CHICAGO – Two former U.S. internationals and former captains Carlos Bocanegra and Julie Foudy, as well as U.S. Soccer Foundation President and CEO Ed Foster-Simeon, will join the Board for the United Bid Committee, it was announced Friday.

The bid committee of Canada, Mexico and the United States will oversee the bidding process to bring the 2026 FIFA World Cup to North America.

The three new board members bring a wealth of experience to the committee.

Bocanegra was one of the team’s most popular players during an 11-year career with the national team, leading the squad to several historic wins while serving as captain for six years. He finished his career as the team’s all-time leading goal scorer among defenders.

Foudy is considered one of the greatest leaders in the history of women’s sports. A two-time Women’s World Cup champion and a two-time Olympic gold medalist, she captained the women’s national team from 2001-2004.

Foster-Simeon has been president and CEO of the U.S. Soccer Foundation since May 2008, bringing the organization to new heights as a national leader in charitable sports-based youth development.

Bocanegra serves as the technical director for Atlanta United of Major League Soccer, overseeing soccer operations and working on the development of young players. With the MNT, Bocanegra played in the 2006 and 2010 World Cups and led the team to some of its most important wins of the modern era, including a 2-1 semifinal victory over then-No. 1 ranked Spain in the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup. He played professionally for the Chicago Fire and Chivas USA in MLS, as well as in England, France, Scotland and Spain.

Foudy, an ESPN and espnW writer, reporter and color commentator, has been one of the most influential female athletes in the U.S. during and after her playing career. She has been an important advocate for women’s rights, serving as a past president and as a board member for the Women’s Sports Foundation. In 2002, she was named to a Presidential Commission on Title IX. During her international career, Foudy played in seven world championship events, starting every single match and scoring in all four World Cups in which she appeared. She is the fourth-most capped player in WNT history with 272 appearances.

Foster-Simeon has served on the U.S. Soccer Foundation’s board of directors since 2004. Before his time at the Foundation, he spent 15 years at USA Today, last working as deputy managing editor. In his time with the paper, Foster-Simeon launched the organization’s Beijing bureau, spearheaded the planning of coverage for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and led coverage of the 1998 World Cup. A U.S. Navy veteran, Foster-Simeon has also served as vice president of the Virginia Youth Soccer Association and president of Prince William Soccer, Inc., a Northern Virginia-based club serving thousands of players. He was inducted into the Virginia-DC Soccer Hall of Fame earlier this year.

The other members of the board are Sunil Gulati (Chairman), Steven Reed (Canada), Peter Montopoli (Canada), Decio De Maria (Mexico), Guillermo Cantu (Mexico), Carlos Cordeiro (USA), Donna Shalala (USA), Dan Flynn (USA), Don Garber (USA) and Victor Montagliani (CONCACAF). Sports executive Robert Kraft has been appointed as honorary chairman of the board.

Front Row Soccer editor Michael Lewis has covered 13 World Cups (eight men, five women), seven Olympics and 25 MLS Cups. He has written about New York City FC, New York Cosmos, the New York Red Bulls and both U.S. national teams for Newsday and has penned a soccer history column for the Guardian.com. Lewis, who has been honored by the Press Club of Long Island and National Soccer Coaches Association of America, is the former editor of BigAppleSoccer.com. He has written seven books about the beautiful game and has published ALIVE AND KICKING The incredible but true story of the Rochester Lancers. It is available at Amazon.com.