 Parlow in 2023 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Cynthia Marie Parlow Cone | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Birth name | Cynthia Marie Parlow[1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | (1978-05-08)May 8, 1978 (age 47) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Memphis,Tennessee, U.S. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Midfielder | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| College career | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1995–1998 | North Carolina Tar Heels | 103 | (68) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1999 | Raleigh Wings | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2001–2003 | Atlanta Beat | 60 | (15) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| International career | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1996–2004 | United States | 158 | (75) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Managerial career | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2007–2012 | North Carolina Tar Heels (assistant) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2013 | Portland Thorns FC | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Cynthia Marie Parlow Cone (née Parlow; born May 8, 1978) is an Americansoccer executive and president of theUnited States Soccer Federation.[2] A formerprofessionalsoccer player, she is a two-time Olympic Gold medalist and1999 FIFA Women's World Cup champion. As head coach in 2013, Parlow Cone led thePortland Thorns FC to clinch the inauguralNational Women's Soccer League (NWSL) championship title.[3]
Parlow Cone previously served on U.S. Soccer's Referee Committee, Medical Advisory Committee, Appeals Committee, the Athletes’ Council, and Youth Task Force. She was elected as interim vice president of U.S. Soccer on February 16, 2019, and re-elected for a four-year term in February 2020. In March 2020, she was named president after the previous holder,Carlos Cordeiro, suddenly resigned. In February 2022, she was elected to a full four-year term in her own right.
Parlow Cone was inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame in 2018,[4] the Tennessee State Soccer Association Hall of Fame in 2019,[5] and the Memphis Sports Hall of Fame the same year.[6]
Born to Larry and Josephine Parlow, Cindy was raised inMemphis, Tennessee, where she attendedGermantown High School. At age 13, she attended a local autograph signing by U.S. national team head coachAnson Dorrance after the U.S. won the inaugural1991 FIFA Women's World Cup in China. After the signing, she told her mother, "I'm going to play for that man some day." Four years later, she decided to graduate high school early and attend theUniversity of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where she played for theTar Heels women's soccer team led by Dorrance.[7][8] She later noted, "I wasn’t really your typical teenager; I was very intense and very focused. I definitely wasn’t an adult when I was 17, but I felt like coming to UNC was a great decision for me in all aspects because I felt like I was fully supported and pushed to become not only a better soccer player but a better person."[9]
| External videos | |
|---|---|
 Cindy Parlow Cone Finds Out She's Been Elected to the National Soccer Hall of Fame, fromNational Soccer Hall of Fame, Retrieved March 23, 2020. |
At Chapel Hill, Parlow was a four-timeAll-American and helped the team win theNCAA Women's Soccer Championship three times and theAtlantic Coast Conference regular season four times.[10][11] She was a two-timeHermann Trophy winner in 1997 and 1998 (the second two-time winner followingMia Hamm). She was named theACC Athlete of the Year in 1999.
Following her freshman season, Parlow was named the Atlantic Coast Conference Rookie of the Year. Her 19 goals and 13 assists (51 points) ledSoccer News andSoccer America to name her National Freshman Player of the Year as well.[10] Parlow's freshman year ended when she scored anown goal in 20th minute of the1995 NCAA Division I Women's Soccer Tournament semifinals.[12]Notre Dame defeated North Carolina 1-0 on Parlow's own goal to snap the Tar Heels' 35-game winning streak and denying North Carolina a 10th consecutive NCAA title. The following year, she was a finalist for the MAC Hermann Trophy after scoring 15 goals and providing 11 assists. She scored the game-winning goal in the NCAA Division 1 Championship game against Connecticut.[10] The same year, she was named the Most Valuable Player of the ACC Tournament.[10]Soccer News named her National Player of the Year.[10] As a junior, she was awarded the Hermann Trophy and MAC Sports Foundation National Player of the Year Award.[10]Soccer Times Magazine named her National Player of the Year as well.[10]
During her senior season, Parlow scored 21 goals, including 7 game-winners, and recorded 11 assists.[10] She was awarded the 1998 Hermann Trophy and 1998 Missouri Athletic Club Foundation Award as the National Collegiate Women's Soccer Player of the Year.Soccer News Magazine named her Player of the Year.[10] She was awarded the Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Year and named to the All-ACC first team for the fourth consecutive year.[10]
Parlow ended her collegiate career with 68 goals and 53 assists (189 points).[13][10] During her time at North Carolina, the team recorded a cumulative record of102–3–1 record.[10]
| External videos | |
|---|---|
| 41st Most Memorable Women’s World Cup Moment: Cindy Parlow Cone’s Diving Header, from Fox Soccer, Retrieved March 22, 2020. |
Parlow began training with theU.S. women's national team in March 1995.[14] At age 17,[15] she made her first appearance and scored two goals in afriendly againstRussia on January 14, 1996.[16][17] Parlow played in all six games of the team's1999 World Cup victory, the 1996, 2000 and 2004 Olympics, as well as the2003 FIFA Women's World Cup. At age 18, she was the youngest player to win an Olympic gold medal and FIFA Women's World Cup title.[18]
Parlow was the youngest player on the American squad to compete at the1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta.[14] The '96 Olympics marked the first time that women's soccer (football) was played at the international tournament.[19] Led by head coachTony DiCicco (the team's former goalkeeper coach at the1991 FIFA Women's World Cup), the U.S. advanced to the semifinal after defeating Denmark and Sweden and tying with China in the group stage matches.[20] After defeatingNorway 2–1 in the semi-final, the U.S. faced China for a second time in the final.[21] During the final inAthens, Georgia, 76,481 spectators were in the stands to watch the United States defeat China (a new world record for the most spectators to attend a women's sporting event).[21]
Parlow played in all six games of the team's1999 World Cup victory and scored two goals. During the July 4 semifinal match againstBrazil in front of 73,123 spectators, she scored aheader goal in the fifth minute of the match.[22]
After 90 minutes of scoreless regulation time and 30 minutes ofsudden death, the1999 FIFA Women's World Cup Final was decided by apenalty shootout between the U.S. and China. The five American players to take penalty kicks converted while China missed one attempt so that the U.S. won.[23] The final surpassed the 1996 Atlanta Olympic final as the most-attended women's sports event, with more than 90,000 people filling theRose Bowl in Pasadena, California.[24][25] It held the record until 2014 for the largest U.S. television audience for a soccer match with 17,975,000 viewers. As of July 2015[update], it ranks third following the2015 FIFA Women's World Cup (25,400,000 viewers) and2014 FIFA World Cup group stage match between the U.S. men's team and Portugal (18,220,000 viewers).[26] A week later, the team metPresident Clinton at theWhite House and flew withHillary andChelsea Clinton onAir Force Two toCape Canaveral.[27][28]
In August 2000, Parlow was named to the U.S. squad for the2000 Summer Olympics in Australia by head coachApril Heinrichs.[29][30]
Parlow finished 2000 with 19 goals, the highest on the national team.[31] In June, she scored a hat-trick against bothNew Zealand andCanada during the Pacific Cup in Australia.[32] In August, she scored a brace against Russia during a 9–1 win.[33]
On July 3, 2001, Parlow gained her100th international cap in a 1-0 friendly win over Canada,[34] making her the youngest footballer—male or female—to do so.[35]
In August 2003, Parlow was named to the roster for the2003 FIFA Women's World Cup by head coachApril Heinrichs.[36] During the team's group stage match againstSweden, she scored a header goal off a corner kick from Mia Hamm in the 36th minute of the U.S.' 3–1 win.[37] The U.S. facedNigeria in their second group stage match. After Parlow was fouled by the Nigerian captain, Hamm scored on the awarded penalty kick to open the game's scoring.[38] Parlow scored the U.S.' second goal in the 47th minute.[39] The U.S. eventually won 5–0.[40] Parlow, along with fellow starters Mia Hamm, Julie Foudy and Shannon Boxx were rested during the team's final group stage match: a 3–0 win againstNorth Korea before advancing to the quarter-finals where they faced long-time rivalNorway.[41] Parlow started the match and was subbed off forTiffeny Milbrett in the 72nd minute of the 1–0 win.[42] The U.S. was defeated 3-0 byGermany in the semi-finals.[43] During the first half of third-place match againstCanada, Parlow sustained a concussion and was removed from the match.[44] The U.S. went on to win 3–1 to secure third place at the tournament.[45]
Parlow competed at the2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. During the Olympic qualifying tournament, she scored a hat-trick againstHaiti.[46]
On October 21, Parlow scored her seventh hat-trick for the national team, moving ahead ofMichelle Akers in the record books and one fewer than Mia Hamm.[47]
On July 30, 2006, Parlow announced her retirement from international play, citingpost-concussion syndrome. She concluded her career with 158caps (the ninth most in United States Women's National team history) and 75 goals (fifth most).[48]
In February 1999 Parlow signed forUSL W-League clubRaleigh Wings.[49] She helped the Wings retain the W-League title, scoring against theChicago Cobras in the championship game.[50]
Parlow was one of the twentyfounding players of theWomen's United Soccer Association (WUSA), the first professional women's soccer league in the United States, and captained theAtlanta Beat.[51][52] She led the team to the playoffs in each of the league's three seasons of operation (2001–2003).[1]
During the2001 WUSA season, Parlow's five goals ranked first on the Beat and her seven assists ranked first.[1] During a match against thePhiladelphia Charge on May 24, 2001, she scored a goal in the second minute of the match. On June 17, she scored a brace against theSan Diego Spirit, including the game-winning goal to win 3–2. She earned the league's firstred card during the same match after an altercation withJulie Foudy. Foudy was given ayellow card.[53] She scored another brace on July 22 to defeat theNew York Power 2–0.[1][54] The league folded in September - five days before the2003 FIFA Women's World Cup in the United States (originally slated for China, but moved due to theSARS epidemic.[51]
Atlanta finished the regular season in first place with a10–4–7 record securing a spot in theplayoffs.[55] During the semi-final match against the Philadelphia Charge, Parlow scored anequalizer in the 79th minute. During the second overtime period, she scored the league's firstgolden goal to advance the Beat to theFounders Cup championship match[56] where they were defeated in penalty shots by theSan Jose CyberRays in front of 21,078 fans atFoxboro Stadium in Boston.[57]
During the2002 WUSA season, Parlow scored five goals and provided four assists ranking third on the team with 14 points.[1] After playing the first two games of the season, Parlow was forced to miss the third due to FIFA rules and national team commitments.[1] She scored a goal against theBoston Breakers despite playing with a broken nose suffered in the fifth minute of the game.[58] Playing against the New York Power on June 9, she scored a goal and recorded an assist toCharmaine Hooper lifting the team to a 2–0 win.[59] The Beat finished the regular season in fourth place with a11–9d=1 record and advanced to the Playoffs. They were defeated 2-1 by theCarolina Courage in the semi-finals.[60][61]
Parlow returned to the Beat for the2003 WUSA season. On June 23, she scored ahat-trick against the Philadelphia Charge ending a three-game winless streak.[62] The Beat finished in second place with a9–4–8 record two points behind Boston. They defeated the San Diego Spirit during the semifinals and advanced for the second time to theWUSA Founders Cup where they faced theWashington Freedom led byMia Hamm andAbby Wambach. The Freedom won 2–1.[63]
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 14 January 1996 | Campinas,Brazil |  Russia | 3–? | 8–1 | Friendly |
| 2. | 5–? | |||||
| 3. | 17 February 1996 | Houston,United States |  Sweden | 3–0 | 3–0 | |
| 4. | 14 March 1996 | Decatur, United States |  Germany | 2–0 | 6–0 | |
| 5. | 26 April 1996 | St. Louis, United States |  France | 3–1 | 4–1 | |
| 6. | 4–1 | |||||
| 7. | 12 May 1996 | Worcester, United States |  Canada | 5–0 | 6–0 | 1996 Women's U.S. Cup |
| 8. | 4 July 1996 | Tampa, United States |  Australia | 2–? | 2–1 | Friendly |
| 9. | 28 February 1997 | Melbourne,Australia | Australia | 1–0 | 4–0 | |
| 10. | 11 May 1997 | Portland, United States |  England | 2–0 | 6–0 | |
| 11. | 4–0 | |||||
| 12. | 5 June 1997 | Ambler, United States | Australia | 2–0 | 9–1 | 1997 Women's U.S. Cup |
| 13. | 6–0 | |||||
| 14. | 8 June 1997 | Washington, D.C., United States |  Italy | 1–0 | 2–0 | |
| 15. | 24 January 1998 | Guangzhou,China |  Norway | 3–0 | 3–0 | 1998 Four Nations Tournament |
| 16. | 30 May 1998 | Washington, D.C., United States |  New Zealand | 1–0 | 5–0 | Friendly |
| 17. | 25 June 1998 | St. Louis, United States | Germany | 1–1 | 1–1 | |
| 18. | 16 March 1999 | Quarteira,Portugal |  Finland | 2–0 | 4–0 | 1999 Algarve Cup |
| 19. | 29 April 1999 | Charlotte, United States |  Japan | 3–0 | 9–0 | Friendly |
| 20. | 13 May 1999 | Milwaukee, United States |  Netherlands | 2–0 | 5–0 | |
| 21. | 3 June 1999 | Beaverton, United States | Australia | 2–0 | 4–0 | |
| 22. | 6 June 1999 | Portland, United States | Canada | 4–2 | 4–2 | |
| 23. | 24 June 1999 | Chicago, United States |  Nigeria | 6–1 | 7–1 | 1999 FIFA Women's World Cup |
| 24. | 4 July 1999 | Stanford, United States |  Brazil | 1–0 | 2–0 | |
| 25. | 3 October 1999 | Columbus, United States |  South Korea | 1–0 | 5–0 | 1999 Women's U.S. Cup |
| 26. | 12 March 2000 | Albufeira,Portugal |  Portugal | 1–0 | 7–0 | 2000 Algarve Cup |
| 27. | 3–0 | |||||
| 28. | 5–0 | |||||
| 29. | 7 May 2000 | Portland, United States | Canada | 2–0 | 4–0 | 2000 Women's U.S. Cup |
| 30. | 2 June 2000 | Sydney, Australia | Canada | 3–0 | 9–1 | 2000 Pacific Cup |
| 31. | 8–0 | |||||
| 32. | 9–0 | |||||
| 33. | 4 June 2000 | New Zealand | 3–0 | 5–0 | ||
| 34. | 4–0 | |||||
| 35. | 5–0 | |||||
| 36. | 8 June 2000 | Newcastle, Australia | Japan | 1–0 | 4–1 | |
| 37. | 23 June 2000 | Hershey, United States |  Trinidad and Tobago | 1–0 | 11–0 | 2000 CONCACAF Women's Gold Cup |
| 38. | 6–0 | |||||
| 39. | 9–0 | |||||
| 40. | 30 July 2000 | Oslo,Norway | Norway | 1–2 | 1–2 | Friendly |
| 41. | 13 August 2000 | Annapolis,United States | Russia | 5–1 | 7–1 | |
| 42. | 7–1 | |||||
| 43. | 10 December 2000 | Houston, United States |  Mexico | 2–2 | 3–2 | |
| 44. | 3–2 | |||||
| 45. | 9 September 2001 | Chicago, United States | Germany | 1–0 | 4–1 | 2001 Women's U.S. Cup |
| 46. | 21 July 2002 | Blaine, United States | Norway | 1–0 | 4–0 | Friendly |
| 47. | 3–0 | |||||
| 48. | 8 September 2002 | Columbus, United States |  Scotland | 1–0 | 8–2 | |
| 49. | 29 September 2002 | Uniondale, United States | Russia | 2–0 | 5–1 | 2002 Women's U.S. Cup |
| 50. | 2 October 2002 | Cary, United States | Australia | 2–0 | 4–0 | |
| 51. | 3–0 | |||||
| 52. | 27 October 2002 | Pasadena, United States | Mexico | 2–0 | 3–0 | 2002 CONCACAF Women's Gold Cup |
| 53. | 29 October 2002 | Fullerton, United States | Trinidad and Tobago | 1–0 | 3–0 | |
| 54. | 6 November 2002 | Seattle, United States |  Costa Rica | 1–0 | 7–0 | |
| 55. | 2–0 | |||||
| 56. | 3–0 | |||||
| 22. | 21 September 2003 | Washington, D.C., United States | Sweden | 2–0 | 3–1 | 2003 FIFA Women's World Cup |
| 23. | 25 September 2003 | Philadelphia, United States | Nigeria | 3–0 | 5–0 | |
| 24. | 27 February 2004 | Heredia,Costa Rica |  Haiti | 2–0 | 8–0 | 2004 CONCACAF Women's Pre-Olympic Tournament |
| 25. | 6–0 | |||||
| 26. | 8–0 |
Parlow Cone was an assistant coach for the North Carolina Tar Heels from 2007 to 2012.[9] In 2012, she led practices while head coach Anson Dorrance spent time with his wife who was ill. He noted, "I had no issue telling the world she was my secret weapon." As of 2023[update], the season marked the last time the Tar Heels won the national championship (despite being the winningest team in the history of collegiate soccer).[64] She was also the director of coaching for under-15 to under-18 girls' soccer at Triangle United, a youth soccer club in Chapel Hill, for six years until 2012.[65]
In December 2012, Parlow Cone was hired as the head coach forPortland Thorns FC ahead of theinaugural season of theNational Women's Soccer League (NWSL).[66][67] She became the first head coach to win an NWSL Championship, as Thorns FC beat Western New York Flash 2–0 in the first ever championship game August 31, 2013.[68] She resigned as head coach on December 5, 2013, citing personal reasons, particularly the desire of her and her husband,Portland Timbers director of sports science John Cone (who also resigned around the same time), to be together more.[69]
Parlow Cone served on the coaching staff for the under-14 and under-15 girls’ national teams from 2010 to 2013.[16] In 2015, she coached at the Berkshire Soccer Academy for Girls along with her former teammatesMia Hamm,Kristine Lilly,Tisha Venturini, andBrandi Chastain.[70] In 2019, she became a director of coaching for NCFC Youth, the youth division ofNorth Carolina FC.[9]
Parlow Cone served on U.S. Soccer's Referee Committee, Medical Advisory Committee, Appeals Committee, the Athletes’ Council, and Youth Task Force.[71] She was elected as Vice President of U.S. Soccer on February 16, 2019, filling the vacancy created whenCarlos Cordeiro became president in February 2018.[72] She was re-elected Vice President in February 2020 for a full four-year term.[73]
In early March 2020, Parlow Cone was named President of U.S. Soccer after Carlos Cordeiro suddenly resigned after a growing outcry from players, board members, supporters and sponsors over assertions made in court documents.[74][75] One of her first acts as president was to apologize for a recent legal brief and "offensive assertions made by the Federation that do not represent our core values."[76] Running unopposed, she was re-elected President in February 2021 to finish the final year of Cordeiro's term.[77] On March 5, 2022, she was re-elected as president for a new four-year term, defeating Cordeiro in a weighted vote 52.9-47.1%.[78]
Following the success of the 1999 FIFA Women's World Cup, Parlow and her teammates were featured on the cover ofSports Illustrated as the Sportswomen of the Year.[79] In 2005, she was featured in the film,Dare to Dream: The Story of the U.S. Women's Soccer Team.[80] In 2008, she was featured inWinning Isn't Everything, The Untold Story of a Soccer Dynasty, a documentary film about the success of the Tar Heels women's soccer program and its players.[81] In 2013, she was featured in the ESPN series,Nine for IX: The '99ers.[82] In 2015, she was featured in HBO'sReal Sports.[83]
In 2015, Parlow Cone worked with the U.S. Department of State's Empowering Women and Girls through Sports Initiative to work with Jordanian under-17 national soccer team during a 10-day exchange program.[84] She has been a leader in raising awareness about concussion safety.[85][86][87] In December 2018, she was a presenter at the Draw for the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup.[88]
In 2007, she married John Cone, a former soccer player and coach.[89]
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