ORLANDO, Fla. — Carlos Cordeiro was elected president of the United States Soccer Federation on Saturday, prevailing after three rounds of voting at the organization’s annual meeting. The decision was a surprisingly straightforward end to a three-month campaign marked by dueling visions, whispered rumors, personal attacks and impassioned last-minute lobbying.

Cordeiro, 61, who led the voting on all three ballots, succeeds Sunil Gulati, who had held the presidency since 2006. Gulati announced in December that he would not run for another term, becoming the biggest casualty of the men’s team’s failure to qualify for this summer’s World Cup — a stunning humiliation that brought simmering unease about his long tenure and leadership style to a boil.

In the end, nine candidates entered the race for his job, and eight were cleared to run.

Cordeiro, a well-connected vice president of the federation, has been a board member of the organization since 2007, serving on a variety of committees. A former Goldman Sachs banker, he is a longtime associate of Gulati’s, though he took pains during the campaign to emphasize the areas on which they disagreed.

“I think we are at an inflection point in soccer history in this country,” Cordeiro said after his victory. “I think we have an opportunity to really transform it into a No. 1 sport. I think the demographics favor that.”