issues discussed in the lead-up to this election has been Soccer United Marketing, the company owned by the club owners in MLS that handles all of the top American league’s marketing and media rights, as well as being heavily involved in the same matters for the USMNT and USWNT. They also employ Kathy Carter, one of the leading candidates in the election, and many feel that a win for her would be a win for the status quo in U.S. Soccer, which few fans seem to want.

That’s lead many fans to support ex-USMNT stars Kyle Martino and Eric Wynalda, two candidates campaigning on changing the status quo in U.S. Soccer. Wynalda, who has financial backing from leaders of the former second-division North American Soccer League, is running on a platform of more extreme changes to the current structure, while Martino seems more measured in his approach and wanting to build things stronger from the ground up.

Other candidates include former USWNT star goalkeeper Hope Solo, who has been doing her best to shine a light on the inadequacies and accused corruptions of the current U.S. Soccer regime, as well as current USSF Vice President Carlos Cordeiro. Cordeiro had declared his intention to specifically run against now-outgoing President Sunil Gulati before Gulati declined to enter the election, possibly making him less of a status quo candidate than many assume.

The field is rounded out by another ex-USMNT player — Paul Caligiuri — as well as lawyers Steve Gans and Eric Winograd. Of those three, only Winograd has presented a relatively concise platform that he’s running on, and he could become something of a dark horse candidate because of it. All three of them are extreme long-shots though — of the eight candidates, only Carter, Cordeiro, Martino, and Wynalda are expected to gain the kind of support to have a real chance to win once the election process begins.

It’s going to be a long, fascinating, and important day for U.S. Soccer, and every fan of hte USMNT, USWNT, MLS, or any other soccer team in America should pay close attention because of how huge this election is for the future of the sport in this country.

When: Saturday, Feb. 10. The National Council Meeting begins at 8 a.m. ET, with the election itself scheduled to begin at 9:30 a.m. ET.

Where: Renaissance at SeaWorld in Orlando, Fla.

Watch it: U.S. Soccer’s YouTube page