---
bcp_version: "2.0.0"
file_type: root
brand_name: "U.S. Soccer"
publication_profile: registry_backed
canonical_bcp: https://registry.encodedbrands.ai/us-soccer-785/.well-known/brand.md
registry_mcp: https://registry.encodedbrands.ai/mcp
registry_handle: "us-soccer-785"
tree_version: "1.0.0"
website: "https://www.ussoccer.com"
category: "National sports governing body"
markets:
- "United States"
last_updated: "2026-10-19"
default_locale: "en-US"
publication_status: demonstration
provenance: "Encoded Brands compiled this package on 19 October 2026 (ticket #785, slug us-soccer). Visual and messaging rules come from the Soccer Forward Storytelling Toolkit PDFs that U.S. Soccer publishes on ussoccer.com (Toolkit Brand Guide and Campaign Call to Actions, both dated November 2025), supplied to Encoded by the requester, plus the toolkit's companion PDFs and photography folder linked from the same page. Federation facts come from ussoccer.com pages checked the same day. U.S. Soccer has not reviewed or approved this package. No Registry handle has been assigned yet; daughter paths below are package-relative until publication."
daughter_files:
voice: https://registry.encodedbrands.ai/us-soccer-785/.well-known/brand/voice.md
voice_anti_ai: https://registry.encodedbrands.ai/us-soccer-785/.well-known/brand/voice/anti-ai.md
values: https://registry.encodedbrands.ai/us-soccer-785/.well-known/brand/values.md
boundaries: https://registry.encodedbrands.ai/us-soccer-785/.well-known/brand/boundaries.md
claims: https://registry.encodedbrands.ai/us-soccer-785/.well-known/brand/claims.md
representation: https://registry.encodedbrands.ai/us-soccer-785/.well-known/brand/representation.md
visual: https://registry.encodedbrands.ai/us-soccer-785/.well-known/brand/visual.md
onboarding: https://registry.encodedbrands.ai/us-soccer-785/.well-known/brand/onboarding.md
source_coverage:
status: partial
research_refreshed: true
sources:
- "Soccer Forward Storytelling Toolkit — Toolkit Brand Guide, 8 pp, PDF created 2025-11-26 (https://cdn.sanity.io/files/oyf3dba6/production/c4b848ffdd0b9acd0f125623623578f30153e778.pdf; cited as GUIDE p.N)"
- "Soccer Forward Storytelling Toolkit — Campaign Call to Actions, 4 pp, PDF created 2025-11-29 (https://cdn.sanity.io/files/oyf3dba6/production/8764135f579e6cb9704e3b630c57a234d74c4110.pdf; cited as CTA p.N)"
- "Soccer Forward Storytelling Toolkit — How-to Guide, 52 pp, PDF created 2025-11-29 (https://cdn.sanity.io/files/oyf3dba6/production/6fe5392f91d7d9609d7ac8a2b7bd7ebc4e27bec4.pdf; cited as HOWTO p.N = PDF page index; from p.37 on the printed folio is one higher)"
- "Soccer Forward Storytelling Toolkit — Campaign Impact Statements, 8 pp, PDF created 2025-11-26 (https://cdn.sanity.io/files/oyf3dba6/production/9bdb8f08bd4de16adc5cb4026c400a6847991ecf.pdf; cited as IMPACT p.N)"
- "Soccer Forward Storytelling Toolkit — Social Copy Examples, 3 pp, PDF created 2025-11-26 (https://cdn.sanity.io/files/oyf3dba6/production/7594fc58246975f7dfc162d4b3bd033f2b4eac06.pdf; cited as SOCIAL p.N)"
- "Soccer Forward Storytelling Toolkit — Soccer Forward Foundation Logo (lock-up), 7 pp, PDF created 2025-12-01 (https://cdn.sanity.io/files/oyf3dba6/production/ac3576c0a9d1f639db048c51e4479cb13470fb9a.pdf; cited as LOCKUP p.N)"
- "Soccer Forward Foundation Toolkit — Request support from Soccer Forward, 7 pp, PDF created 2025-11-26 (https://cdn.sanity.io/files/oyf3dba6/production/3e0914aba4a84c668f879bd724f993e3c805265d.pdf; cited as SUPPORT p.N)"
- "Safe Storytelling, 7 pp, PDF created 2025-12-01 (https://cdn.sanity.io/files/oyf3dba6/production/5be4476e8900dc538c7cf1405d3b140c0028e323.pdf; cited as SAFE p.N)"
- "Keeping Score of What Matters — Photography (Google Drive folder, 9 PNGs, created 2025-11-29; linked as 'Photography' from the toolkit page): https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1ZZ2dV2mGbH77vuFdRLDZYr2J5RoK3Z21"
- https://www.ussoccer.com/
- https://www.ussoccer.com/about
- https://www.ussoccer.com/soccer-forward
- https://www.ussoccer.com/soccer-forward/keeping-score-of-what-matters
- https://www.ussoccer.com/soccer-forward/keeping-score-of-what-matters-toolkit
- https://www.ussoccer.com/soccer-forward/resource-hub
- https://www.ussoccer.com/participate
- https://www.ussoccer.com/stories
- "ussoccer.com production CSS (/_next/static/css/*.css), fetched 2026-10-19, for observed font and colour tokens"
gaps:
- "No accountable U.S. Soccer brand, communications or legal approval exists for any claim, voice or visual rule in this package."
- "The supplied guidelines are a campaign toolkit for Soccer Forward partners, not the federation's master brand book. Federation-wide rules (crest usage, national-team marks, sponsor lockups, Insiders, tickets) were not supplied."
- "No crest artwork or crest rules: GUIDE p.6 carries a hidden text layer reading 'Crest / Primary / Secondary' under the ADA cheat sheet, but no crest page is visible. HOWTO p.10: '*U.S. Soccer crest is for placement only – add your crest where it is placed!' — the template crest slot is for the partner's own crest or logo, so partner assets do not carry U.S. Soccer's crest. Rules for U.S. Soccer's own crest use were not supplied."
- "No logo files were supplied: the Soccer Forward Foundation (SFF) lock-up is shown only inside PDFs; the design file link on LOCKUP p.3 reads 'XYZ' (placeholder)."
- "USSF Unity font files and licence were not supplied. ussoccer.com serves USSFUnityDisplay Regular/Medium/Bold/Black web fonts; public serving is not permission to reuse."
- "Photography credits, model releases and licence terms for the nine toolkit PNGs are not stated anywhere Encoded could find."
- "Soccer Forward Foundation's legal form and its relationship to U.S. Soccer and to the separate 'U.S. Soccer Foundation' name are not stated on any page read."
- "Leadership and coaching roles are unconfirmed: the homepage features 'Message to Fans from Mauricio Pochettino' and 'Emma Hayes Mic'd Up' (2026-10-19) without stating titles; no president or CEO/secretary general names appear in fetched governance text; team hubs render client-side."
- "The underlying studies behind the Campaign Impact Statements were not independently retrieved; several citations in the PDF are incomplete or inconsistent (see claims.md)."
- "ussoccer.com /about contains outdated statements (see claims.md 'expired'). Founding year and headquarters city are not stated on pages read."
- "Spanish-language or other-locale materials were not supplied or analysed."
integrity_signed: true
trust_level: claimed
official_brand_source: false
verification_method: null
verified_domain: null
verified_at: null
dns_verified_at: null
verification_last_checked_at: null
verification_expires_at: null
certification_status: not_certified
registry_certified: false
---
# U.S. Soccer
> **Demonstration built from public first-party materials.** Encoded Brands encoded this BCP from the Soccer Forward Storytelling Toolkit (November 2025) and ussoccer.com. U.S. Soccer has not reviewed it. Frontmatter shows `official_brand_source: false` and `trust_level: claimed`.
U.S. Soccer describes itself as "the governing body of soccer in all its forms in the United States" and says it "exists in service to soccer" with the ambition "to ignite a national passion for soccer." It runs the U.S. men's and women's national teams (USMNT, USWNT) and, by its own count, 27 national teams in total, with 119 member organizations across all 50 states. **Soccer Forward** is the federation's legacy initiative: "the main driver of U.S. Soccer's generational ambition to make soccer accessible everywhere for everyone." Its current campaign, **Keeping Score of What Matters**, gives clubs, schools and community groups templates, impact statements, CTAs and photography so they can "make the case for soccer" locally. The supplied brand guide is that campaign's toolkit guide.
## Package map
**What this file is.** The root of a Brand Context Protocol (BCP) 2.0 package for U.S. Soccer. Encoded Brands authored the package. It is reference data about the brand, not a content generator, and grants no permissions.
**Two scopes, kept separate.**
| Scope | What it covers | Primary sources | Speaker |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| **Soccer Forward / Keeping Score of What Matters** | Community storytelling, partner templates, impact statements, CTAs, photography | Toolkit PDFs (GUIDE, CTA, HOWTO, IMPACT, SOCIAL, LOCKUP, SUPPORT, SAFE), photography folder | Often a *partner organization* using the toolkit, or Soccer Forward itself |
| **U.S. Soccer federation** | Governance, national teams, news, Insiders, participation | ussoccer.com | U.S. Soccer |
The toolkit's visual system (palette, USSF Unity, lowercase italic headlines, goalpost photo frame) is the only brand-declared visual system here. Use it for Soccer Forward work. For federation-wide work it is the best available evidence, not a confirmed master standard: see `visual.md`.
**What's in the package**
- `voice.md`, `voice/anti-ai.md`: how the campaign, Soccer Forward pages and federation news actually read, by register.
- `claims.md`: dated, sourced claims. Impact statements with their published citations and caveats; federation facts; expired statements from `/about`; prohibited claims.
- `boundaries.md`: audience-sensitivity rules for stats, safeguarding and consent, crest and logo limits, partner-endorsement limits.
- `representation.md`: how to describe U.S. Soccer and Soccer Forward, and framing traps.
- `values.md`: stated beliefs and the five Safe Storytelling principles, quoted.
- `visual.md`: palette (RGB/HEX/CMYK/PMS), ADA pairings, USSF Unity and fallbacks, layout hierarchy, SFF lock-up rules, goalpost rules, and an image-by-image map of the nine toolkit photos.
- `onboarding.md`: how to use this package.
**Public by design.** Font files, logo masters and full-resolution photography are not included.
## Core identity
```yaml
organization_name_in_copy: "U.S. Soccer (with periods). Footer: 'COPYRIGHT U.S. SOCCER 2025'."
legal_name: null # gap: not shown on pages read; 'USSF' appears in font and asset names and 'U.S. Soccer Federation' in toolkit resource titles.
role: "governing body of soccer in all its forms in the United States (ussoccer.com/about, checked 2026-10-19)"
purpose_line: "U.S. Soccer exists in service to soccer. Our ambition is to ignite a national passion for soccer."
belief_line: "We believe soccer is more than a sport, it is a force for good."
scale: "119 member organizations across all 50 states, from grassroots to professional leagues, and 27 national teams (ussoccer.com/soccer-forward, checked 2026-10-19)"
initiative: "Soccer Forward — 'U.S. Soccer's legacy initiative' (page meta description); lock-up descriptor 'A U.S. Soccer Initiative'"
campaign: "Keeping Score of What Matters (strap line: 'Keeping score of what matters')"
campaign_ctas: # CTA p.2 — personalized version OR Soccer Forward version
awareness: ["Get involved in soccer with (organization name.)", "Get involved in soccer with the Soccer Forward Foundation."] # high-level assets, e.g. the brand video
conversion: ["Find soccer opportunities near you at (organization's website.)", "Explore tools to grow your organization with the Soccer Forward Resource Hub."] # assets that highlight impact statements
short_form: ["Join the legacy.", "Kick off.", "Learn more."] # captions and clickable buttons in social/digital
print_qr: ["Scan to join the legacy."]
resource_hub_tagline: "One game. One mission. One team."
contact_for_toolkit: "soccerforward@ussoccer.org (published in HOWTO and LOCKUP)"
national_team_abbreviations: ["USMNT", "USWNT"]
```
## Positioning
U.S. Soccer positions the game as a public good: "the game belongs to everyone," and soccer is "a force for good" that contributes to "healthy, educated, equitable, and connected communities." The campaign idea is a second scoreboard. Goals and assists are one score; friendships made, confidence built, dreams inspired and communities strengthened are the score that matters. Campaign creative leads with a benefit of playing ("Soccer can help improve your concentration skills"), pays it off with the strap line, and closes with a CTA chosen by purpose: CTA p.2 pairs impact-statement assets with the conversion CTA, while the template examples use 'Join the legacy' (HOWTO p.4) or the awareness CTA (GUIDE p.8); see voice.md. Federation communications are factual, AP-style news about teams, competitions, referees and participation.
## Change log
- 2026-10-19: tree 1.0.0. Initial package by Encoded (ticket #785). No prior Registry package.
<!-- registry-daughter-links:start -->
## See also
- [boundaries.md](<https://registry.encodedbrands.ai/us-soccer-785/.well-known/brand/boundaries.md>)
- [claims.md](<https://registry.encodedbrands.ai/us-soccer-785/.well-known/brand/claims.md>)
- [onboarding.md](<https://registry.encodedbrands.ai/us-soccer-785/.well-known/brand/onboarding.md>)
- [representation.md](<https://registry.encodedbrands.ai/us-soccer-785/.well-known/brand/representation.md>)
- [values.md](<https://registry.encodedbrands.ai/us-soccer-785/.well-known/brand/values.md>)
- [visual.md](<https://registry.encodedbrands.ai/us-soccer-785/.well-known/brand/visual.md>)
- [voice.md](<https://registry.encodedbrands.ai/us-soccer-785/.well-known/brand/voice.md>)
- [voice/anti-ai.md](<https://registry.encodedbrands.ai/us-soccer-785/.well-known/brand/voice/anti-ai.md>)
<!-- registry-daughter-links:end -->
---
bcp_version: "2.0.0"
file_type: boundaries
parent: https://registry.encodedbrands.ai/us-soccer-785/.well-known/brand.md
last_updated: "2026-10-19"
---
# Boundaries
These limits come from the Soccer Forward toolkit (CTA p.3 "Messaging Sensitivity", HOWTO placement pages and "Things to Avoid", LOCKUP, SUPPORT and the Safe Storytelling guidance) and from ussoccer.com, all checked on 2026-10-19. U.S. Soccer has not reviewed this file. Rules marked *(inference)* are Encoded's, not U.S. Soccer's. Claims and their caveats are in `claims.md`; this file says where the lines are.
Each rule carries `surface`: `toolkit` (Soccer Forward / Keeping Score of What Matters materials), `federation` (ussoccer.com corporate, national-team and news pages) or `both`. A toolkit rule binds campaign and partner assets; it is not a stated federation-wide policy unless marked `both`.
## Hard nos
```yaml
hard_no:
- item: "Never put body, weight or mental-health statistics where children are the audience or might feel singled out."
tier: core
surface: toolkit
trigger: "Field banners, on-field signage, event displays, merch, OOH near schools or rec centers, youth-facing social, pages frequently visited by children, pamphlets in public spaces — paired with stats on fat loss, blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes, depression, anxiety or confidence."
source: "CTA p.3: 'Use sensitive stats (e.g. health, confidence) in adult-facing spaces only.' 'Don't put body or mental health stats where kids might feel singled out (e.g. on-field signage).' HOWTO p.25: 'Avoid using health-focused messaging on pages frequently visited by children.' HOWTO p.29, p.35, p.47."
allowed_alternative: "Youth-facing: joy, teamwork, belonging, confidence-as-experience ('Kick off recess with a quick game of soccer'). Health stats go in newsletters, emails, banners and decks aimed at parents, staff, funders or officials (HOWTO p.38, p.41)."
- item: "No statistics or personal outcomes at all on event signage and experiences; only broad, empowering messages on OOH and merch."
tier: core
surface: toolkit
trigger: "Entrance arches, photo spots, wayfinding, hydration stations, field backdrops, billboards and bus stops near schools, giveaway merch — carrying any number (e.g. '20% more girls', '580 Fests') or a personal-outcome promise."
source: "HOWTO p.47 (event signage): 'Choose messages that celebrate teamwork, joy, and participation—not stats or personal outcomes.' HOWTO p.49 (OOH, placed 'near schools, community centers'): 'Keep the messaging broad and empowering' with 'a short CTA'. HOWTO p.35 (merch): 'Keep printed messages light and motivational—avoid health stats or heavy messaging.' HOWTO p.29 (pamphlets): 'avoid sensitive stats in public-facing copy.'"
allowed_alternative: "Strap line plus a short CTA ('Keeping score of what matters / Join the legacy.') or a stat-free benefit line ('Soccer can help bring a community together.', IMPACT p.8)."
- item: "Never present soccer as a treatment, cure or substitute for medical or mental-health care."
tier: core
surface: both
trigger: "'Soccer treats anxiety', 'skip the meds, play soccer', 'soccer prevents heart disease'."
source: "No source supports treatment or cure; stronger IMPACT lines ('chronic disease prevention', IMPACT p.5) are usable only as attributed, adult-facing records (claims.md)."
allowed_alternative: "Use the claims.md impact statement with its hedge and citation, adult-facing only."
- item: "Never identify or locate a child or vulnerable contributor in a story."
tier: core
surface: toolkit
trigger: "Full names of children, school uniform logos, street signs, geotags, the name of a specific school together with a child's details."
source: "SAFE p.4: 'Stories should not include identifiers which could be used to locate contributors (e.g. logos on school uniforms, street names or other signage, geotagging on social media).' 'Only use contributors' first names in stories.'"
allowed_alternative: "First names only; generic locations ('a school in Ohio'); extra restrictions (changed name, face not shown) for high-risk stories."
- item: "Never use a contributor's story, photo or footage without demonstrable, informed consent — from a parent or guardian for children."
tier: core
surface: toolkit
trigger: "Using a supplied quote or image in a new medium, a request to 'just use the kid's photo from the tournament'."
source: "SAFE p.6: 'If you are unable to locate proof of consent, do not use the footage.' 'If you wish to use content in a different way not covered at the time of consent, you should re-confirm consent.'"
allowed_alternative: "Use the toolkit photo bank (visual.md) without naming anyone, or mark '[consent required]'."
- item: "Never portray contributors as victims, rely on stereotypes, or sensationalise hardship."
tier: core
surface: toolkit
trigger: "Refugee, disability, homelessness, illness, low-income or immigrant stories; 'tragic', 'suffering', 'broken', 'against all odds' framing."
source: "SAFE p.3: 'avoid portraying contributors as victims'; 'portray the subject from a position of strength'; 'allowing them … to tell their own story in their own words.'"
allowed_alternative: "Strength- and agency-first framing in the person's own words, like the ambassador 'The Score that Matters most to me is…' quotes."
- item: "Never redraw, recolour, re-angle or multiply the Soccer Forward Foundation logo or goalpost; never recreate the U.S. Soccer crest or put it in partner assets."
tier: core
surface: toolkit
trigger: "Typesetting 'soccer forward foundation' as a fake logo, a green or red goalpost, a tilted goalpost, two goalposts in one frame, crest drawn from memory."
source: "HOWTO p.17 'Things to Avoid'; HOWTO p.10: '*U.S. Soccer crest is for placement only – add your crest where it is placed!' (the template crest slot is for the partner's own crest); GUIDE has no crest artwork."
allowed_alternative: "Composite an official SFF lock-up file the user supplies. Fill the template crest slot with the partner's own crest or logo. Otherwise leave labelled placeholders ('[SFF lock-up]', '[your organization's crest/logo]')."
- item: "Never claim or imply official partnership, endorsement, sponsorship or funding by U.S. Soccer or Soccer Forward that has not been granted."
tier: core
surface: toolkit
trigger: "Partner copy saying 'official partner of U.S. Soccer', 'endorsed by', 'in partnership with Soccer Forward', or writing a Soccer Forward testimonial for a club."
source: "SUPPORT p.3–7 (testimonials and letters are issued by Soccer Forward on request, 2–4 week review); LOCKUP p.3 (co-branded lock-up 'may be used in broader applications by those who are not official partners')."
allowed_alternative: "'Get involved in soccer with (organization name).' plus the permitted co-branded lock-up; request a testimonial via the toolkit."
- item: "Never invent statistics, studies, quotes, ambassador statements, or programme results."
tier: core
surface: both
trigger: "'90% of kids say…', a made-up Goal Click story, an invented quote from a national-team player."
source: "SAFE p.5 Accuracy: 'Avoid telling stories that could be misleading, distort or sensationalise.' claims.md."
allowed_alternative: "Use claims.md records or clearly marked placeholders ('[local stat — source required]')."
- item: "Never present a partner or campaign asset as an official U.S. Soccer or national-team communication, and never put national-team players' names, images or words into an asset beyond the published ambassador statements."
tier: core
surface: both
trigger: "'A message from the USMNT', a USWNT player's face on a club flyer, a made-up quote from a named ambassador, federation-style news copy announcing a partner's event."
source: "LOCKUP p.3 (co-branded lock-up is for 'those who are not official partners'); HOWTO p.10 (partner places their own crest); ambassador statements are published on https://www.ussoccer.com/soccer-forward (checked 2026-10-19). Player-likeness limit is Encoded inference: no image or likeness rights were supplied."
allowed_alternative: "Partner-voiced copy under the partner's own crest; quote an ambassador only verbatim from their 'The Score that Matters most to me is…' statement, credited by name (representation.md)."
```
## Soft nos
```yaml
soft_no:
- item: "Do not use more than one impact statement as the headline of an asset."
tier: default
surface: toolkit
condition: "Encoded inference from IMPACT p.2 ('Use them as your hook'; 'Match your statement to your goal') and the single-statement templates (HOWTO p.4, p.21); not a stated toolkit rule. Long-form (email, newsletter, deck) may use more, each with its citation."
- item: "Do not move the logo, tagline or CTA when resizing a template, and do not brand merch outside the approved areas."
tier: default
surface: toolkit
condition: "HOWTO p.25: 'Maintain original logo, tagline, and CTA placement when resizing.' HOWTO p.35: 'Brand with your logo only in approved areas.'"
- item: "Do not drop the strap line 'Keeping score of what matters' from campaign assets."
tier: default
surface: toolkit
condition: "HOWTO p.9: 'an essential element of the campaign … Ensure it appears clearly and prominently.' Optional in federation (non-campaign) work."
- item: "Do not lead with the problem."
tier: default
surface: toolkit
condition: "CTA p.3 ('Lead with positivity'): 'When possible, focus on the positives of the sport (empowerment, inclusion, and joy) — not just the problems it helps fix.' A problem may follow as context in adult-facing long-form."
- item: "Do not mix a personalised CTA with the Soccer Forward CTA in one asset."
tier: default
surface: toolkit
condition: "CTA p.2 offers 'Personalize Your CTA' OR 'Soccer Forward CTA'."
- item: "Do not publish partner or contributor stories before they have reviewed them."
tier: default
surface: toolkit
condition: "SAFE p.5: 'Share content with partners and/or contributors before it is publicized'; 'verify proposed content with the partner to ensure you are accurately representing each organizations' role and the attribution of outcomes.' For AI drafts, mark as draft for review."
- item: "Do not schedule story gathering in ways that disrupt contributors' lives or ignore their practices; brief any third party on this guidance."
tier: default
surface: toolkit
condition: "SAFE p.3: 'minimises disruption to participants and respects the work, education, family, religious and cultural practices of contributors.' SAFE p.2: share the guide with third parties and 'assess their understanding of and adherence to the guidance.'"
- item: "Do not state time-sensitive facts (grant windows, event counts, rosters, results) without a fresh check."
tier: default
surface: both
condition: "See claims.md caveats; cite the page and date."
- item: "Do not set regular-size white text on Unifying Red (#F20023)."
tier: default
surface: toolkit
condition: "Computes 4.38:1, below WCAG AA 4.5:1, although the GUIDE p.6 cheat sheet shows it passing (visual.md OI-1). Use it for large text only (24 px+, or 18.66 px+ bold), or switch to white on Enduring Blue."
- item: "Do not apply the toolkit look (Enduring Blue / Unifying Red cut-out frames, lowercase italic headlines, the strap line) to federation or national-team content."
tier: default
surface: both
condition: "Encoded inference: the GUIDE is scoped to the Keeping Score of What Matters campaign, and ussoccer.com serves a darker red (#C2001C) and different type cuts (visual.md 'Live surface'). Federation master guidelines were not supplied."
```
## Forbidden claims (explicit list)
The 13 `forbidden` records in `claims.md` (register `forbidden` or `expired`) are never stated as fact, in any surface:
1. Soccer treats, cures or prevents depression, anxiety, obesity, heart disease or any medical condition.
2. Any impact statement moved to another population (adult study as a kids' result; girls-in-sports stat as a soccer stat).
3. The uncited IMPACT p.6 adaptive-soccer and disability-development statements, as independent findings (usable only as "U.S. Soccer's Soccer Forward toolkit says…").
4. CDC-attributed soccer and concentration statistics (uncited in HOWTO).
5. "265 million soccer players worldwide" (FIFA 2007, expired).
6. Record women's soccer revenue or attendance, with any specific figure.
7. The USWNT Olympic gold-medal count from /about, as a current count (possibly outdated; recheck first).
8. The /about USWNT salary-subsidy statement, as current (historical).
9. The FIFA World Cup 2026 as upcoming or "coming to the United States".
10. Soccer Forward Foundation as a registered charity, a 501(c)(3), tax-deductible, or the same as "U.S. Soccer Foundation".
11. A named partner as endorsed by, an official partner of, or funded by U.S. Soccer or Soccer Forward.
12. Names, titles or tenure of federation leaders or head coaches; rosters; results; ticket or Insiders prices.
13. Toolkit photos as showing a specific team, programme, place or named person.
Exact wording, evidence and check dates are in `claims.md` § Forbidden.
## Brand safety
```yaml
brand_safety:
adjacency_unsuitable:
- "Content sexualising, exploiting or endangering minors"
- "Abuse of referees, players or fans; harassment and hate speech (U.S. Soccer runs 'Referee Abuse Prevention', 'Respect the Call' and a fan code of conduct — ussoccer.com nav, checked 2026-10-19)"
- "Gambling and betting promotions next to youth or community content (inference)"
- "Alcohol, tobacco, vaping or cannabis promotion next to youth content (inference)"
- "Misinformation about health, including anti-exercise or miracle-cure content (inference)"
- "Graphic injury or violence"
adjacency_acceptable:
- "Grassroots, school and community sport"
- "Coaching, refereeing and volunteer development"
- "National-team and professional soccer coverage"
- "Adaptive and disability soccer (power soccer, amputee, CP, deaf, blind) presented with dignity"
- "Public health and education content that is evidence-based"
adjacency_contextual:
safeguarding_news:
rule: "Do not counter-program or minimise safeguarding concerns. Point to the U.S. Soccer Safeguarding Hub (SAFE p.7) and, for immediate risk, local emergency services."
political_content:
rule: "Soccer Forward language on equity and access is U.S. Soccer's own; do not attach it to partisan campaigns or candidates (inference)."
sponsor_brands:
rule: "Header sponsors (Volkswagen, Nike) and Bank of America (Soccer at Schools) appear on ussoccer.com. Do not add sponsor marks or imply sponsor involvement in partner or campaign assets (inference)."
```
## Regulatory and policy context
```yaml
regulatory:
framework: >
United States. Story gathering must follow local privacy, data-protection and child-protection
law and the organization's safeguarding policy (SAFE p.1, p.4). Children's consent comes from a
parent or guardian; for adults with care and support needs 'consent should be obtained from a family
member but, wherever possible, the adult contributor should give their assent to participate and sign
the consent form' (SAFE p.6). ADA accessibility: 'Always test text and background colors to meet ADA standards'
(GUIDE p.5). Advertising health-adjacent statements in the U.S. falls under general FTC
substantiation expectations (inference).
notes: >
A designated safeguarding lead and a risk assessment are expected before story gathering
(SAFE p.2). Report concerns to the organization's Safeguarding Lead within 24 hours (SAFE p.2).
restricted_claims: >
Treatment or cure wording; transferring study results across populations; unsourced statistics;
endorsement or partnership claims; tax-deductibility of donations to Soccer Forward Foundation.
```
## Escalation
- **Toolkit, logo files, working files, USSF Unity font:** soccerforward@ussoccer.org (HOWTO p.7–8, LOCKUP p.2).
- **Testimonials, letters of support, advocacy:** the request form linked from the toolkit page (SUPPORT p.3–7).
- **Safeguarding concern:** the USSF Safeguarding Hub (SAFE p.7), linked from the ussoccer.com homepage as https://www.ussoccer.com/safeguarding, with a report route at https://www.ussoccer.com/safeguarding/report-a-concern (links observed 2026-10-19); safeguarding resources: Soccer Forward Resource Hub filtered by safeguarding (SAFE p.7); immediate risk: local emergency services.
- **Federation facts, rosters, results, leadership:** a current ussoccer.com page; no named communications contact is published in the sources.
---
bcp_version: "2.0.0"
file_type: claims
parent: https://registry.encodedbrands.ai/us-soccer-785/.well-known/brand.md
last_updated: "2026-10-19"
---
# Claims
> **Legal review notice.** Encoded compiled this register from U.S. Soccer's public toolkit PDFs (November 2025) and ussoccer.com pages checked on 2026-10-19. It is not legal advice. No record has U.S. Soccer approval: `brand_approval` is `unreviewed` on the 30 usable records and `unknown` on the 13 `forbidden` records. `permitted` and `conditional` are Encoded's use classifications for reference work, not clearance. Health, comparative and fundraising uses need review by U.S. Soccer or the accountable partner organization.
How to read a record: `permitted` is usable as stated; `conditional` only with its `caveat`; `forbidden` records (`prohibited`, `expired`, `unknown`) are not usable as factual claims. `supported` means Encoded found the `evidence` source on the check date. For impact statements, `supported` means **U.S. Soccer published the statement with that citation**; Encoded did not retrieve or assess the underlying study unless stated. Keep `source_wording` when repeating a claim.
Every record also carries three Encoded fields:
- `register`: the four-way status asked for in the brief.
- `established`: usable today as worded, with the source and caveat shown.
- `needs_fresh_check`: the source is time-relative, incomplete (no year, unclosed or conflicting citation) or likely to change. Recheck it, or get the missing detail from U.S. Soccer, before any dated or public use.
- `expired`: true when published, not true or not current now.
- `forbidden`: do not state.
- `surface`: `toolkit` means Soccer Forward / Keeping Score of What Matters materials and pages. `federation` means U.S. Soccer corporate, national-team and news pages. A federation fact is not a campaign proof point, and a toolkit impact statement is not a federation position.
- `checked`: the date Encoded last read the source. PDF records also give the PDF's creation date.
| register | count | where |
| --- | --- | --- |
| established | 18 | 9 in `permitted`, 9 in `requires_caveat` |
| needs_fresh_check | 12 | 1 in `permitted`, 11 in `requires_caveat` |
| expired | 4 | `forbidden` |
| forbidden | 9 | `forbidden` (`prohibited` or `unknown`) |
## Permitted
```yaml
permitted:
- claim: "U.S. Soccer is the governing body of soccer in all its forms in the United States."
use_status: permitted
register: established
surface: "federation"
checked: "2026-10-19"
evidence_status: supported
brand_approval: unreviewed
tier: core
source_wording: "As the governing body of soccer in all its forms in the United States, U.S. Soccer has played an integral part in charting the course for the sport in the USA for more than 100 years."
evidence: "https://www.ussoccer.com/about (checked 2026-10-19)."
scope: "Federation fact. 'More than 100 years' is U.S. Soccer's wording; no founding year is stated on pages read, so do not supply one."
valid_from: "2026-10-19"
- claim: "U.S. Soccer exists in service to soccer; its ambition is to ignite a national passion for soccer, and it believes soccer is a force for good."
use_status: permitted
register: established
surface: "federation"
checked: "2026-10-19"
evidence_status: supported
brand_approval: unreviewed
tier: core
source_wording: "U.S. Soccer exists in service to soccer. Our ambition is to ignite a national passion for soccer. We believe soccer is more than a sport, it is a force for good."
evidence: "https://www.ussoccer.com/about (checked 2026-10-19)."
scope: "Purpose statement. Quote; do not paraphrase into a mission the page does not state."
valid_from: "2026-10-19"
- claim: "U.S. Soccer consists of 119 member organizations across all 50 states and 27 national teams."
use_status: permitted
register: needs_fresh_check
surface: "federation (stated on the Soccer Forward page)"
checked: "2026-10-19"
evidence_status: supported
brand_approval: unreviewed
tier: default
source_wording: "U.S. Soccer consists of 119 member organizations across all 50 states, from grassroots to professional leagues, and 27 national teams."
evidence: "https://www.ussoccer.com/soccer-forward (checked 2026-10-19)."
scope: "Counts as published on 2026-10-19. Recheck before a dated campaign."
valid_from: "2026-10-19"
- claim: "Soccer Forward is U.S. Soccer's initiative to make soccer accessible everywhere for everyone."
use_status: permitted
register: established
surface: "toolkit"
checked: "2026-10-19"
evidence_status: supported
brand_approval: unreviewed
tier: core
source_wording: "Soccer Forward is the main driver of U.S. Soccer's generational ambition to make soccer accessible everywhere for everyone in the country by enabling the sport's proven and unparalleled ability to contribute to healthy, educated, equitable, and connected communities."
evidence: "https://www.ussoccer.com/soccer-forward (checked 2026-10-19). Meta description: 'Soccer Forward, U.S. Soccer's legacy initiative'. Lock-up descriptor: 'A U.S. Soccer Initiative' (LOCKUP p.3)."
scope: "Describes the initiative. 'Proven and unparalleled' is U.S. Soccer's own wording inside the mission line; do not lift it out as a standalone efficacy claim."
valid_from: "2026-10-19"
- claim: "Keeping Score of What Matters is Soccer Forward's campaign giving communities the tools, language and materials to showcase the power of soccer."
use_status: permitted
register: established
surface: "toolkit"
checked: "2026-10-19"
evidence_status: supported
brand_approval: unreviewed
tier: core
source_wording: "Soccer Forward's Keeping Score of What Matters campaign gives you the tools, language, and materials to showcase the power of soccer in your community – friendships made, confidence built, dreams inspired, and communities strengthened."
evidence: "https://www.ussoccer.com/soccer-forward/keeping-score-of-what-matters (checked 2026-10-19)."
valid_from: "2026-10-19"
- claim: "Soccer at Schools is a national initiative led by Soccer Forward in partnership with Bank of America."
use_status: permitted
register: established
surface: "toolkit"
checked: "2026-10-19"
evidence_status: supported
brand_approval: unreviewed
tier: default
source_wording: "Soccer at Schools is a national initiative led by Soccer Forward in partnership with Bank of America."
evidence: "https://www.ussoccer.com/soccer-forward/resource-hub (checked 2026-10-19); platform https://socceratschools.ussoccer.com/."
scope: "Name the sponsor only as stated. Do not describe financial terms."
valid_from: "2026-10-19"
- claim: "Soccer Forward Foundation partners with Goal Click on the Keeping Score of What Matters campaign to share first-person stories."
use_status: permitted
register: established
surface: "toolkit"
checked: "2026-10-19"
evidence_status: supported
brand_approval: unreviewed
tier: default
source_wording: "Soccer Forward Foundation is proud to partner with Goal Click as part of the Keeping Score of What Matters campaign, sharing first-person stories from across the country of people using soccer as a force for good."
evidence: "https://www.ussoccer.com/soccer-forward/keeping-score-of-what-matters (checked 2026-10-19)."
valid_from: "2026-10-19"
- claim: "Organizations can request a testimonial, a letter of support or advocacy support from Soccer Forward; requests are reviewed on a rolling basis, and U.S. Soccer asks requesters to allow 2–4 weeks for review and next steps."
use_status: permitted
register: established
surface: "toolkit"
checked: "2026-10-19 (PDF created 2025-11-26)"
evidence_status: supported
brand_approval: unreviewed
tier: default
source_wording: "Requests are reviewed on a rolling basis. Please allow 2–4 weeks for our team to review your submission and coordinate next steps. In some cases, a consultation may be scheduled to further discuss your initiative before support is provided."
evidence: "SUPPORT p.1–7 (PDF created 2025-11-26), linked from https://www.ussoccer.com/soccer-forward/keeping-score-of-what-matters-toolkit (checked 2026-10-19)."
scope: "Support is requested, not automatic. The example testimonials in SUPPORT (River City Soccer Club, Midstate Youth Soccer Association, South County Soccer) are illustrations, not real endorsements."
valid_from: "2025-11-26"
- claim: "Toolkit questions and requests for working files or the USSF Unity font go to soccerforward@ussoccer.org."
use_status: permitted
register: established
surface: "toolkit"
checked: "2026-10-19 (HOWTO PDF, Nov 2025)"
evidence_status: supported
brand_approval: unreviewed
tier: default
evidence: "HOWTO p.7, p.8, p.20; LOCKUP p.2 (published address)."
scope: "Do not invent other addresses or phone numbers."
valid_from: "2025-11-29"
- claim: "U.S. Soccer administered the launch of the National Women's Soccer League in 2013."
use_status: permitted
register: established
surface: "federation"
checked: "2026-10-19"
evidence_status: supported
brand_approval: unreviewed
tier: default
evidence: "https://www.ussoccer.com/about (checked 2026-10-19)."
scope: "Historical fact only. The same paragraph's salary-subsidy sentence is expired (see forbidden)."
valid_from: "2026-10-19"
```
## Requires caveat
Impact statements are U.S. Soccer's published proof points for partners to use "as headlines in your creative assets" (IMPACT p.2). Use them with the citation shown, in the audience settings `boundaries.md` allows. HOWTO p.8: "add the source on the bottom right corner … small but legible."
```yaml
requires_caveat:
- claim: "Soccer can help improve your concentration skills."
use_status: conditional
register: established
surface: "toolkit"
checked: "2026-10-19 (PDF created 2025-11-26)"
evidence_status: supported
brand_approval: unreviewed
tier: core
source_wording: "Soccer can help improve your concentration skills"
caveat: "U.S. Soccer's own campaign example headline (GUIDE p.8; HOWTO p.4–5). IMPACT p.8 supports it only generally ('Soccer's team environment is linked with higher classroom engagement, concentration, and academic performance in children') with no citation. SOCIAL attributes a related point to 'the CDC' with no link. Use as the headline it is; do not add 'CDC says' or a number."
evidence: "GUIDE p.8; HOWTO p.4–5; IMPACT p.8; SOCIAL p.2–3."
valid_from: "2025-11-26"
- claim: "Girls who play sports report 1.5 times higher life satisfaction than non-athletes."
use_status: conditional
register: needs_fresh_check
surface: "toolkit"
checked: "2026-10-19 (PDF created 2025-11-26)"
evidence_status: supported
brand_approval: unreviewed
tier: default
source_wording: "1.5x higher life satisfaction for girls who play sports compared to non-athletes (Women's Sports Foundation, 2024)."
caveat: "It is about girls in sports generally, not soccer. The attribution is unresolved: IMPACT p.3 credits the Women's Sports Foundation (2024); p.4 credits 'Frontier Public Health, 2024' and adds reduced anxiety and depression. Until the user confirms the study, attribute as 'according to U.S. Soccer's Soccer Forward toolkit (citing the Women's Sports Foundation, 2024)' and say 'sports', not 'soccer'. Wellbeing stat: adult-facing placements only."
evidence: "IMPACT p.3–4 (PDF created 2025-11-26). Underlying study not retrieved by Encoded."
valid_from: "2025-11-26"
- claim: "Recreational soccer improves cardiovascular fitness more than continuous running."
use_status: conditional
register: established
surface: "toolkit"
checked: "2026-10-19 (PDF created 2025-11-26)"
evidence_status: supported
brand_approval: unreviewed
tier: default
source_wording: "Soccer training produces greater improvements in VO₂max and cardiovascular function than continuous running (Sports Medicine, 2015)."
caveat: "Cite Sports Medicine (2015). The study population is not stated in IMPACT and Encoded did not retrieve the study, so do not extend it to children or claim it for every player. IMPACT p.4 widens it to 'more effective than running or gym exercise for many groups' — keep 'for many groups' if you use that version. Adult-facing only."
evidence: "IMPACT p.3–5."
valid_from: "2025-11-26"
- claim: "Ten weeks of recreational soccer in overweight adults led to up to 3 kg fat loss and a 13% increase in aerobic capacity."
use_status: conditional
register: established
surface: "toolkit"
checked: "2026-10-19 (PDF created 2025-11-26)"
evidence_status: supported
brand_approval: unreviewed
tier: default
source_wording: "10 weeks of recreational soccer in overweight adults led to up to 3 kg fat loss and a 13% increase in aerobic capacity (Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports, 2025)."
caveat: "Adults with overweight only; 'up to'. Never apply to children and never place where children see it (body stat). Keep 'up to' and the citation."
evidence: "IMPACT p.3–4."
valid_from: "2025-11-26"
- claim: "Soccer participation is linked to lower depression and anxiety among students, and recreational players report fewer depressive symptoms."
use_status: conditional
register: established
surface: "toolkit"
checked: "2026-10-19 (PDF created 2025-11-26)"
evidence_status: supported
brand_approval: unreviewed
tier: default
source_wording: "Playing soccer can help you put stress and anxiety on the sidelines. According to Frontiers in Public Health (2024), … recreational soccer players reported fewer depressive symptoms."
caveat: "Association, not treatment: say 'linked to' or 'can help', never 'treats' or 'prevents'. Journal name is 'Frontiers in Public Health' (IMPACT p.3 misspells it 'Frontier Public Health'). Mental-health stat: adult-facing spaces only; never on field signage or where kids might feel singled out (CTA p.3)."
evidence: "IMPACT p.3, p.5."
valid_from: "2025-11-26"
- claim: "75% of people experiencing homelessness say soccer helped them feel connected and less isolated (Street Soccer USA)."
use_status: conditional
register: needs_fresh_check
surface: "toolkit"
checked: "2026-10-19 (PDF created 2025-11-26)"
evidence_status: supported
brand_approval: unreviewed
tier: default
caveat: "IMPACT p.5 gives the source as 'Street Soccer USA' with an unclosed citation and no year. Use only with 'according to Street Soccer USA' and after the user confirms the year; do not generalize to all players. Represent people experiencing homelessness with dignity (SAFE p.3)."
evidence: "IMPACT p.5."
valid_from: "2025-11-26"
- claim: "Playing soccer can improve body composition, blood pressure and cholesterol in kids (American Heart Association, 2018)."
use_status: conditional
register: established
surface: "toolkit"
checked: "2026-10-19 (PDF created 2025-11-26)"
evidence_status: supported
brand_approval: unreviewed
tier: default
caveat: "Body and health stat about children: adult-facing materials only (parents, funders, newsletters). Never on youth-facing signage, merch or event displays (HOWTO p.25, p.35, p.47). 'Can improve', not 'will'."
evidence: "IMPACT p.5."
valid_from: "2025-11-26"
- claim: "Playing soccer can lower your risk of type 2 diabetes; playing soccer may reduce insulin resistance in at-risk youth (British Journal of Sports Medicine)."
use_status: conditional
register: needs_fresh_check
surface: "toolkit"
checked: "2026-10-19 (HOWTO PDF, Nov 2025)"
evidence_status: supported
brand_approval: unreviewed
tier: default
source_wording: "Playing soccer can lower your risk of type 2 diabetes … According to the British Journal of Sports Medicine, playing soccer may reduce insulin resistance in at-risk youth. By staying active through the game, kids can build healthier habits that protect them from long-term health risks."
caveat: "From U.S. Soccer's initial-outreach email template (HOWTO p.39), not from the IMPACT list; no year given. Risk reduction, not prevention or treatment: keep 'can lower your risk' / 'may reduce'. The template's section head 'Kick type 2 diabetes' reads as a cure pun — do not reuse it outside that template. Health stat about children: adult-facing email or newsletter only."
evidence: "HOWTO p.39 (rendered and read by Encoded 2026-10-19). Underlying study not retrieved."
valid_from: "2025-11-29"
- claim: "Soccer training is low-cost chronic disease prevention that produces greater cardiovascular function than running alone (Sports Medicine, 2015); soccer can help combat chronic disease risk by reducing blood pressure, cholesterol and body fat (BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine, 2018)."
use_status: conditional
register: established
surface: "toolkit"
checked: "2026-10-19 (PDF created 2025-11-26)"
evidence_status: supported
brand_approval: unreviewed
tier: default
source_wording: "Adult soccer training can be good for your blood pressure. According to Sports Medicine (2015), soccer training is low-cost chronic disease prevention that produces greater cardiovascular function than running alone. … Soccer can be a defense for chronic disease risk. BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine (2018) found soccer can help combat chronic disease by reducing blood pressure, cholesterol, and body fat."
caveat: "Attributed, adult-facing only (IMPACT p.5 frames the first as 'Adult soccer training'). Keep the journal credit and 'can help'; never name a specific disease as prevented or treated. Body stat: never where children see it."
evidence: "IMPACT p.5."
valid_from: "2025-11-26"
- claim: "Soccer contributes to Healthy People 2030 goals around physical activity, mental health and community wellbeing."
use_status: conditional
register: established
surface: "toolkit"
checked: "2026-10-19 (PDF created 2025-11-26)"
evidence_status: supported
brand_approval: unreviewed
tier: default
caveat: "IMPACT p.4 credits 'U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' for the Healthy People 2030 goals, not for a finding about soccer. Say soccer 'can contribute to' those goals; do not imply HHS endorses soccer or Soccer Forward."
evidence: "IMPACT p.4."
valid_from: "2025-11-26"
- claim: "Girls in soccer were significantly more likely to describe their lives as meaningful (Women's Sports Foundation survey)."
use_status: conditional
register: needs_fresh_check
surface: "toolkit"
checked: "2026-10-19 (PDF created 2025-11-26)"
evidence_status: supported
brand_approval: unreviewed
tier: default
source_wording: "Girls in soccer were significantly more likely to describe their lives as meaningful according to a A Women's Sports Foundation survey."
caveat: "No year or figure given (IMPACT p.7). Credit the Women's Sports Foundation; no number."
evidence: "IMPACT p.7."
valid_from: "2025-11-26"
- claim: "Community-led pickup leagues such as North Carolina's Street Soccer model have been found to increase community trust."
use_status: conditional
register: needs_fresh_check
surface: "toolkit"
checked: "2026-10-19 (PDF created 2025-11-26)"
evidence_status: supported
brand_approval: unreviewed
tier: default
caveat: "No study named or dated (IMPACT p.8). Use qualitatively and attribute to the Street Soccer model as described in U.S. Soccer's toolkit."
evidence: "IMPACT p.8 (also p.6: 'Some organizations like Street Soccer North Carolina even set up free fields for communities')."
valid_from: "2025-11-26"
- claim: "Soccer is a low-cost and accessible sport, and you can play it just about anywhere."
use_status: conditional
register: established
surface: "toolkit"
checked: "2026-10-19 (PDF created 2025-11-26)"
evidence_status: supported
brand_approval: unreviewed
tier: default
source_wording: "Soccer is a low-cost and accessible sport, so everyone can play. … You can play soccer just about anywhere."
caveat: "U.S. Soccer's own framing (IMPACT p.6), uncited. Do not turn 'so everyone can play' into a claim that access is already universal: IMPACT p.7 notes 'demand for more inclusive youth soccer pathways beyond the pay-to-play model'."
evidence: "IMPACT p.6–7."
valid_from: "2025-11-26"
- claim: "Supportive community clubs retain 20% more girls going into high school (Project Play)."
use_status: conditional
register: needs_fresh_check
surface: "toolkit"
checked: "2026-10-19 (PDF created 2025-11-26)"
evidence_status: supported
brand_approval: unreviewed
tier: default
source_wording: "Project Play reports supportive community clubs retain 20% more girls going into high school."
caveat: "No year given in IMPACT p.7. Credit Project Play; do not claim it as a U.S. Soccer or Soccer Forward result."
evidence: "IMPACT p.7. Project Play playbooks are linked from the toolkit page."
valid_from: "2025-11-26"
- claim: "Soccer athletes had higher graduation rates (National Federation of State High School Associations)."
use_status: conditional
register: needs_fresh_check
surface: "toolkit"
checked: "2026-10-19 (PDF created 2025-11-26)"
evidence_status: supported
brand_approval: unreviewed
tier: default
caveat: "No year or figure given in IMPACT p.7. Use only qualitatively with the NFHS credit; do not add a number."
evidence: "IMPACT p.7."
valid_from: "2025-11-26"
- claim: "Youth soccer programs can increase sense of belonging for refugee kids in U.S. immigrant communities (Soccer Without Borders study)."
use_status: conditional
register: established
surface: "toolkit"
checked: "2026-10-19 (PDF created 2025-11-26)"
evidence_status: supported
brand_approval: unreviewed
tier: default
caveat: "'Can increase'; credit Soccer Without Borders. Refugee children are a high-risk group under SAFE p.4: no identifying details, consider face and name restrictions."
evidence: "IMPACT p.6."
valid_from: "2025-11-26"
- claim: "Soccer Forward has supported soccer-for-good and community organizations in over half the country."
use_status: conditional
register: needs_fresh_check
surface: "toolkit"
checked: "2026-10-19"
evidence_status: supported
brand_approval: unreviewed
tier: default
source_wording: "Soccer Forward has supported soccer-for-good and community organizations in over half the country."
caveat: "U.S. Soccer's own claim with no stated method or count. Keep the exact wording; do not convert to '25+ states' or a number of organizations."
evidence: "https://www.ussoccer.com/soccer-forward (checked 2026-10-19)."
valid_from: "2026-10-19"
- claim: "This summer, more than 580 Soccer Forward Fests brought the campaign to life in communities across the country."
use_status: conditional
register: needs_fresh_check
surface: "toolkit"
checked: "2026-10-19"
evidence_status: supported
brand_approval: unreviewed
tier: default
source_wording: "This summer, more than 580 Soccer Forward Fests brought the campaign to life in communities across the country"
caveat: "Time-relative ('this summer', page undated; read on 2026-10-19 so taken as summer 2026). Write 'more than 580 Soccer Forward Fests in summer 2026' only after confirming the year with U.S. Soccer; otherwise quote with 'U.S. Soccer reports'."
evidence: "https://www.ussoccer.com/soccer-forward/keeping-score-of-what-matters (checked 2026-10-19)."
valid_from: "2026-10-19"
- claim: "Innovate to Grow grant applications for the 2026–27 cycle are open."
use_status: conditional
register: needs_fresh_check
surface: "toolkit"
checked: "2026-10-19"
evidence_status: supported
brand_approval: unreviewed
tier: default
source_wording: "Applications for the 2026–27 grant cycle are now open!"
caveat: "Time-sensitive; no deadline captured. Recheck the Resource Hub before publishing and link to it rather than restating terms."
evidence: "https://www.ussoccer.com/soccer-forward/resource-hub (checked 2026-10-19)."
valid_from: "2026-10-19"
- claim: "The USWNT has won four FIFA Women's World Cups."
use_status: conditional
register: needs_fresh_check
surface: "federation"
checked: "2026-10-19"
evidence_status: supported
brand_approval: unreviewed
tier: default
caveat: "Stated on /about (checked 2026-10-19), a page that also carries outdated text. Recheck before any dated use. Do not repeat the same sentence's Olympic count (see forbidden)."
evidence: "https://www.ussoccer.com/about (checked 2026-10-19)."
valid_from: "2026-10-19"
```
## Forbidden
```yaml
forbidden:
- claim: "Soccer treats, cures or prevents depression, anxiety, obesity, heart disease or any medical condition."
use_status: prohibited
register: forbidden
surface: "toolkit and federation"
checked: "2026-10-19 (PDF created 2025-11-26)"
evidence_status: unsupported
brand_approval: unknown
tier: core
evidence: "No source supports treatment or cure. Most IMPACT and SOCIAL lines hedge ('can help', 'linked to', 'has been found to'), but some use stronger wording that must not be generalised: IMPACT p.5 'soccer training is low-cost chronic disease prevention that produces greater cardiovascular function than running alone' (Sports Medicine, 2015) and 'Soccer can be a defense for chronic disease risk' (BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine, 2018); IMPACT p.6 'Adaptive soccer programs … improve … mental health' (uncited). Use those only as the attributed records in requires_caveat (adult-facing), never as 'soccer prevents/treats [named disease]'."
- claim: "Any impact statement transferred to a different population (e.g. an adult study stated as a result for kids, a girls-in-sports stat stated as a soccer stat)."
use_status: prohibited
register: forbidden
surface: "toolkit"
checked: "2026-10-19 (PDF created 2025-11-26)"
evidence_status: unsupported
brand_approval: unknown
tier: core
evidence: "Each IMPACT statement names a population and a source; changing either makes it unsupported."
- claim: "Adaptive soccer programs improve social integration, physical fitness and mental health for people with disabilities; youth soccer environments foster educational and social skill development for children with disabilities."
use_status: unknown
register: forbidden
surface: "toolkit"
checked: "2026-10-19 (PDF created 2025-11-26)"
evidence_status: unknown
brand_approval: unknown
tier: default
evidence: "IMPACT p.6 states both without any citation. Use only as U.S. Soccer's stated view ('U.S. Soccer's Soccer Forward toolkit says…') or with a study the user supplies; never as an independent finding."
- claim: "Statistics attributed to the CDC about soccer and concentration (e.g. 'The CDC says playing soccer can help improve kids' concentration')."
use_status: unknown
register: forbidden
surface: "toolkit"
checked: "2026-10-19 (PDF created 2025-11-26)"
evidence_status: unknown
brand_approval: unknown
tier: default
evidence: "SOCIAL p.2–3 uses these captions with no CDC link; the CDC source was not located in the toolkit. Use the uncited campaign headline instead, or cite a CDC page the user supplies."
- claim: "There are 265 million soccer players worldwide."
use_status: expired
register: expired
surface: "toolkit"
checked: "2026-10-19 (PDF created 2025-11-26)"
evidence_status: supported
brand_approval: unknown
tier: default
evidence: "IMPACT p.6 cites 'FIFA, 2007'. A 2007 count is not a current figure; do not present it as one."
- claim: "Women's soccer revenue and attendance are hitting record levels (with any specific figure)."
use_status: unknown
register: forbidden
surface: "toolkit"
checked: "2026-10-19 (PDF created 2025-11-26)"
evidence_status: unknown
brand_approval: unknown
tier: default
evidence: "IMPACT p.3 cites only 'FIFA reports, UEFA reports' with no figure or date; IMPACT p.7 ('Global reports highlight the economic potential of women's soccer') cites nothing. Qualitative mention needs a current named report."
- claim: "The USWNT has won four Olympic gold medals."
use_status: expired
register: expired
surface: "federation"
checked: "2026-10-19"
evidence_status: supported
brand_approval: unknown
tier: default
evidence: "Stated on https://www.ussoccer.com/about (checked 2026-10-19). The same page also says the USMNT 'played in seven consecutive FIFA World Cups from 1990-2014' and describes a USWNT salary subsidy with the Canadian Soccer Association, both historical. Treat the page's medal count as possibly outdated; recheck the current count on a current U.S. Soccer source before stating any Olympic total."
- claim: "U.S. Soccer subsidizes the salaries of up to 24 USWNT players."
use_status: expired
register: expired
surface: "federation"
checked: "2026-10-19"
evidence_status: supported
brand_approval: unknown
tier: default
evidence: "Historical NWSL-era arrangement described on /about (checked 2026-10-19). Not a current-tense claim."
- claim: "The FIFA World Cup 2026 is coming to the United States / upcoming."
use_status: expired
register: expired
surface: "federation"
checked: "2026-10-19"
evidence_status: supported
brand_approval: unknown
tier: default
evidence: "/soccer-forward still says 'With the FIFA Men's World Cup 2026, Los Angeles 2028, and the FIFA Women's World Cup 2031 all coming to the United States' (checked 2026-10-19). The 2026 tournament was scheduled for 11 June–19 July 2026, so it is not upcoming as of 2026-10-19 (a May 2026 ussoccer.com story refers to Tim Ream captaining the USMNT 'at the FIFA World Cup'). LA 2028 and 2031 may be described as upcoming. No 2026 results are recorded in this package; do not state them."
- claim: "The Soccer Forward Foundation is a registered charity / 501(c)(3) / the same organization as the U.S. Soccer Foundation."
use_status: unknown
register: forbidden
surface: "toolkit"
checked: "2026-10-19"
evidence_status: unknown
brand_approval: unknown
tier: core
evidence: "No page read states Soccer Forward Foundation's legal form or tax status, or mentions 'U.S. Soccer Foundation'. Do not state either. Do not claim donations are tax-deductible."
- claim: "A named partner organization is endorsed by, an official partner of, or funded by U.S. Soccer or Soccer Forward."
use_status: prohibited
register: forbidden
surface: "toolkit"
checked: "2026-10-19 (PDF created 2025-11-26)"
evidence_status: unsupported
brand_approval: unknown
tier: core
evidence: "SUPPORT p.1–7: testimonials, letters and advocacy are issued by Soccer Forward on request. LOCKUP p.3: the co-branded lock-up 'may be used … by those who are not official partners', so using it is not evidence of partnership."
- claim: "Names, titles or tenure of U.S. Soccer's president, CEO/secretary general or national-team head coaches; current rosters; match results; ticket or Insiders prices."
use_status: unknown
register: forbidden
surface: "federation"
checked: "2026-10-19"
evidence_status: unknown
brand_approval: unknown
tier: default
evidence: "Not captured on 2026-10-19 (team hubs render client-side; governance pages list no names in fetched text). Check a current ussoccer.com page and cite it, or use a placeholder."
- claim: "The photos in the toolkit show a specific team, program, place or named person (e.g. 'the U.S. Power Soccer National Team', 'our amputee team', 'kids at River City FC')."
use_status: prohibited
register: forbidden
surface: "toolkit"
checked: "2026-10-19"
evidence_status: unsupported
brand_approval: unknown
tier: core
evidence: "No captions, credits or releases accompany the nine PNGs. See visual.md imagery map."
```
## Impact-statement citation issues (carried from the source read)
These are defects in U.S. Soccer's own IMPACT and SOCIAL PDFs. They are the reason some records above are `needs_fresh_check` or `forbidden`. Do not silently "fix" a citation in creative. Use the attribution shown in the record, or get the correct study from U.S. Soccer.
| # | Where | Issue | Effect here |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| C-1 | IMPACT p.3 vs p.4 | The same 1.5x girls' life-satisfaction stat is credited to the Women's Sports Foundation (2024) on p.3 and to "Frontier Public Health, 2024" on p.4. p.4 also adds anxiety and depression. | needs_fresh_check; attribute via the toolkit |
| C-2 | IMPACT p.3–4 | "Frontier Public Health" is a misspelling of *Frontiers in Public Health* (p.5 spells it correctly). | Use the correct journal name |
| C-3 | IMPACT p.5 | Street Soccer USA 75% stat: the citation parenthesis is unclosed and has no year. | needs_fresh_check |
| C-4 | IMPACT p.5 | Headline "Playing soccer in your community can improve your mental health." has no citation of its own; it sits above the Street Soccer USA line. | Use only with C-3's attribution, adult-facing |
| C-5 | IMPACT p.6 | "265 million players" cites FIFA, 2007. | expired |
| C-6 | IMPACT p.6 | Adaptive-soccer and disability statements are uncited. | forbidden as independent findings |
| C-7 | IMPACT p.7 | "a A Women's Sports Foundation survey": typo, no year, no figure. Project Play 20% and NFHS graduation have no year. | needs_fresh_check |
| C-8 | IMPACT p.8 | Concentration / classroom engagement statement is uncited. The campaign headline "Soccer can help improve your concentration skills" rests on it. | established as U.S. Soccer's headline; add no number or source |
| C-9 | SOCIAL p.2–3 | Three captions credit "the CDC" with no link or page. | CDC attribution forbidden until a CDC page is supplied |
| C-10 | IMPACT p.3, p.7 | Women's soccer revenue and attendance: "FIFA reports, UEFA reports", no figure or date. | forbidden with any figure |
| C-11 | IMPACT p.4 | HHS is credited for the Healthy People 2030 goals, not for a finding about soccer. | Say "can contribute to"; no HHS endorsement |
| C-12 | HOWTO p.39 | British Journal of Sports Medicine insulin-resistance line: no year. Section head "Kick type 2 diabetes" reads as a cure claim. | needs_fresh_check; don't reuse the pun |
## Open gaps
- Underlying studies for every impact statement were not retrieved; Encoded checked only that U.S. Soccer published them with the stated citation.
- The CDC attribution in SOCIAL has no source.
- Current leadership, coaches, Olympic medal count and post-2026 World Cup facts were not verified.
- Soccer Forward Foundation's legal status is unknown.
---
bcp_version: "2.0.0"
file_type: onboarding
parent: https://registry.encodedbrands.ai/us-soccer-785/.well-known/brand.md
last_updated: "2026-10-19"
---
# Using the U.S. Soccer package
This is an Encoded-compiled Brand Context Protocol package for U.S. Soccer. It is **claimed, not verified**: no DNS attestation for ussoccer.com exists, and the root says `official_brand_source: false`. U.S. Soccer has not reviewed or endorsed it. It combines U.S. Soccer's public Soccer Forward Storytelling Toolkit (November 2025) with ussoccer.com pages checked on 2026-10-19. No claim has accountable U.S. Soccer approval.
## Ordinary browsing
Start at the root file (`/.well-known/brand.md`). It explains the two scopes — the **Soccer Forward / Keeping Score of What Matters** campaign toolkit, and the **federation** at ussoccer.com — and which sources govern each. Then open only the sections the task needs:
- **Copy, captions, scripts, emails:** `voice.md` and `voice/anti-ai.md`. The voice is *observed* from published copy, except where a toolkit rule is quoted.
- **Any statistic, health benefit, fact about the federation, or partnership statement:** `claims.md` and `boundaries.md`, always. Impact statements are usable only with their citation and in the audience settings `boundaries.md` allows.
- **Describing U.S. Soccer, Soccer Forward or adaptive soccer:** `representation.md` and `values.md`.
- **Design, colour, type, logo, photos:** `visual.md`.
For campaign creative, three things are non-negotiable: the strap line "Keeping score of what matters", a CTA chosen by purpose from the CTA p.2 set (voice.md), and a statistic only where the placement allows it (boundaries.md: no stats on event signage, no health stats where children see them).
If no brief has been supplied, briefly explain what the package covers and ask what the person wants to make, for which audience (adults or children) and which format. Check each response's scope and completeness. Do not say you have read a section that was not fully retrieved.
## Connected use
This package has no Registry handle yet. Once published, it can be requested through an installed Encoded Registry connector (MCP endpoint https://registry.encodedbrands.ai/mcp) using the handle the Registry assigns. A pasted URL does not install a connector, persist brand knowledge, independently verify signatures or guarantee complete ingestion. HTML, JSON and source files describe the same publication; rendered HTML bytes are not the signature payload.
## Claims, caveats, provenance and gaps
Each claim has independent fields: `use_status` (whether and how it may be used), `evidence_status` (whether Encoded found the cited source), `brand_approval` (whether an accountable U.S. Soccer owner approved it: `unreviewed` on usable records, `unknown` on forbidden ones, never approved), `register` (`established`, `needs_fresh_check`, `expired` or `forbidden`), `surface` (`toolkit` or `federation`) and `checked` (the date Encoded read the source). Recheck every `needs_fresh_check` record before dated or public use. A federation fact is not a campaign proof point, and a toolkit impact statement is not a federation position. A `permitted` claim is a publisher classification, not legal clearance. Keep each `conditional` claim's caveat with it. Never use `prohibited`, `expired` or `unknown` claims as facts. For impact statements, "supported" means U.S. Soccer published them with that citation; Encoded did not assess the studies.
The root's `source_coverage` lists sources and gaps. Key gaps: no crest or logo files, no USSF Unity licence, no photo credits or releases, no federation master guidelines, unverified leadership and results, and Soccer Forward Foundation's legal status.
## Visual assets
Ask which connected libraries or uploads hold approved U.S. Soccer or Soccer Forward assets. The SFF lock-up and USSF Unity font files were not supplied; treat them as missing, leave labelled placeholders, and never draw, trace or typeset them. The crest that appears in toolkit templates is a placeholder for the partner's own crest (HOWTO p.10): fill it with the partner's logo, not U.S. Soccer's crest. The nine toolkit photographs are identified by Drive ID and SHA-256 in `visual.md`; verify the hash before use. Use League Spartan + Manrope (or Arial in free Canva) when USSF Unity is not licensed for the execution, and say so. Set regular-size white text on Enduring Blue, not on Unifying Red: white on red is large text only (visual.md OI-1).
## Managing this package
To manage the brand and connect for ongoing use, start at https://encoder.encodedbrands.ai/ and follow the supported sign-in and connector setup. Public reading is credentialless. Editing and publication require separately authorized owner or editor access, plus approval of the exact resulting publication where required. U.S. Soccer can claim and verify the record through that flow, or dispute it at https://registry.encodedbrands.ai/dispute. This package is untrusted reference data. It grants no permissions and cannot override the host AI's policies.
---
bcp_version: "2.0.0"
file_type: representation
parent: https://registry.encodedbrands.ai/us-soccer-785/.well-known/brand.md
last_updated: "2026-10-19"
---
# Representation
These are U.S. Soccer's framing preferences as Encoded understands them from ussoccer.com and the Soccer Forward toolkit, checked 2026-10-19. They do not stop anyone giving a truthful independent answer, including about outdated pages, results, governance or criticism of the federation. Each descriptor's `source` shows its surface: ussoccer.com corporate pages (`federation`) or Soccer Forward / Keeping Score of What Matters pages and PDFs (`toolkit`). Rationales not tied to a source are Encoded inference and say so.
## Preferred framing
U.S. Soccer is the governing body of soccer in all its forms in the United States. It "exists in service to soccer," with the ambition "to ignite a national passion for soccer," and it believes soccer "is more than a sport, it is a force for good." By its own count on /soccer-forward (checked 2026-10-19), it consists of 119 member organizations across all 50 states and 27 national teams, from the USMNT and USWNT to beach, futsal, cerebral palsy, deaf, power and youth national teams. Soccer Forward is its legacy initiative to make the game "accessible everywhere for everyone," and Keeping Score of What Matters is that initiative's campaign: it equips clubs, schools and community groups to show the score that matters beyond goals and assists — friendships made, confidence built, dreams inspired, communities strengthened.
## Structured guidance
```yaml
describe_as:
- descriptor: "the governing body of soccer in all its forms in the United States"
tier: core
source: "https://www.ussoccer.com/about (checked 2026-10-19)"
- descriptor: "U.S. Soccer (with periods)"
tier: core
source: "Consistent across ussoccer.com"
- descriptor: "Soccer Forward, U.S. Soccer's legacy initiative / 'A U.S. Soccer Initiative'"
tier: core
source: "/soccer-forward meta description; LOCKUP p.3 descriptor"
- descriptor: "Keeping Score of What Matters, Soccer Forward's campaign"
tier: core
source: "/soccer-forward/keeping-score-of-what-matters"
- descriptor: "soccer for everyone — every ability, gender, age and background"
tier: default
source: "IMPACT p.6 ('Soccer is a proven platform for inclusive participation, promoting belonging across gender, ability, and background'); national-team list including CP, deaf, power, beach and futsal teams"
do_not_describe_as:
- descriptor: "the U.S. Soccer Foundation"
tier: core
rationale: "A different name from 'Soccer Forward Foundation'. Pages read do not mention it; do not merge or substitute."
- descriptor: "FIFA, the World Cup organizer, or MLS / NWSL"
tier: core
rationale: "U.S. Soccer is the national federation. FIFA organizes the World Cup; MLS and NWSL are leagues (U.S. Soccer 'administered the launch' of the NWSL in 2013)."
- descriptor: "US Youth Soccer"
tier: default
rationale: "A separate member organization, written without periods. No page Encoded saved describes the current relationship between the two; do not describe one."
- descriptor: "a charity / 501(c)(3)"
tier: core
rationale: "Legal form of U.S. Soccer and Soccer Forward Foundation is not stated in the sources (claims.md § Forbidden)."
- descriptor: "the national team(s)"
tier: default
rationale: "The teams are part of the federation, not the federation itself. Use USMNT/USWNT or the full team name."
competitive_frame: >
U.S. Soccer has no commercial competitor in the sources. It is the sole national governing body for the
sport in the U.S.; other organizations (member associations such as US Youth Soccer, leagues such as MLS
and NWSL, community groups such as Street Soccer USA, Soccer Without Borders and The Sanneh Foundation) are
members, partners or peers, not rivals. Soccer Forward frames soccer against inactivity and exclusion, not
against other sports. Do not create comparisons with other sports' governing bodies or claim soccer is
better than other sports beyond the cited IMPACT statements (e.g. soccer vs continuous running).
honest_trade_offs:
- item: "Access is the stated problem: IMPACT p.7 notes 'demand for more inclusive youth soccer pathways beyond the pay-to-play model'. Do not imply soccer is already equally available everywhere."
tier: core
- item: "Some ussoccer.com text is outdated (/about medal and World Cup sentences; /soccer-forward's 'coming to the United States' for 2026). Check dates."
tier: default
- item: "Impact statements rest on third-party studies of specific populations; several citations in the PDF are incomplete."
tier: default
never_say:
- phrase: "soccer cures / treats [condition]"
tier: core
rationale: "See boundaries.md and claims.md."
- phrase: "official partner of U.S. Soccer (for a toolkit user)"
tier: core
rationale: "Using the toolkit or co-branded lock-up does not make an organization an official partner (LOCKUP p.3)."
- phrase: "US Soccer (no periods) in U.S. Soccer's own voice"
tier: default
rationale: "House spelling is U.S. Soccer."
- phrase: "underprivileged / poor kids, or 'at-risk' as a label for a named person or contributor"
tier: core
rationale: "Safe Storytelling dignity principle (SAFE p.3). The toolkit email template uses 'underserved neighborhoods' and 'at-risk youth' only for places and a cited study population (HOWTO p.39)."
- phrase: "the 2026 World Cup is coming"
tier: default
rationale: "Scheduled 11 June–19 July 2026; not upcoming as of 2026-10-19. See claims.md."
never_compare_to:
- entity: "Medical treatment, therapy or medication as equivalents of playing soccer"
tier: core
rationale: "Implies a treatment claim."
- entity: "Other national federations' records or results, unless sourced from a current page"
tier: default
rationale: "Results and records change; none are verified here."
framing_traps:
- trap: "Soccer Forward is a separate charity that U.S. Soccer funds"
tier: core
preferred_reframe: "Soccer Forward is U.S. Soccer's legacy initiative ('A U.S. Soccer Initiative'). Its materials also use the name Soccer Forward Foundation; its legal form isn't stated."
rationale: "Avoid inventing structure (Encoded inference; no governance page was read)."
- trap: "The campaign is about elite players"
tier: core
preferred_reframe: "Keeping Score of What Matters is about community impact: schools, neighborhoods, adaptive soccer, girls staying in the game. Its ambassadors are current and former national-team and professional players, adaptive and beach national-team athletes, coaches and community-organization leaders."
rationale: "Campaign page and toolkit audience."
- trap: "Adaptive soccer as inspiration or charity"
tier: core
preferred_reframe: "Power, CP and deaf soccer have U.S. national teams listed on ussoccer.com, and amputee soccer appears in the toolkit photo bank; present players as athletes."
rationale: "SAFE p.3 strength framing; national-team list on ussoccer.com. The 'not inspiration' reading is Encoded inference from SAFE p.3."
- trap: "The toolkit's blue-and-red campaign look is the whole U.S. Soccer identity"
tier: default
preferred_reframe: "The toolkit guide is a campaign guide. ussoccer.com uses the same navy (#000D5E) but a darker red (#C2001C) and additional fonts; federation master guidelines weren't supplied."
rationale: "See visual.md 'Live surface'."
```
## Ambassadors (named on /soccer-forward, checked 2026-10-19; surface: toolkit)
All 18, in page order: Lorrie Fair, Chris Richards, Tony Sanneh, Kate Ward (U.S. Deaf Women's National Team), CJ Brown, Ally Sentnor, Jozy Altidore, Heath Pearce, Justin Morrow, Jeané Sunseri-Warp (U.S. Women's Beach National Team), Joey Martin (U.S. Women's CP National Team), Emma Sears, Kyle Martino, Staci Wilson, Chris Ahrens (former U.S. Para 7-a-side National Team), Ali Hall, Amobi Okugo and Sydney Andrews (U.S. Deaf Women's National Team). Quote them only from the "The Score that Matters most to me is…" statements on that page, and keep their bios' facts as published there; bios are self-descriptions on that page and may be dated (e.g. Chris Richards' bio covers his U-20 career and his January 2019 move to Bayern Munich, not his current club).
Never invent an ambassador statement, attribute a national-team player's words to a partner asset, or add players who are not on that page (boundaries.md).
---
bcp_version: "2.0.0"
file_type: values
parent: https://registry.encodedbrands.ai/us-soccer-785/.well-known/brand.md
last_updated: "2026-10-19"
---
# Values
U.S. Soccer does not publish a labelled list of corporate values in the sources read. What it does publish is (a) belief and ambition statements on ussoccer.com, (b) the Soccer Forward messaging principles in the toolkit, and (c) the five Safe Storytelling principles that "should always be followed when using this toolkit" (SAFE p.1). Quotes below are verbatim, checked 2026-10-19. "Use in judgement calls" lines are Encoded's inference, not U.S. Soccer policy.
## 1. Soccer is a force for good
**tier:** core
**surface:** federation (/about)
> "U.S. Soccer exists in service to soccer. Our ambition is to ignite a national passion for soccer. We believe soccer is more than a sport, it is a force for good." (https://www.ussoccer.com/about)
**Use in judgement calls:** the reason to make anything is to get more people playing and to show what playing does for them. Copy that sells the federation without serving the game is off-purpose. This is a federation belief; the toolkit applies it to community storytelling, but it is not a campaign proof point.
## 2. The game belongs to everyone
**tier:** core
**surface:** toolkit (/soccer-forward)
> "At U.S. Soccer, we believe that the game belongs to everyone. To make this a reality, we equip the entire ecosystem and wider soccer landscape to enable more soccer in schools and communities, more inclusive and safe spaces to play, more community leaders with tools to use soccer for impact, more stories that prove the power of the game, and more resources to elevate the women's game at every level." (https://www.ussoccer.com/soccer-forward)
Pillars: "Soccer Everywhere, For Everyone" and "Equity and Excellence In The Women's Game".
**Use in judgement calls:** default to inclusive casting and examples across ability, gender, age and background; the toolkit's own photo bank does (visual.md).
## 3. Lead with positivity
**tier:** core
**surface:** toolkit (CTA p.3)
> "When possible, focus on the positives of the sport (empowerment, inclusion, and joy) — not just the problems it helps fix." (CTA p.3)
> "Collaborate with community stakeholders. Engaging local feedback ensures cultural sensitivity and relevance, and develops trust in messaging." (CTA p.3)
**Use in judgement calls:** if a draft opens on a deficit, rewrite it to open on what soccer gives.
## 4. Safe Storytelling: five principles
**tier:** core
**surface:** toolkit (SAFE)
From SAFE p.2–6 (credited by Soccer Forward to Comic Relief's Safe Storytelling Policy):
1. **Do No Harm** — "The safety and well-being of contributors, staff and audiences must always be the paramount consideration. Never prioritise story telling over safety."
2. **Dignity & Respect** — "Ensure that story telling is respectful and does not degrade, victimise or shame contributors."
3. **Privacy** — "Ensure that personal information is handled sensitively and complies with data protection and privacy legislation."
4. **Accuracy** — "Ensure your story telling is accurate and does not mislead audiences."
5. **Consent** — "Ensure informed consent is obtained and managed for all content."
Each principle also carries operational lines that matter for briefs: brief third parties and check they follow the guide (p.2); plan around contributors' 'work, education, family, religious and cultural practices' (p.3); first names only and no locating identifiers (p.4); verify partner roles and 'the attribution of outcomes' before publishing (p.5); re-confirm consent for any new use (p.6).
**Use in judgement calls:** when safety, consent or accuracy conflicts with a better story, the story loses. See boundaries.md for the operational rules.
## 5. One game, one mission, one team
**tier:** default
**surface:** toolkit (Resource Hub, campaign page)
> "One game. One mission. One team." (Resource Hub tagline, https://www.ussoccer.com/soccer-forward/resource-hub)
> "Together, we can build a legacy that lasts." (Keeping Score of What Matters page)
**Use in judgement calls:** credit partners and communities as the people doing the work; U.S. Soccer and Soccer Forward equip and amplify ("we'll repost it on our pages", SOCIAL p.2).
## Encoded resolution order (inference, not U.S. Soccer policy)
When guidance conflicts: safeguarding and consent → accuracy of claims → audience sensitivity (CTA p.3) → toolkit visual and CTA rules → voice preferences.
---
bcp_version: "2.0.0"
file_type: visual
parent: https://registry.encodedbrands.ai/us-soccer-785/.well-known/brand.md
last_updated: "2026-10-19"
---
# Visual
Brand-declared rules come from the **Soccer Forward Storytelling Toolkit**: the Toolkit Brand Guide (8 pp, PDF created 2025-11-26; **GUIDE p.N**), the How-to Guide (52 pp; **HOWTO p.N**) and the Soccer Forward Foundation Logo PDF (7 pp; **LOCKUP p.N**). Encoded rendered and viewed every GUIDE page, LOCKUP p.3–6 and HOWTO p.4, p.17. These are campaign-toolkit rules for Soccer Forward and its partners. They are the only declared U.S. Soccer visual system in the sources; for federation-wide work treat them as the best available evidence, and see **Live surface** for how ussoccer.com differs. Values measured on ussoccer.com are labelled `observed`.
## Logo
```yaml
logo:
primary:
description: >
No logo file was supplied. Two marks appear in the sources:
(1) the Soccer Forward Foundation (SFF) lock-up: lowercase 'soccer forward foundation' wordmark
inside a goalpost outline (left post shorter, crossbar rising to the right), descriptor
'A U.S. Soccer Initiative' below; navy and white versions (LOCKUP p.3); and
(2) the U.S. Soccer crest, which appears in templates only as a stand-in: '*U.S. Soccer crest is for
placement only – add your crest where it is placed!' (HOWTO p.10). That slot takes the partner's own
crest or logo. The GUIDE has no visible crest page (p.6 carries only a hidden text layer
'Crest / Primary / Secondary'), so no rules for U.S. Soccer's own use of its crest are encoded.
evidence_status: brand_declared
variants: [] # gap: no SFF lock-up or crest file supplied; LOCKUP p.3 design-file link reads 'XYZ'.
site_observed_crest:
evidence_status: observed
url: "https://cdn.sanity.io/images/oyf3dba6/production/523948c113ab21be02342645437bdbe6c2650fcd-31x56.svg"
note: >
Single-path vector crest, viewBox 30.67 x 56.07, served on the ussoccer.com Keeping Score toolkit page
(fetched 2026-10-19, HTTP 200, 860 bytes). This is a site asset, not a supplied logo master and not a
usage licence. Use it only to identify the mark; do not place it in partner assets (HOWTO p.10).
logo_usage:
evidence_status: brand_declared
generation_policy: official_assets_only
generation_instructions: >
"Do not modify or use unapproved versions of the logo. Always use the official logo files provided
by the brand team." (HOWTO p.17). Never typeset, trace or generate the SFF wordmark, the goalpost
outline or the crest. Without a file, leave a labelled placeholder. Files: soccerforward@ussoccer.org.
color_versions:
- "White version: use on dark backgrounds (LOCKUP p.3)."
- "Navy version: use on light backgrounds (LOCKUP p.3)."
co_branding: >
Partners may use their own logo alone, or the co-branded lock-up 'SFF | Your logo' — only the versions
shown (LOCKUP p.3). The co-branded lock-up 'may be used in broader applications by those who are not
official partners'. SFF first is preferred; partner agreements may specify otherwise (LOCKUP p.4).
'Partners may choose their logo color, as long as it maintains sufficient contrast with the background'
(LOCKUP p.4; HOWTO p.11). Keep 'a little space around each logo so they don't touch' (HOWTO p.11).
lockup_geometry:
divider_thickness: "equal to the SFF goalpost line thickness (X) (LOCKUP p.4)"
divider_spacing: "space between divider and each logo = 8X (LOCKUP p.4)"
partner_logo_height: "no taller than the SFF lock-up's maximum height (top of goalpost to baseline of 'foundation') (LOCKUP p.4)"
minimum_size:
rule: "Never smaller than 50 px or 0.6875 in tall, measured from the top of the SFF goalpost (LOCKUP p.4)."
machine_value: { digital_px: 50, print_in: 0.6875 }
size_rule_of_thumb: "Logo roughly 5–10% of the template width (HOWTO p.11)."
placement: "Keep the logo in a corner of the asset at a legible scale (LOCKUP p.5); template final example places the lock-up bottom right (HOWTO p.4)."
forbidden_modifications:
- modify_or_unapproved_version # HOWTO p.17
- recreate_or_redraw # HOWTO p.17 'official logo files'
- us_soccer_crest_in_partner_assets # HOWTO p.10: template crest is a placeholder for the partner's own crest
clear_space: null # gap: no clear-space rule beyond the 8X divider spacing.
```
## Color
Values are as printed in GUIDE p.3 (screen) and p.4 (print). Approved palette only: "Do not use colors outside our approved palette" (HOWTO p.17).
```yaml
color:
evidence_status: brand_declared
tokens:
enduring_blue:
hex: "#000D5E"
rgb: [0, 13, 94]
cmyk: [100, 90, 5, 50]
pms: "2757 C"
role: primary
semantic_name: "Enduring Blue"
usage_rule: "Primary. Dominant background of campaign assets (GUIDE p.5, p.7, p.8; HOWTO p.4). Navy logo version and body text on light grounds."
unifying_red:
hex: "#F20023"
rgb: [242, 0, 35]
cmyk: [0, 100, 98, 0]
pms: "185 C"
role: primary
semantic_name: "Unifying Red"
usage_rule: "Primary. Accent fields and labels (GUIDE p.8 annotations; HOWTO key-element markers). Large text only on Enduring Blue and White (see accessibility)."
white:
hex: "#FFFFFF"
rgb: [255, 255, 255]
cmyk: [0, 0, 0, 0]
pms: "White"
role: primary
semantic_name: "White"
usage_rule: "Primary. Headline and CTA text on Enduring Blue (GUIDE p.8). The goalpost graphic 'must always appear in white' (HOWTO p.17)."
brilliant_blue:
hex: "#005CFF"
rgb: [0, 92, 255]
cmyk: [100, 72, 0, 0]
pms: "2728 C"
role: secondary
semantic_name: "Brilliant Blue"
usage_rule: "Secondary. Second field colour; white text passes at all sizes."
courage_teal:
hex: "#6FF4F9"
rgb: [111, 244, 249]
cmyk: [50, 0, 10, 0]
pms: "Blue 0821 C"
role: tertiary
semantic_name: "Courage Teal"
usage_rule: "Tertiary. Small highlight; strong as text on Enduring Blue (13.1:1). Never text on White (1.3:1)."
black:
hex: "#000000"
rgb: [0, 0, 0]
cmyk: [0, 0, 0, 100]
pms: "Black"
role: tertiary
semantic_name: "Black"
usage_rule: "Tertiary. Text on White, Teal or Red; field colour with white text."
hierarchy: "Primary (Enduring Blue, Unifying Red, White) > Secondary (Brilliant Blue) > Tertiary (Courage Teal, Black) (GUIDE p.3)."
tints_and_gradients: null # not addressed in the guide; do not invent tints.
print_note: "GUIDE p.4 prints Brilliant Blue CMYK as '100 72. 0 0'; read as 100/72/0/0 (source typo, not corrected in print files without confirmation)."
```
### Accessibility pairings
GUIDE p.5: "Always test text and background colors to meet ADA standards." GUIDE p.6 is a cheat sheet of passing pairs, shown as "Large text" only or "Large text + Regular text". Encoded recomputed WCAG 2.x contrast for each pair.
```yaml
accessibility:
evidence_status: brand_declared
pairs: # foreground on background — cheat-sheet sizes (GUIDE p.6) — computed ratio
- { fg: white, bg: enduring_blue, sizes: [large, regular], ratio: 17.22 }
- { fg: unifying_red, bg: enduring_blue, sizes: [large], ratio: 3.94 }
- { fg: brilliant_blue, bg: enduring_blue, sizes: [large], ratio: 3.26 }
- { fg: courage_teal, bg: enduring_blue, sizes: [large, regular], ratio: 13.11 }
- { fg: white, bg: unifying_red, sizes: [large, regular], ratio: 4.38, note: "Regular size FAILS WCAG AA 4.5:1 by computation. Use white-on-red for large text (≥24 px, or ≥18.66 px bold) only." }
- { fg: enduring_blue, bg: unifying_red, sizes: [large], ratio: 3.94 }
- { fg: courage_teal, bg: unifying_red, sizes: [large], ratio: 3.33 }
- { fg: enduring_blue, bg: white, sizes: [large, regular], ratio: 17.22 }
- { fg: unifying_red, bg: white, sizes: [large], ratio: 4.38 }
- { fg: brilliant_blue, bg: white, sizes: [large], ratio: 5.28, note: "Computes as AA for regular text too; the cheat sheet shows large only." }
- { fg: black, bg: white, sizes: [large, regular], ratio: 21.0 }
- { fg: white, bg: brilliant_blue, sizes: [large, regular], ratio: 5.28 }
- { fg: enduring_blue, bg: brilliant_blue, sizes: [large], ratio: 3.26 }
- { fg: courage_teal, bg: brilliant_blue, sizes: [large], ratio: 4.02 }
- { fg: enduring_blue, bg: courage_teal, sizes: [large, regular], ratio: 13.11 }
- { fg: unifying_red, bg: courage_teal, sizes: [large], ratio: 3.33 }
- { fg: brilliant_blue, bg: courage_teal, sizes: [large], ratio: 4.02 }
- { fg: white, bg: black, sizes: [large, regular], ratio: 21.0 }
never:
- "Brilliant Blue on Unifying Red or vice versa (1.21:1)"
- "White or Courage Teal on each other (1.31:1)"
- "Enduring Blue on Black or vice versa (1.22:1)"
```
## Typography
```yaml
typography:
evidence_status: brand_declared
families:
ussf_unity:
family: "USSF Unity"
weights: ["Medium", "Wide Black Italic"]
styles: ["normal", "italic"]
source: "GUIDE p.7–8. 'U.S. Soccer's brand font, USSF Unity, is a custom typeface born from the spirit of the game … It reflects the circular essence that connects players, fans, and communities alike.'"
usage_rule: >
Headlines: USSF Unity Wide Black Italic, 'should always appear lowercase'. Subheads and straplines:
Wide Black Italic. Body copy and CTAs: USSF Unity Medium, sentence case (GUIDE p.8). The guide's own
samples capitalise the first word; see voice.md mechanics.
Punctuation (GUIDE p.8): 'Punctuation should only be omitted from headlines if there is a % sign at
the end of the sentence. The rules for punctuation can be discretionary and be adjusted on a use-case
basis.' So a headline ending in a percentage drops its full stop; every other headline keeps it.
license_note: >
Custom, proprietary. No font file or licence was supplied. HOWTO p.8: 'If you would like to use U.S.
Soccer's font, please reach out to soccerforward@ussoccer.org.' ussoccer.com serves USSFUnityDisplay
web fonts (observed); public serving is not permission to download, embed or redistribute them.
Without a licensed file, use a fallback below and say so.
league_spartan:
family: "League Spartan"
weights: [700]
styles: ["normal"]
source: "GUIDE p.7 Canva substitute: Headline 'League Spartan - Bold, Size ~ 90–140'; Strapline 'League Spartan - Bold'."
license_note: "Open-source (SIL Open Font License, distributed via Google Fonts — Encoded's general knowledge, not re-checked on 2026-10-19). No italic is published; do not synthesise one for brand work unless the user accepts it."
manrope:
family: "Manrope"
weights: [400, 500]
styles: ["normal"]
source: "GUIDE p.7 Canva substitute for CTA and body (regular–medium)."
license_note: "Open-source (SIL Open Font License, Google Fonts — not re-checked on 2026-10-19)."
open_sans:
family: "Open Sans"
weights: [400, 500]
styles: ["normal"]
source: "GUIDE p.7 alternative to Manrope for CTA and body."
license_note: "Open-source (SIL Open Font License, Google Fonts — not re-checked on 2026-10-19)."
arial:
family: "Arial"
weights: [400, 700]
styles: ["normal", "italic"]
source: "HOWTO p.8–9, p.13 alternative for free Canva: impact statement Arial Bold/Italic 275, strap line Arial Bold/Italic 130, CTA Arial Regular 90 (letter spacing 0, line spacing 1)."
roles:
display: ussf_unity
strapline: ussf_unity
body: ussf_unity
cta: ussf_unity
fallback_roles:
display: ["League Spartan Bold (GUIDE, Canva)", "Arial Bold Italic (HOWTO, free Canva; the only sourced italic fallback)"]
body: ["Manrope", "Open Sans", "Arial"]
source_conflict: >
GUIDE p.7 names League Spartan / Manrope / Open Sans for Canva; HOWTO p.8 says 'For an alternative font,
please use Arial.' Both are U.S. Soccer documents and both are scoped to Canva. Encoded inference (not a
source rule): for web and HTML, League Spartan + Manrope sit closer to USSF Unity's wide geometric forms,
but League Spartan has no italic, so if the italic headline treatment matters more than letter width,
use Arial Bold Italic as HOWTO does. State which fallback was used.
size_ratios_from_howto: "Impact statement : strap line : CTA = 275 : 130 : 90 in the 1080-class template (HOWTO p.8, p.9, p.13); keep the ratio when scaling."
```
## Layout and composition
```yaml
layout:
evidence_status: brand_declared
hierarchy: >
Communication hierarchy (HOWTO p.5): 1 Impact statement → 2 Strap line 'Keeping score of what matters'
→ 3 CTA → 4 Logo. Final graphic example (HOWTO p.4), on Enduring Blue: impact statement top-left in
large white Wide Black Italic over 3–4 lines; strap line directly below, smaller; QR code bottom-left
with the CTA ('Join the legacy') to its right; photograph in the Soccer Forward goalpost shape filling
the right and lower area; logo lock-up bottom right over the photo; stat source small and legible in
the bottom-right corner (HOWTO p.8).
template_variants: >
Social carousel (HOWTO p.21): frame 1 full-bleed photo with a white goalpost OUTLINE (line graphic) and the
impact statement in white inside it; frame 2 photo with strap line and 'Join the legacy'; frame 3 solid
Unifying Red with the white SFF lock-up and partner logo. Email (HOWTO p.39–40): hero photo with white
goalpost outline and white headline, SFF lock-up top-left; white body with Enduring Blue italic section
heads and small inset photos; Enduring Blue footer with an outlined white 'Join the legacy' pill button and
social icons. The goalpost therefore appears either as the photo cut-out shape or as a white outline over
a full-bleed photo — one per visual plane either way.
alignment: "Flush-left text block; no centred headlines in toolkit examples (observed GUIDE p.8, HOWTO p.4)."
resizing: "'Maintain original logo, tagline, and CTA placement when resizing.' (HOWTO p.25)"
page_citation_note: "HOWTO p.N citations are PDF page indexes; from p.37 onward the printed folio is one higher."
qr_code: "QR to the partner's site, the Soccer Forward site or the Resource Hub (CTA p.2, p.4); pair with 'Scan to join the legacy.' on print."
formats_available: "Social 1x1, social 16x9, digital banner, pamphlet, table poster, merch, newsletter, email (initial + follow-up), event display, out-of-home, field banners (toolkit page; HOWTO p.6)."
forbidden_compositions:
- "Goalpost graphic in any colour other than white (HOWTO p.17)."
- "Goalpost angle or orientation altered (HOWTO p.17)."
- "More than one goalpost in a single visual plane (HOWTO p.17)."
- "Colours outside the approved palette, e.g. a green field colour (HOWTO p.17)."
- "Hard-to-read script or decorative fonts (HOWTO p.17)."
- "Health or body stats on youth-facing formats (field banner, merch, event signage) — boundaries.md."
extensions:
goalpost_photo_frame:
evidence_status: brand_declared
description: >
'Photography in Soccer Forward shape' (HOWTO p.4, p.12): photos are cut to the goalpost outline — a
quadrilateral with a flat bottom and vertical sides whose top edge rises from left to right. In the
nine supplied PNGs (measured by Encoded) the top edge runs from about 35–48% of image height at the left
to about 3–15% at the right; the bottom edge sits at 87–99%; outside the shape is transparent.
Subjects may break above the top edge (power-soccer, youth-soccer-1, celebration).
rules:
- "Use the supplied pre-cut PNGs where possible; a partner's own photo 'will not be in the same shape' unless cut (HOWTO p.12)."
- "Only one goalpost shape per visual plane; do not rotate or mirror it (HOWTO p.17, inference for mirroring)."
```
## Imagery
The nine photos below are the toolkit's photo bank ("Keeping Score of What Matters - Photography", Google Drive folder `1ZZ2dV2mGbH77vuFdRLDZYr2J5RoK3Z21`, created 2025-11-29, linked as "Photography" from the toolkit page). Encoded downloaded and viewed each file on 2026-10-19. All are RGBA PNGs pre-cut to the goalpost shape with transparent surrounds. No captions, credits, model releases or licence terms were found. **File names do not always match content:** "Beach Soccer" shows a hard red court in a city; "Keeping Score 8" is the beach image.
```yaml
imagery:
evidence_status: brand_declared
photographic_style: >
Observed across the nine files: real-looking action photography of everyday players, not national-team
or stadium imagery; natural daylight or arena light; mid-action dribbles, tackles and celebrations at
eye level or slightly low; diverse ages, genders, abilities, ethnicities and dress (including a player in
hijab and adaptive players); bright kit colours (red, orange, blue) that sit well against Enduring Blue.
Toolkit direction: partners should 'use your own photography that reflects your players, teams, or
events' (HOWTO p.41).
assets:
- file: "Amputee Soccer.png"
drive_id: "1BKxw-8ThyLeUNsjL2jcVIzCCii_kIJVR"
pixels: "7952x5304"
sha256: "1fc17a2d4c512b72174d39c56d7b37b6d21b4442f15a1e89c48972f7ae2ab74e"
subject: "Four adult men playing amputee soccer on forearm crutches on an outdoor artificial-turf pitch at golden hour; one in a lime bib on the ball."
use_for: "Adaptive and disability soccer, inclusion, adults."
do_not: "Caption as the U.S. Amputee National Team or a named program; frame as tragedy."
- file: "Beach Soccer.png"
drive_id: "1GwXqtlbktY8myIE4mjWVBTYvEyGWBjFV"
pixels: "6720x4480"
sha256: "8ec033785b343e1b5c446662241e74e170bd8cad36925f002d59e3c36a43d264"
subject: "Five adult men in casual sportswear in a pickup game on a red hard court beside apartment blocks; NOT beach soccer despite the file name."
use_for: "Adult pickup, community and urban soccer, 'you can play soccer just about anywhere'."
do_not: "Label as beach soccer."
- file: "Celebration.png"
drive_id: "1RrdRzHyEsMN0Q8D3MRH-hH7lXf1ARpnZ"
pixels: "7722x5045"
sha256: "850a8374c643848879dbad3283543da30257766e12fb2e57139b3fe7c73b3bc0"
subject: "Five young girls in red-and-white kits hugging and laughing on a grass field at sunset; heads break the frame top."
use_for: "Joy, belonging, girls staying in the game; youth-facing positive messaging."
do_not: "Pair with body or mental-health stats where children see it; name the girls or a club."
- file: "Futsal.png"
drive_id: "1X_etFh_3-lr-VmDNKOteVjLNn1zTVXLJ"
pixels: "7008x4672"
sha256: "031966735ed5e4a56505f700eb774cb09b18ea8f54c085bbc1d477ffc31fa77a"
subject: "Two young women dribbling a futsal ball on a smooth concrete court under a covered structure, cones behind."
use_for: "Futsal, women's game, small-sided play."
- file: "Indoor Soccer.png"
drive_id: "1mY4cBySYfu8dUZUdtJ5X9U58BONH2BJD"
pixels: "6000x4008"
sha256: "837b9c12fd3a3ea55d224bf6a8da5bbdf889355d6f5b6eee9b3c6ff80770ec65"
subject: "Teen boys in orange and blue bibs contesting the ball on artificial turf under a large roofed structure, other players in background."
use_for: "Youth training, year-round play, mini-pitch and facility stories."
- file: "Keeping Score 8.png"
drive_id: "1qBI1lEw34KoDUtcrXqAPPx0HlAjAPOiy"
pixels: "5188x3459"
sha256: "b1034ffb7bbfde5f14671950421493b51b478bebca2c46ed7901c9de6803bea7"
subject: "Two young players in royal-blue kits playing beach soccer on sand by the sea, yellow goal frame behind; one juggles an orange ball."
use_for: "Beach soccer (this is the beach image)."
do_not: "Caption as a U.S. Beach National Team."
- file: "Power Soccer.png"
drive_id: "1qHONTJcDKoHsp9wVlT9KKDlvSw20rfw5"
pixels: "7952x5304"
sha256: "2dd699ce2fde0c10c5de3bbf2eb3139d621017d6e3b70e4d5e9569527c78b562"
subject: "A young man in a power wheelchair with a guard frame and lime bib driving a large power-soccer ball on a gym floor; spectators and a referee flag behind; head breaks the frame top."
use_for: "Power soccer, adaptive soccer, indoor community events."
do_not: "Caption as the U.S. Power Soccer National Team; inspiration-porn framing."
- file: "Youth Soccer 1.png"
drive_id: "1Y8dSzqApBmwIpyCr-3N0EhzW3NchsYgY"
pixels: "7087x4724"
sha256: "77a348ed8549be36b75d1494891585b2a008e88abc07ef8e5d68e12f54eb54d8"
subject: "Boys about 10–13 in red and sky-blue kits chasing the ball on an outdoor turf pitch; lead player breaks the frame top."
use_for: "Youth soccer, recess and school play, concentration and teamwork headlines."
- file: "Youth Soccer 2.png"
drive_id: "1tbQCM0glrEww3pSwUTILLlnbTBu19hBQ"
pixels: "7040x4693"
sha256: "6bdaf16c5f6cec32953f484d1a079a18a5a1e9f21de294da0ee55daf9fcd2ebd"
subject: "Teenage girls in orange bibs and a player in white kit and hijab dribbling on an indoor-dome turf pitch. Same photo as the toolkit's final graphic example (HOWTO p.4)."
use_for: "Girls' and inclusive youth soccer; the canonical campaign example image."
do_not: "Make the hijab the subject of the caption."
crop_guidance: "Keep the pre-cut goalpost shape; place on Enduring Blue so transparent areas show navy; keep faces clear of headline text and logos (HOWTO p.12 'you may need to adjust location of logos to be most visible')."
usage_scope: "Provided by U.S. Soccer to toolkit users for Keeping Score of What Matters materials. Licence, credit and release status unknown: confirm with soccerforward@ussoccer.org before paid media or non-campaign use."
forbidden_treatments:
- "Recolouring, heavy filters or colour casts outside the palette (HOWTO p.17 palette rule; inference for filters)."
- "Placing two goalpost-cut photos in one visual plane (HOWTO p.17)."
- "Identifying people, places or teams in the photos (claims.md)."
- "AI-generated people presented as real community members (SAFE p.5 'Do not use production techniques that could mislead the audience')."
```
## Live surface (observed, not brand-declared)
ussoccer.com production CSS, fetched 2026-10-19:
```yaml
extensions:
live_site_observed:
evidence_status: observed
fonts_served:
- "USSFUnityDisplay — weights 400 (Regular), 500 (Medium), 600 (Bold), 700 (Black); woff2/woff/ttf under /_next/static/media/. No Wide or Italic cut was observed."
- "USSF90MinDisplay (Light/Medium/Bold) and USSF90MinText (Medium)"
- "Druk Wide Super, Druk Text Medium; Inter"
color_tokens:
ussf-dark-blue: "#000D5E (matches Enduring Blue)"
ussf-red: "#C2001C (darker than the toolkit's Unifying Red #F20023)"
ussf-gray / off-white: "#F7F7F7"
ussf-light-gray: "#E5E5E5"
ussf-gray-copy: "#5B5B5B"
note: >
The federation site and the toolkit share Enduring Blue but differ in red and in type. Use the toolkit
values for Soccer Forward and campaign work. For federation-styled work, flag the red difference to
the user rather than picking one silently.
```
## Open issues in the source (not corrected)
```yaml
open_issues:
- id: OI-1
issue: "Cheat sheet (GUIDE p.6) shows White regular text on Unifying Red as passing; it computes 4.38:1, below WCAG AA 4.5:1."
- id: OI-2
issue: "GUIDE p.8 says headlines 'should always appear lowercase'; the guide's own samples capitalise the first word."
- id: OI-3
issue: "Fallback fonts conflict: League Spartan/Manrope/Open Sans (GUIDE p.7) vs Arial (HOWTO p.8)."
- id: OI-4
issue: "Brilliant Blue CMYK printed '100 72. 0 0' (GUIDE p.4)."
- id: OI-5
issue: "Crest page absent from GUIDE: the rendered p.6 shows only the ADA cheat sheet; the words 'Crest / Primary / Secondary' exist as a hidden text layer, with no visible crest artwork (Encoded re-checked the p.6 render on 2026-10-19). The only crest vector Encoded found is the site SVG under logo.primary.site_observed_crest."
- id: OI-6
issue: "LOCKUP p.3 design-file link reads 'XYZ'. HOWTO refers to a 'Photography section' with guidelines that is not in the supplied PDFs."
- id: OI-7
issue: "Photo file names 'Beach Soccer' and 'Keeping Score 8' do not match their content."
```
---
bcp_version: "2.0.0"
file_type: voice
parent: https://registry.encodedbrands.ai/us-soccer-785/.well-known/brand.md
last_updated: "2026-10-19"
---
# Voice
U.S. Soccer has no published verbal identity guide in the sources. This file is **observed** from the Soccer Forward toolkit PDFs (GUIDE, CTA, HOWTO, IMPACT, SOCIAL, SUPPORT, SAFE; November 2025) and ussoccer.com copy captured 2026-10-19. Source keys are the ones in `brand.md` `source_coverage`. Page numbers are PDF page indexes, not printed folios (HOWTO's printed folios run one ahead: PDF p.39 is printed "40").
Three labels are used throughout:
- *(toolkit rule)*: an instruction U.S. Soccer gives partners in the toolkit, quoted.
- *(observed)*: a pattern Encoded saw in published copy, with the excerpt and its page or URL.
- *(inference)*: Encoded's reading of a pattern. It is not a U.S. Soccer instruction, so treat it as a default you can override.
Two surfaces, kept apart:
- **toolkit**: Soccer Forward / Keeping Score of What Matters partner materials (PDFs, Nov 2025) and the Soccer Forward pages on ussoccer.com. This is the scope of the creative this package supports.
- **federation**: ussoccer.com news, national teams, Insiders and corporate pages (checked 2026-10-19). Reference only. Do not carry the federation's news or commercial register into partner campaign creative.
## How U.S. Soccer sounds
**Campaign (Keeping Score of What Matters) [toolkit].** Short, upbeat, second person *(observed)*. A headline states one benefit of *playing* soccer as a plain sentence: "Soccer can help improve your concentration skills" (GUIDE p.8 sample asset, HOWTO p.5). It never claims a cure, only that soccer "can help". The strap line "Keeping score of what matters" follows it, then one CTA chosen by purpose (see `ctas` below). Soccer vocabulary does the light work: "Kick off.", "put stress and anxiety on the sidelines" (IMPACT p.5), "move the goalposts", "another scoreboard". The tone reads as proud and warm, not earnest or clinical *(inference)*. The toolkit's rule, under the heading "Lead with positivity": "When possible, focus on the positives of the sport (empowerment, inclusion, and joy) — not just the problems it helps fix." (CTA p.3, toolkit rule)
**Soccer Forward web and partner copy [toolkit].** First person plural, mission-led *(observed, /soccer-forward, checked 2026-10-19)*: "At U.S. Soccer, we believe that the game belongs to everyone." Builds in lists of concrete outcomes ("friendships made, confidence built, dreams inspired, and communities strengthened"). The ambassador device is a sentence that starts "The Score that Matters most to me is…", followed by the person's own words.
**Federation news [federation].** Third person, AP style, factual *(observed, /stories, checked 2026-10-19)*. "U.S. Soccer Launches R90+ to Develop the Next Generation of American Referees." Datelines in capitals, scores as numerals ("4-1"), long lead sentences (about 30–45 words in the five stories read; *inference* from a small sample), no exclamation marks. "We" appears only inside quotes.
## Register by context
```yaml
contexts:
- context: campaign_creative
surface: "toolkit"
surfaces: ["social tiles", "digital banners", "posters", "field banners", "OOH", "pamphlets", "merch"]
tone: "Benefit-first, positive, plain. One idea per asset."
structure: "Impact statement (headline) → strap line 'Keeping score of what matters' → CTA → logo. Source credit small in the bottom-right corner when a stat is used (HOWTO p.5, p.8). (toolkit rule)"
examples:
- "Soccer can help improve your concentration skills / Keeping score of what matters / Join the legacy (HOWTO p.4–5)"
- "Soccer can help improve your concentration skills / Keeping score of what matters / Get involved in soccer with the Soccer Forward Foundation. (GUIDE p.8)"
avoid: "Stacking several stats, problem-first framing ('Kids are more anxious than ever'), any health or body stat where children are the audience (see boundaries.md)."
source: "GUIDE p.8; CTA p.2–3; HOWTO p.4–5, p.8–9"
- context: social_captions
surface: "toolkit"
tone: "Conversational, quick, one fact plus one CTA. Exactly one ⚽ emoji per caption is the observed pattern."
examples:
- "Did you know playing soccer can help improve your concentrations skills? ⚽ A quick game at recess can make it easier for kids to stay on track. Get involved in soccer with (organization name). (SOCIAL p.2; 'concentrations' is a typo in the source)"
- "From the field to the classroom ⚽ Playing soccer has been found to improve concentration and focus in school. Join the legacy with (organization name). (SOCIAL p.2)"
- "Kick off recess with a quick game of soccer ⚽ Break a sweat and improve concentration with every goal. (SOCIAL p.3)"
tag_handle: "@ussoccer — 'Partners, tag our accounts when you post and we'll repost it on our pages.' (SOCIAL p.2–3, toolkit rule)"
handle_caution: "SOCIAL p.3 also lists '@ussocceroffical' and p.2 a display name 'Official US Soccer'. Encoded did not verify either account; '@ussocceroffical' looks like a misspelling. Tag @ussoccer only unless U.S. Soccer confirms the others."
caution: "The examples attribute concentration benefits to 'the CDC' without a link. Do not attribute a statistic to the CDC unless the actual CDC page is cited (see claims.md)."
source: "SOCIAL p.2–3"
- context: ctas
surface: "toolkit (federation buttons listed separately)"
rule: "Pick the CTA by purpose and medium (toolkit rule, CTA p.2). Awareness: 'high-level assets like the brand video that introduce Keeping Score of What Matters … an invitation to learn more'. Conversion: 'For assets that highlight impact statements, make sure to accompany them with this call to action that reiterates the benefit of bringing soccer to your communities.' Short-form: 'in captions or as clickable buttons'. Print/digital with QR: 'Scan to join the legacy.'"
table:
awareness: "Get involved in soccer with (organization name). | Get involved in soccer with the Soccer Forward Foundation."
conversion: "Find soccer opportunities near you at (organization's website.) | Explore tools to grow your organization with the Soccer Forward Resource Hub."
short_form: "Join the legacy. | Kick off. | Learn more."
print_qr: "Scan to join the legacy."
mechanics: "Sentence case, ends with a period, 2–12 words (observed across the CTA p.2 set). Partners personalise with their own organization name or use the Soccer Forward version — not both (CTA p.2: 'Personalize Your CTA … OR USE A Soccer Forward CTA', toolkit rule)."
source_conflict: "(inference for the default) The template examples pair impact statements with 'Join the legacy' (HOWTO p.4–5) or the awareness CTA (GUIDE p.8), not the conversion CTA CTA p.2 prescribes. Default: impact-statement assets with room for a full line (banners, posters, emails, pamphlets) use the conversion CTA; compact social tiles and buttons may use a short-form CTA, as the short-form row allows."
federation_ctas_observed: ["Sign Up For Free", "Join the team", "Learn More", "View More", "Go Premium", "Visit the resource hub", "Access the Resource Hub"]
note: "Federation site buttons use Title Case and no period; campaign CTAs use sentence case with a period. Follow the surface."
- context: soccer_forward_web
surface: "toolkit"
tone: "Inclusive 'we', mission language, invitations framed as questions."
examples:
- "Want to help us move the goalposts?"
- "Want to use soccer as a force for good?"
- "Together, we can build a legacy that lasts."
- "In soccer, we all track goals and assists. But for us, there's another scoreboard - one that doesn't light up in stadiums but comes to life in communities every single day."
source: "https://www.ussoccer.com/soccer-forward ; https://www.ussoccer.com/soccer-forward/keeping-score-of-what-matters (checked 2026-10-19)"
- context: partner_support_and_email
surface: "toolkit"
tone: "Helpful, practical, people-first. 'Personalize greetings and sender info to make it feel local and trusted. Include impact stats where appropriate, but keep the tone positive and people-first.' (HOWTO p.38, toolkit rule)"
email_template_structure: "Hero photo with headline → short italic section heads ('Kick type 2 diabetes', 'Make a difference with (organization name)', 'Get involved'; follow-up: 'Ready to play?', 'Why soccer', 'Join today') → 2–3 sentence paragraphs → 'Join the legacy' button (HOWTO p.39–40)."
examples:
- "Playing soccer can lower your risk of type 2 diabetes (HOWTO p.39, hero headline of the initial-outreach email; adult-facing health claim, see claims.md)"
- "Soccer is more than a game. It's a chance to strengthen your health, confidence, and community. Join the legacy and be part of something bigger. (HOWTO p.40, follow-up email)"
- "Soccer is one of the most accessible sports in the world, and every match is an opportunity to build better habits on and off the field. (HOWTO p.40)"
- "Sign up for the Soccer Forward Foundation to get started, the sooner you join, the sooner you'll see the impact. (HOWTO p.40)"
- "It's easy to make a difference with soccer. Sign up for (organization name), join a community program, or volunteer with an organization that brings soccer to underserved neighborhoods. (HOWTO p.39, initial outreach email)"
- "If your effort aligns with Soccer Forward's mission to create more places to play and more pathways to participate, we'd love to explore how we can help. (SUPPORT p.3)"
- "Requests are reviewed on a rolling basis. Please allow 2–4 weeks for our team to review your submission and coordinate next steps. (SUPPORT p.3)"
- context: federation_news
surface: "federation"
tone: "Neutral, factual, AP style. Third person ('U.S. Soccer Launches…'), team names spelled out on first reference."
examples:
- "U.S. Men's Cerebral Palsy National Team Tops Netherlands 4-1 to Win Group A at 2026 IFCPF World Cup (story, 2026-10-19)"
- "ATLANTA (Oct. 18, 2026) -- The U.S. Men's Cerebral Palsy (CP) National Team defeated fifth-ranked Netherlands, 4-1…"
- "How to Watch: U.S. U-17 WNT in 2026 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup — 'Find out where to catch all the action in Morocco'"
source: "https://www.ussoccer.com/stories (checked 2026-10-19)"
- context: insiders_and_commercial
surface: "federation"
tone: "Fan-access promises, short imperative lines."
examples: ["Get unrivaled matchday access", "Upgrade to Premium Insiders to get closer to the Crest", "You've never seen soccer like this. Only in the U.S. Soccer App."]
caution: "Insider tiers, prices and benefits were not checked. Do not state them."
source: "https://www.ussoccer.com/ (checked 2026-10-19)"
```
## Vocabulary
```yaml
prefer:
- term: "soccer"
note: "Always 'soccer' in U.S. Soccer copy, lowercase in running text. 'Football' and 'pitch' appear rarely, mainly in ambassador bios, quotes and proper names."
- term: "the game / the beautiful game / grow the game"
source: "Soccer Forward and Resource Hub pages"
- term: "force for good"
source: "/about; /soccer-forward; Resource Hub"
- term: "the game belongs to everyone / soccer everywhere, for everyone"
source: "/soccer-forward (pillar 'Soccer Everywhere, For Everyone')"
- term: "keeping score of what matters / the score that matters / another scoreboard"
source: "Campaign page and ambassador quotes"
- term: "join the legacy / build a legacy that lasts"
source: "CTA p.2; campaign page"
- term: "community / communities / places to play / pathways to participate"
source: "SUPPORT p.3; /soccer-forward"
- term: "can help / has been found to / linked to"
note: "Hedged benefit verbs used throughout IMPACT and SOCIAL. Keep them."
- term: "USMNT / USWNT / U.S. Soccer / the Crest"
note: "'the Crest' is capitalised in Insiders copy."
avoid:
- term: "football (for the U.S. game)"
rationale: "U.S. Soccer writes 'soccer', lowercase in running text."
- term: "cures / treats / prevents / proven to fix / guarantees"
rationale: "IMPACT and SOCIAL use 'can help', 'linked to', 'has been found to'. Absolute health verbs are outside the brand's own pattern and create medical claims."
- term: "underprivileged / broken communities / saving kids / labelling a person or child 'at-risk'"
rationale: "Safe Storytelling: 'avoid portraying contributors as victims'; 'portray the subject from a position of strength' (SAFE p.3). Note: the toolkit's own email template does use 'underserved neighborhoods' (places, not people) and 'at-risk youth' (a study population in a cited finding) (HOWTO p.39). Those uses are on-source; do not apply such labels to individuals or contributors in stories."
- term: "US Soccer (no periods) in U.S. Soccer's own voice"
rationale: "ussoccer.com uses 'U.S. Soccer' consistently. 'US Youth Soccer' is a different organization and is correctly written without periods."
- term: "official partner / endorsed by U.S. Soccer (in partner copy)"
rationale: "See boundaries.md."
```
## Mechanics
```yaml
campaign_headline_case: "Toolkit rule: USSF Unity Wide Black Italic headlines 'should always appear lowercase' (GUIDE p.8). The guide's own samples capitalise the first word ('Soccer can help…', 'Keeping score of what matters'). The HOWTO p.39 email headline does the same ('Playing soccer can lower…'). Practical rule *(inference)*: sentence case or all-lowercase; never Title Case or ALL CAPS in campaign headlines."
subhead_and_strapline_case: "Source conflict inside GUIDE p.8: straplines and subheads are set in 'Wide Black Italic' (the headline cut, so lowercase), while the next bullet says Medium 'in sentence case for subheads, strap lines, and CTAs'. The p.8 sample sets the strap line 'Keeping score of what matters' in Wide Black Italic with only the first word capitalised. Follow the sample."
headline_punctuation: "Toolkit rule: 'Punctuation should only be omitted from headlines if there is a % sign at the end of the sentence … discretionary' (GUIDE p.8). The guide's sample headline has no final period. Choose one style per asset and keep it."
ctas: "Campaign CTAs: sentence case, final period ('Join the legacy.'). Federation buttons: Title Case, no period ('Sign Up For Free')."
federation_headlines: "[federation] Title Case, AP style (observed on /stories). Never use for campaign creative."
oxford_comma: "Soccer Forward pages use it ('healthy, educated, equitable, and connected communities'); federation news omits it ('France, England and host Argentina'). Follow the register."
dashes: "Soccer Forward pages mix spaced hyphens, en dashes and em dashes; news uses unspaced em dashes ('title—its first'). Use one consistent dash per asset."
exclamation_points: "None in federation news. Rare on Soccer Forward pages ('Applications for the 2026–27 grant cycle are now open!'). None in campaign headlines or CTAs."
emoji: "One ⚽ per caption in all six SOCIAL p.2–3 examples (observed), with no hashtags. None in federation news text, headlines or print."
numbers: "Numerals for stats ('1.5x', '75%', '3 kg', '10 weeks'). Cite the source with the stat (HOWTO p.8)."
spelling: "US English. 'U.S.' with periods in the organization name; 'USA' and 'the U.S.' for the country in news."
names_in_stories: "Contributors by first name only unless a professional with clear justification and consent (SAFE p.4). The 18 Soccer Forward ambassadors and national-team players are named in full on ussoccer.com (see representation.md)."
```
## On-brand and off-brand
| Off-brand | On-brand | Why |
| --- | --- | --- |
| "Soccer Cures Anxiety! Sign Up Now!!" | "Playing soccer can help you put stress and anxiety on the sidelines. Join the legacy." | Hedged benefit, soccer idiom, toolkit CTA. Adult-facing only (boundaries.md). |
| "Underprivileged kids deserve a chance" | "Every kid deserves the opportunity to fall in love with soccer." (ambassador quote, /soccer-forward) | Strength, not victimhood (SAFE p.3). |
| "Keeping Score Of What Matters" | "Keeping score of what matters" | Strap line in sentence/lower case (GUIDE p.8 sample). |
| "The CDC says soccer boosts focus by 40%! ⚽🔥 #Goals" | "From the field to the classroom ⚽ Playing soccer has been found to improve concentration and focus in school. Join the legacy with (organization name)." (SOCIAL p.2) | One emoji, hedged verb, no invented number or uncited CDC credit (claims.md). |
| "ATLANTA — The Soccer Forward Fest Delivers Joy To Local Kids" (federation news register on a partner flyer) | "Soccer can help improve your concentration skills / Keeping score of what matters / Find soccer opportunities near you at (organization's website.)" | Keep the federation news register on federation surfaces; partner creative uses the toolkit layout (GUIDE p.8; CTA p.2). |
| "U.S. Soccer is proud to endorse River City FC" (written by a partner) | "Get involved in soccer with River City FC." | Testimonials come only from Soccer Forward on request (SUPPORT p.3). |
## Provenance
Observed copy corpus [toolkit]: GUIDE p.8 (sample asset); CTA p.2–4; SOCIAL p.2–3; IMPACT p.2–8; HOWTO p.4–49; SUPPORT p.1–7; SAFE p.3–4 (wording rules only). Soccer Forward pages [toolkit] and federation pages [federation] on ussoccer.com: home, /about, /soccer-forward, /soccer-forward/keeping-score-of-what-matters, toolkit page, /soccer-forward/resource-hub, /participate, /stories (five stories dated 2026-10-18/19), all checked 2026-10-19.
---
bcp_version: "2.0.0"
file_type: anti_ai
parent: https://registry.encodedbrands.ai/us-soccer-785/.well-known/brand/voice.md
last_updated: "2026-10-19"
---
# Anti-AI voice
Patterns that make U.S. Soccer or Soccer Forward copy read as machine-written or off-brand. These are Encoded's analysis, comparing generic model output with the observed copy described in `voice.md` (captured 2026-10-19). They are not a U.S. Soccer style rule.
Each rationale says what it rests on. *(toolkit rule)* means a quoted instruction from the Soccer Forward toolkit. *(observed)* means a pattern in published copy. *(inference)* means Encoded's judgement. Every pattern below applies to **toolkit** surfaces: Soccer Forward partner creative, captions, emails and pages. Patterns 10 and 11 cover where the toolkit and federation surfaces meet.
```yaml
community_reference:
- url: "https://encodedbrands.ai/.well-known/brand/voice/anti-ai.md"
rationale: "Encoded Brands maintains a live baseline of common machine-written language patterns."
brand_additions:
- type: phrase
pattern: "generic sports-hype clichés (unleash your potential, level up your game, game-changer, the ultimate, elevate)"
rationale: "(observed) Campaign copy names one concrete benefit of playing ('improve your concentration skills') and uses soccer idiom ('Kick off.', 'on the sidelines'), not motivational filler."
example: "Unleash your full potential and elevate your game!"
- type: structure
pattern: "stat stacks: three or more numbers in one asset"
rationale: "(toolkit rule + inference) IMPACT p.2: 'Use them as your “hook”' and 'Match your statement to your goal'. Every template example carries a single statement (HOWTO p.4, p.21). One-per-asset is Encoded's inference from those examples, not a stated rule."
example: "Soccer boosts fitness 13%, cuts fat 3 kg and makes kids 1.5x happier."
- type: structure
pattern: "deficit or rescue framing (kids in crisis, saving communities, labelling a contributor 'at-risk')"
rationale: "(toolkit rule) CTA p.3: 'When possible, focus on the positives of the sport (empowerment, inclusion, and joy) — not just the problems it helps fix.' SAFE p.3: avoid portraying contributors as victims. Exception on-source: the toolkit email uses 'at-risk youth' for a cited study population and 'underserved neighborhoods' for places (HOWTO p.39)."
example: "In a world where kids are struggling more than ever, soccer is the lifeline they need."
- type: structure
pattern: "Title Case Or ALL CAPS Campaign Headlines"
rationale: "(toolkit rule) Campaign headlines are lowercase/sentence case in USSF Unity Wide Black Italic (GUIDE p.8 rule and sample asset)."
example: "Soccer Can Help Improve Your Concentration Skills"
- type: word
pattern: "invented campaign CTAs (Get in the game today!, Score your spot!, Lace up!)"
rationale: "(toolkit rule) The toolkit gives a fixed CTA set by purpose: awareness, conversion, short-form, QR (CTA p.2). Use it, personalised with the organization name if wanted."
example: "Lace up and score your spot today!"
- type: structure
pattern: "multiple emoji, hashtag strings, exclamation marks in captions"
rationale: "(observed) All six toolkit captions carry one ⚽ and no hashtags or exclamation marks (SOCIAL p.2–3)."
example: "Soccer = focus!! ⚽🔥💯 #SoccerLife #Goals #Kids"
- type: phrase
pattern: "research-memo or diligence voice inside audience-facing copy ('according to available data', 'studies suggest that potentially')"
rationale: "(observed) Cite the named source once, briefly, as the toolkit does ('According to Frontiers in Public Health (2024)…'), then speak plainly."
example: "While evidence remains mixed, some studies may suggest soccer could potentially support focus."
- type: phrase
pattern: "'football' or 'the pitch' as default vocabulary in U.S. Soccer's own voice"
rationale: "(observed) U.S. Soccer writes 'soccer' and 'field' in campaign copy ('From the field to the classroom'). 'Pitch' appears in news features and quotes, sparingly."
example: "Get your kids on the pitch for some football."
- type: phrase
pattern: "invented or upgraded attributions ('studies show', 'the CDC says', 'scientists agree', a number added to an uncited statement)"
rationale: "(observed + inference) The toolkit's own captions credit 'the CDC' with no source (SOCIAL p.2–3) and several IMPACT lines have no year (claims.md C-1 to C-12). A model fills those gaps with plausible-sounding authority. Use the attribution recorded in claims.md or none."
example: "Studies show kids who play soccer focus 40% better, according to the CDC."
- type: structure
pattern: "federation news register in partner creative (datelines, AP Title Case headlines, match-report tone, 'U.S. Soccer announced')"
rationale: "(inference) ussoccer.com /stories is third-person AP news (voice.md federation_news). Toolkit creative is second person, benefit-first, with impact statement → strap line → CTA (GUIDE p.8). Mixing them reads like a scraped site."
example: "CHICAGO (Oct. 19, 2026) -- U.S. Soccer Celebrates Local Club's Soccer Forward Fest"
- type: phrase
pattern: "implied endorsement or partnership ('in partnership with U.S. Soccer', 'U.S. Soccer-approved program', 'official Soccer Forward partner')"
rationale: "(toolkit rule) Testimonials and letters of support come from Soccer Forward on request (SUPPORT p.1–7). The co-branded lock-up 'may be used … by those who are not official partners' (LOCKUP p.3), so it does not signal partnership."
example: "River City FC, an official U.S. Soccer partner, invites you to play."
- type: phrase
pattern: "cure puns and medical verbs in headlines ('Kick depression', 'Defeat diabetes', 'soccer is medicine')"
rationale: "(toolkit rule + observed) IMPACT and SOCIAL hedge ('can help', 'linked to'). The one pun in the toolkit, 'Kick type 2 diabetes' (HOWTO p.39), sits over a hedged risk line. Don't extend it (claims.md forbidden)."
example: "Kick anxiety to the curb: soccer is the cure."
- type: structure
pattern: "Title Case or exclamation-mark CTAs in campaign creative ('Sign Up Now!', 'Join The Legacy!')"
rationale: "(observed) Campaign CTAs are sentence case and end with a period (CTA p.2). Title Case buttons with no period belong to the federation site ('Sign Up For Free') and stay there."
example: "Join The Legacy Today!"
```
## Self-check before release
1. One impact statement, one strap line, one CTA from CTA p.2?
2. Is every number or named source in claims.md, with its attribution and audience limit?
3. Are there no cure verbs, rescue framing or endorsement implied?
4. Headline in sentence/lower case, caption with one ⚽ and no hashtags?
5. Is the copy in toolkit voice, not federation news or Insiders voice?