US Soccer upheaval continues with two major departures

Earnie Stewart, who served as U.S. Soccer’s sporting director, and Brian McBride, the men’s national team’s general manager, are both departing, it was announced Thursday.

Stewart will stay on through Feb. 15 and then head to PSV Eindhoven in Netherlands. McBride will remain through the end of the month.

“While we are sad to see Earnie go, he has helped lay a strong foundation and build a strong sporting staff to ensure that the future of U.S. Soccer is bright,” U.S. Soccer President Cindy Parlow Cone said in a statement. “Today, we have a unique opportunity to bring in a new Sporting Director to build on this momentum. We are eager to engage new leaders who will match our ambitions and realize our vision for the future, taking our National Teams to the next level, including competing for a FIFA World Cup on home soil in 2026.”

U.S. Soccer has retained Sportsology Group to head the search for the organization’s next sporting director and will also “analyze head coach candidates to accelerate the Sporting Director’s hiring process.”

According to U.S. Soccer, “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.”

During the sporting director search, all sporting staff will report to U.S. Soccer CEO JT Baston and once the new sporting director is hired, Parlow Cone said that “individual will oversee the process of hiring the new men’s coach.” Parlow Cone said the plan is to have a new sporting director and coach in place “by the end of the summer.”