Cindy Parlow Cone

Cynthia Marie Parlow Cone (Parlow; born May 8, 1978) is an American soccer executive and president of the United States Soccer Federation.

At age 13, she attended a local autograph signing by U.S. national team head coach Anson Dorrance after the U.S. won the inaugural 1991 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 the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where she played for the Tar Heels women's soccer team led by Dorrance.

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."

At Chapel Hill, Parlow was a four-time All-American and helped the team win the NCAA Women's Soccer Championship three times and the Atlantic Coast Conference regular season four times.

Led by head coach Tony DiCicco (the team's former goalkeeper coach at the 1991 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.

After defeating Norway 2–1 in the semi-final, the U.S. faced China for a second time in the final.

During the final in Athens, 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).

Parlow began training with the U.S. women's national team in March 1995.

At age 17, she made her first appearance and scored two goals in a friendly against Russia on January 14, 1996.

Parlow was the youngest player on the American squad to compete at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta.

The '96 Olympics marked the first time that women's soccer (football) was played at the international tournament.

She was a two-time Hermann Trophy winner in 1997 and 1998 (the second two-time winner following Mia Hamm).

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.

She was awarded the Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Year and named to the All-ACC first team for the fourth consecutive year.

Parlow ended her collegiate career with 68 goals and 53 assists (189 points).

During her time at North Carolina, the team recorded a cumulative record of record.

A former professional soccer player, she is a two-time Olympic Gold medalist and 1999 FIFA Women's World Cup champion.

She was named the ACC 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) led Soccer News and Soccer America to name her National Freshman Player of the Year as well.

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.

The same year, she was named the Most Valuable Player of the ACC Tournament.

Soccer News named her National Player of the Year.

As a junior, she was awarded the Hermann Trophy and MAC Sports Foundation National Player of the Year Award.

Soccer Times Magazine named her National Player of the Year as well.

During her senior season, Parlow scored 21 goals, including 7 game-winners, and recorded 11 assists.

Parlow played in all six games of the team's 1999 World Cup victory, the 1996, 2000 and 2004 Olympics, as well as the 2003 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.

Parlow played in all six games of the team's 1999 World Cup victory and scored two goals.

As head coach in 2013, Parlow Cone led the Portland Thorns FC to clinch the inaugural National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) championship title.

Parlow Cone previously served on U.S. Soccer's Referee Committee, Medical Advisory Committee, Appeals Committee, the Athletes’ Council, and Youth Task Force.

Parlow Cone was inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame in 2018, the Tennessee State Soccer Association Hall of Fame in 2019, and the Memphis Sports Hall of Fame the same year.

Born to Larry and Josephine Parlow, Cindy was raised in Memphis, Tennessee, where she attended Germantown High School.

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.