Dan Flynn: Behind the scenes at USSF

Dan Flynn is the most important man in U.S. Soccer you’ve probably never heard of. He is CEO/Secretary General of the U.S. Soccer Federation and runs the day-to-day operations ofthe business, working to develop the national team programs and coordinating the Federation’s efforts with the professional soccer leagues, including MLS and WPS. But Flynn prefers to stay out of thelimelight.

“He (Federation President Sunil Gulati) clearly is the spokesperson and provides the vision and the strategy as well with our board as to where the Federationought to be played as well,” said Flynn, who has been at the Federation’s helm for 10 years.

“The sport continues to be in its growth mode,” Flynn said. “Our TV ratings for our sport, as anational team they’ve grown and in other areas they’ve grown, but they’re not to the level we want them to be. … The one area that I’d like to see is the continued growth of that average fanconnecting with and watching Major League Soccer or watching and following the men’s and women’s national teams. That’s one area that everybody is trying to work hard at, trying to figure out what’sthe best way to connect that fan, that consumer.”