FAYETTEVILLE, Ga (AP) — Former American defender and Los Angeles FC coach Steve Cherundolo was hired Thursday by the U.S. Soccer Federation to lead the American men's under-23 team through the 2028 Olympics.
It was not clear whether the 47-year-old from San Diego would become a candidate to become the national team interim coach if a new deal isn't worked out between the USSF and Mauricio Pochettino, whose contract expires this summer. The national team can play four friendlies in the FIFA international window from Sept. 21 to Oct. 3.
Cherundolo made 87 appearances for the U.S. from 1999 to 2012 and was part of three World Cup rosters. He played for Hannover for 15 seasons through 2014 and made 415 Bundesliga appearances, the most by an American.
He coached the second-tier Las Vegas Lights in 2021 and LAFC from 2022-25, winning an MLS title in his first season and the U.S. Open Cup in 2024. He left LA after the 2025 to move back to Germany.
Cherundolo was inducted in the U.S. National Soccer Hall of Fame in 2021.
FIFA limits men's Olympic teams to under-23 players who must be born on or after Jan. 1, 2005, with each of the 12 teams allowed three wild-card players over the age limit.
Games will be played in Columbus, Ohio; Nashville, Tennessee; New York; Pasadena, California; St. Louis; San Diego; and San Jose, California. The U.S. receives an automatic berth as host.
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FILE - Los Angeles FC manager Steve Cherundolo reacts during the Club World Cup Group D soccer match between Los Angeles FC and ES Tunisie in Nashville, Tenn., June 20, 2025. (AP Photo/George Walker IV, File)
AALBORG, Denmark (AP) — While Europe's still in the throes of summer heat, it’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas in the Danish city of Aalborg.
Dozens of Santas, Mrs. Clauses and elves from around the world have descended on Denmark's fourth-largest city for the Nordic nation’s annual World Santa Claus Congress, a colorful midsummer tradition for decades.
First staged at an amusement park near Copenhagen in 1957, the congress moved to Aalborg on Denmark’s Jutland peninsula two years ago. This year, the Santa suits looked a little stifling under the Danish summer sun.
The event, which marks its 70th anniversary next year, was created to entertain children, but became a popular gathering for Santas who appear in stores and shopping malls during the Yuletide season.
The gathering offers a chance for professional Santas — not the real one, of course! — to swap stories, compare beards, sharpen their craft and compete in lighthearted contests months before anyone checks naughty-or-nice lists for the Christmas rush.
The packed agenda features events like gingerbread eating, gift wrapping, balloon modeling, and several noisy parades.
“The grandmas say: ‘Oh, it’s too early to come here’," said organizer Peter Gislund, himself a Santa Claus in Aalborg during the Christmas season. “The kids say: 'Hooray! Santa’s here already'.”
Over the years, the annual four-day gathering has attracted Santas and Mrs. Clauses from as far away as Australia, Hong Kong, Canada and the United States.
Most of the three dozen or so Santas and Mrs. Clauses at the congress this week hail from Scandinavia, but some flew in — like Paradise Yamamoto from Tokyo.
“This is very fun, so many children … Ho, ho, ho!” said Yamamoto with a laugh after parading through Aalborg waving a Japanese flag and dancing to the song "Feliz Navidad” — one of many Christmas classics played during the event.
Robert Hercz, a 64-year-old Norwegian Santa from Oslo, said that despite their different nationalities, all Santas on hand share “a gene” — for generosity and spreading joy.
“You have it or you don’t,” said Hercz, who was attending the congress for the first time. “We have the true Santa spirit. And it’s all about giving, sharing, and putting a little bit of joy in people’s hearts.”
It’s not all ho-ho-ing and belly rubs.
“When Santas are together, they always mingle and talk a little bit,” said Gislund. “Maybe I put a little bit of sparkle in the beard and so on. That’s the good part of meeting some Santas from all over the world.”
For Simon Brøns, a 33-year-old Danish Santa, the event is proof that the festive spirit isn’t just for Christmas.
“Christmas is not a season. It’s a feeling you have in your stomach," he said with a smile. "So if you want, you can have Christmas the whole year.”
A Santa Claus and Christmas elve performer wave into the camera during the annual World Santa Claus Congress, a colorful midsummer tradition, in Aalborg, Denmark, Wednesday July 8, 2026. (AP Photo/James Brooks)
Paradise Yamamoto, a Santa Claus performer from Tokyo, left, and Peter Gislund, a 57-year-old Santa Claus performer from Aalborg, take a selfie during the annual World Santa Claus Congress, a colorful midsummer tradition, in Aalborg, Denmark, Wednesday July 8, 2026. (AP Photo/James Brooks)
Santas, Mrs. Clauses and Christmas elves from around the world take part in a parade through the streets of Aalborg Denmark, Wednesday July 8, 2026 during the annual World Santa Claus Congress. (AP Photo/James Brooks)
Robert Hercz, a 64-year-old Santa Claus performer from Oslo, Norway, right, pose with an unidentified Santa Claus performer for a photo at the annual World Santa Claus Congress, a colorful midsummer tradition, in Aalborg, Denmark, Wednesday July 8, 2026. (AP Photo/James Brooks)
Santas, Mrs. Clauses and Christmas elves from around the world pose for a photo at the annual World Santa Claus Congress, a colorful midsummer tradition, in Aalborg, Denmark, Wednesday July 8, 2026. (AP Photo/James Brooks)
