Cup legacy defines the leadership of Cone

Member of iconic yy team draws on experience in role as first female to preside over soccer's biggest event.

- BY KEVIN BAXTER

CINDY PARLOW CONE seeks to grow the game from the executive side as U.S. Soccer president.

Cindy Parlow Cone has a soft spot in her heart for World Cups, having played in two and won one.

Fewer than a couple of hundred people in history can make that claim.

But next June, Cone, president of U.S. Soccer, will do something that has never been done before when she becomes the first female national federation head to preside over soccer's biggest tournament.

"You will see a lot of me. Being the host country, we will be very visible," Cone said of an event the U.S. will share with Mexico and Canada. "It's FIFA's show; they're running the tournament. We will be largely focused on the impact of the World Cup and growing our game." The first time the World Cup was held in the U.S., it had quite an influence on growing the game since its legacy included the birth of a first-division league in MLS and a $60-million surplus that was invested in soccer development at the grassroots level.

It was also the first World Cup a 16-year-old Cone watched on television. Inspired by the experience, she wound up playing in one five years later, scoring two goals and assisting on two others to help the U.S. win its second of four championships.

That 1999 team, which saw 12 of its 20 members inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame, is widely considered to be the best women's team of all time. And Cone, who is one of those 12 Hall of Famers, said being part of it changed the direction of her life.