U.S. Soccer laid off up to 30 employees on Tuesday in a major reorganization ahead of its relocation from Chicago to new headquarters in the Atlanta metro region.
The cuts were felt across the organization, including the marketing, sales, sporting, refereeing and coaching departments, according to multiple sources in the federation who spoke to The Athletic. U.S. Soccer currently employ around 340 people, meaning the cuts could equate to around nine per cent of its workforce.
While some employees were let go immediately, others were given a termination date in April 2025 and will remain employed until then. Separately, many others have been offered a relocation package and invited to continue their employment at the federation’s new headquarters in Fayetteville, Georgia, slated to open in 2026. Those employees were given 60 days to decide whether they would make the move or not.
The layoffs come amidst a period of surging revenue for the federation, which operates as a non-profit enterprise. In the last year of its deal with Soccer United Marketing, U.S. Soccer (USSF) earned $32million in commercial revenue, chief commercial officer David Wright told The Athletic recently, but its projection for the current financial year, which ends on March 31, is $110m, an increase of 243 per cent in two years.
The USSF also recently appointed Mauricio Pochettino as its highest-ever earning Men’s National Team head coach, courtesy of a donation from billionaire businessman Ken Griffin.
Tuesday’s meeting and eventual layoffs were first mentioned to staff on August 27 in an email from USSF chief executive officer JT Batson. In the email, a copy of which was acquired by The Athletic, Batson stated the meeting would be focused on “relocation packages (and) the approach to the timing of relocations,” along with providing more information about the transition and financial services. Within days, though, many employees at the federation’s Chicago headquarters formed a different impression of what the meeting would entail.
That anxiety increased earlier this week when staff received calendar invites to one-on-one meetings with their direct supervisors. Some of those invites included the federation’s human resources department, with staff quickly able to ascertain that employees who had received those invitations would be dismissed.
“We pretty much knew that some of us would be ‘invited’ to Atlanta,” said one source, speaking — like others in this article — on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of their situation, “and some of us wouldn’t make the cut, so to speak. This was basically weighing on all of us for over a month already, and then the invite stuff happened — it was very, very hard to deal with.”
The federation brought in an outside human resources agency to assist with the layoffs. “It was obvious what was about to happen,” said another source. “Some of the rooms had windows blacked out, but we’d all seen the setup beforehand, with the tissues and the water bottles.”
During those meetings, HR associates packed up the belongings of each employee who was terminated immediately, according to multiple sources. Those employees were not allowed to return to their desks and were escorted out of the building. The federation had security present, as companies often do during widescale layoffs.
Staff who were laid off were also given a separation letter, acquired by The Athletic.
“As U.S. Soccer formalizes plans to move our headquarters, training and operations/warehousing functions to the Arthur M. Blank U.S. Soccer National Training Center in Fayetteville, Georgia, we have determined that your employment with U.S. Soccer will end, effective today,” reads the letter, which also outlines severance pay for those affected, which ranged from two to four months.
Later in the day, the federation’s remaining staff were given details of relocation packages during a 2:30 p.m. meeting with Batson and other USSF executives in the office kitchen at the federation’s Chicago headquarters.
“I want to start by acknowledging that today is a difficult day for a number of our colleagues whose last day is today,” says Batson in audio of the meeting, obtained by The Athletic. “And obviously these are our friends, folks that we feel are very valuable parts of the U.S. Soccer family now and going forward. I want to make sure as we go forward that we all continue to support them and give them the same love and support as if they were showing up to work tomorrow.”
Minutes later, Batson mentioned the federation’s financial health to employees, telling them that U.S. Soccer “will do more revenue this year than we will have ever done in our history.”
The Athletic has obtained details of the federation’s relocation packages, which vary for each employee and are largely based on rank. The federation’s “red package,” offered to Vice-Presidents and above, includes a $3000 allowance, five days of moving leave, rental and purchase assistance, shipment of household goods and a variety of other benefits. Other packages, offered to senior management and coordinators/managers, offer a greater allowance but far fewer ancillary benefits. Employees who choose to relocate will have to do so by July 1, 2025.
Though the federation’s new headquarters will not be ready until 2026, U.S. Soccer has repurposed a former elementary school and set up a temporary facility in Atlanta. Around 50 employees have already moved into that facility, which has room for expansion. Around eight to 10 employees also work in Carson, California and another eight to 10 staff focused on coaching education are based in Kansas City.
Employees who decline the federation’s offer to move to Atlanta will receive 60 days of severance pay. Not all employees are required to move to Atlanta, with some being allowed to work remotely.
In a statement issued to The Athletic, the USSF said: “The transition to the Arthur M. Blank U.S. Soccer National Training Center in metro Atlanta will enhance our ability to support our 27 national teams and drive the continued growth of the sport in the U.S.
“As part of this transition, the Chicago office will close in 2025, and while not all staff will relocate, we deeply appreciate the invaluable contributions of those who won’t be making the move. Our new Training Center will allow us to operate more efficiently, positioning U.S. Soccer for long-term success in the ever-evolving landscape of global soccer.”
(Top photo: Raymond Boyd/Getty Images)
