Chattanooga natives, McCallie alumni manage $250M US Soccer headquarters build

As Chattanooga prepared to host the Spanish national soccer team for World Cup training, two Chattanooga natives wrapped up their work managing another milestone for the sport: construction of U.S. Soccer’s new $250 million headquarters.

Tommy Ellis and Xander Gothard grew up near each other on Lookout Mountain and graduated one year apart at McCallie School, but they didn’t become close friends until they each found a home at Brasfield and Gorrie, a Birmingham-based contractor.

Ellis served as senior project manager and Gothard as project manager for the Arthur M. Blank U.S. Soccer National Training Center south of Atlanta. As the top project managers for the general contractor, they oversaw the construction budget and schedule to keep the project on track.

U.S. Soccer officials hailed the site as the gold standard for soccer training facilities and a new chapter for the sport when it opened in May. The headquarters is home to the 27 teams under the U.S. Soccer federation and features 13 regulation-size natural grass fields, two synthetic turf fields, two sand pitches and more than 400,000 square feet of mixed-use buildings.

Chattanooga natives, McCallie alumni manage $250M US Soccer headquarters build