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The United States men’s and women’s national teams have started serious summer competitions, but a gigantic story may be flying under the radar thanks to the Gold Cup and Women’s World Cup.

On Thursday, the Washington Post’s Steven Goff reported that the United States Soccer Federation was “in the final stages” of hiring a replacement for outgoing U.S. Soccer Federation CEO Dan Flynn (above), and that Jay Berhalter was in the running for the gig.

[ MORE: Transfer rumor roundup ]

Jay is the brother of Gregg Berhalter, the USMNT head coach, and Goff added this tidbit on Friday: Flynn wants the longtime USMNT executive to replace him and current USSF president Carlos Cordeiro doesn’t approve of the idea.

Flynn pushing hard for Berhalter, I'm told, but fed prez Carlos Cordeiro not aboard. The board of directors will make the decision. Meantime, the search for a #uswnt general manager is apparently down to three finalists. — Steven Goff (@SoccerInsider) June 21, 2019

The appointment is done by the USSF’s Board of Directors, of whom Sunil Gulati is a non-voting member but maintains plenty of sway with the rest of the elected board.

Cordeiro can vote on the matter, as can new vice president Cindy Parlow Cone, MLS commissioner Don Garber, USL owner Alec Papadakis, and the following names listed on the USSF web page: Athlete reps Chris Ahrens, Carlos Bocanegra, and Lori Lindsey (Lindsay Tarpley Snow – Alternate); Adult Council representatives Richard Moeller, John Motta, Youth Council representatives Dr. Pete Zopfi, Tim Turney, At-Large rep Mike Cullina; and Independent directors Lisa Carnoy and Patti Hart.

Jay Berhalter has been “next man up” for the gig for some time, and his status within the organization was a constant talking point in the process of hiring a new USMNT coach. That turned out to be his brother Gregg, who has a fine resume and is 4W-2L-1T since taking the reins, but the search committee may not have spoken in-depth with some of the top available and interested names.

An odd footnote to this appointment is a burst of USSF employee reviews at the web site Glassdoor which specifically targeted executives for a poor working environment and stale atmosphere. At least 10 of the 78 reviews have come since the start of June and several have headlines along the lines of “Culture Dependent on Next CEO” and “Dream Job, Nightmare Potential.”

A couple of points from the Internet, one from former USMNT forward Herculez Gomez in December and another from longtime American soccer writer Charles Boehm.

USSF COO Jay Berhalter was involved in the hiring of GM Earnie Stewart. Stewart hired HC Gregg Berhalter. USSF CEO Dan Flynn is retiring. Jay Berhalter is rumored to replace Flynn. @CACSoccer⁩ has his first major bullet. #USMNT #FlawedProcess https://t.co/t5Wl3ovN31 — herculez gomez (@herculezg) December 3, 2018

Noteworthy that Paul found validity to the USSF Glassdoor reviews that have been making the rounds. I've never spoken to Jay Berhalter and interview requests have been rebuffed. That said & FWIW, multiple people have shared negative impressions/anecdotes with me over the years. https://t.co/spx8M3gwBp — Charles Boehm (@cboehm) June 21, 2019

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