USSF says nominations submitted for 8 president candidates

CHICAGO (AP) - The U.S. Soccer Federation says it received the required three letters of nomination for eight candidates in its presidential election, one fewer than the total of people who announced their intention to run.

The USSF is conducting background checks on the candidates whose nominations were received by Tuesday night's deadline. The governing body said the check is to ascertain that a candidate has "no conviction or no contest plea to a felony or crime of moral turpitude" and it will announce the candidate slate after completing the process.

Sunil Gulati, the USSF president since 2006, decided after the Americans failed to qualify for the World Cup that he will not seek a fourth four-year term.

The nine people who announced they are running include former men's national team players Paul Caligiuri, Eric Wynalda and Kyle Martino; U.S. women's goalkeeper Hope Solo; Soccer United Marketing president Kathy Carter; USSF vice president Carlos Cordeiro; Boston lawyer Steve Gans; New York lawyer Michael Winograd; and Paul LaPointe, Northeast Conference manager of the United Premier Soccer League.

The election will be held in February.