Why the US Soccer Federation is being sued by a charity

The US Soccer Federation is being sued by independent charitable organisation US Soccer Foundation in the latest escalation of a naming rights dispute between the two bodies.

US Soccer Foundation, which funds access to football in minority and low-income communities in the United States, says it has taken the action in response to a meeting in August in which it claims the US Soccer Federation revealed it was ending the long-standing relationship between the organisations and demanded that U.S Soccer Foundation abandon its name and logos.

The purpose of the US Soccer Foundation’s lawsuit is to seek a declaratory judgement that it owns the name “US Soccer Foundation” as well as all related trademarks.

“The USSF has threatened to hijack the Foundation’s trademarks for its own use – likely an effort to capitalise on lucrative business opportunities when the United States hosts the World Cup in 2026,” stated the US Soccer Foundation’s complaint, filed in the US District Court for the District of Columbia on Thursday.

The two organisations have traditionally enjoyed close ties, and the president of the US Soccer Federation has always sat on the board of the US Soccer Foundation, which was formed with $50 million (£39m) of the profits from the 1994 World Cup held in the United States.

The US Soccer Federation appointed Gregg Berhalter as men's national team coach on Sunday (Getty)

“We were surprised and shocked,” US Soccer Foundation president and CEO Ed Foster-Simeon told Sports Illustrated of US Soccer’s actions. “We have spent $125m (£98m) over 25 years building up the equity around the US Soccer Foundation and the work that we’re doing. This is a threat to our organisation and our ability to continue the work we’re doing.

“This effort to strip us of the name ‘US Soccer Foundation’ and all the work that we’ve built into becoming a leader in this space and in effect telling us to start over, it’s just unreasonable.”

Forster-Simeon considers the US Soccer Federation’s stance to be even more egregious in light of the fact that the US Soccer Foundation’s work and programmes were included as part of the successful joint bid to host the 2026 World Cup with Canada and Mexico.

“It’s almost like a bait-and-switch,” he added. “Like we were great for them leading up to the bid, but then within weeks of receiving the bid it’s like, ‘Oh, we want to divorce from you and want you to change your name.’”

The US Soccer Federation, which on Sunday appointed Gregg Berhalter as new permanent coach of the men’s national team, has yet to publicly comment on the US Soccer Foundation’s accusations or Thursday’s legal action.