Richard Nichols, a Dallas-based lawyer who once worked at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati and K&L Gates predecessor Hughes & Luce, has been let go from his role as executive director of the U.S. women’s national soccer team (USWNST).

The team announced the departure of Nichols on Dec. 28, just four days before the expiration of its collective bargaining agreement with the U.S. Soccer Federation, the governing body for the sport in the country.