Cary is a finalist for new US Soccer headquarters
Posted February 8, 2023 11:13 a.m. EST
Updated February 8, 2023 7:23 p.m. EST
Cary is being considered as a possible new home for the U.S. Soccer Federation's headquarters and national training center.
For more than a year, city and soccer officials have been in discussions in developing a campus and training facility, Cary Town Manager Sean Stegall told WRAL News on Wednesday morning.
City officials, including Stegall and Cary Mayor Harold Weinbrecht, made an in-person pitch to U.S. Soccer in Chicago in the fall. U.S. Soccer is currently headquartered in Chicago.
"We knew for quite some time we'd be a finalist," Stegall said. "Whether we're in the final three or two or four isn't of primary importance to us. It's been made clear to us that we're still under consideration."
The Athletic reported that U.S. Soccer is considering Cary and Atlanta among possible other cities. The Triangle Business Journal first reported the meeting with Cary officials.
"We are in the beginning stages of considering a National Training Center, but we are not discussing any specifics on locations at this point," Neil Buethe, the chief communications officer for U.S. Soccer, told WRAL in an emailed statement Wednesday.
Cary's WakeMed Soccer Park, which is home to the NC Courage of the NWSL and North Carolina FC of the United Soccer Leage, "is an ideal facility," Stegall said, for the federation. The facility hosts the NCAA College Cup.
"We could meet their needs in the short term and the long term," Stegall said.
The U.S. Soccer Federation is the governing body for soccer at all levels in the U.S., including the men's and women's national teams, Major League Soccer, the National Women's Soccer League and the United Soccer League.
The national training center would serve the senior, youth and extended national teams, according to The Athletic, which obtained an email from U.S. Soccer to prospective host cities. The center would include "14+ groomed fields" and "cutting-edge training facilities, collaborative workspaces, high-tech sporting equipment (and) medical resources for injury prevention and recovery," according to the email obtained by The Athletic.
The 2026 men's World Cup will be held in the United States, Canada and Mexico with the US hosting the majority of matches among the expanded 48-team field.
Cary will host The Soccer Tournament (TST) this summer at WakeMed Park, a 32-team 7-on-7 event with a grand prize of $1 million. Wrexham AFC, the Welsh club made famous in the United States when it was bought by actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, will compete in the event.
Former national team star Clint Dempsey is organizing a team. Former women's national team star Heather O'Reilly is putting together a team of former women's national team players for the event. No tickets are available, but fans can join a waitlist.
"Cary has a rich history of being passionate about soccer," Stegall said. "Then, of course, the Cary community itself is a wonderful place to conduct and grow a business."
USA Baseball's national training complex is located in Cary at Thomas Brooks Park. It opened in 2007. Stegall said that was part of the town's pitch to U.S. Soccer.
