ORLANDO — Soccer is part of the American immigrant story, and although he never amounted to much of a player before turning to higher education and a successful business career, Carlos Cordeiro appreciates the role of the sport in the lives of millions of transplants.
He was born in India to a Colombian mother and Portuguese father. After his father was killed in an auto accident, Cordeiro and three siblings moved with their mother to south Florida. Their immigrant experience helped shape his views, and as the first president of the U.S. Soccer Federation with Latino roots, he says he will lead a stronger effort to make the game more accessible to minority communities.