Back In The US, Back In The US…
US Soccer honcho Sunil Gulati will announce on Monday plans to mount simultaneous bids to host the 2018 and 2022 World Cups (no, we’re not going to host both, they’re going to bid for both and hope to get one).
On the one hand, this is great. We’re obviously going to get one – FIFA made so much money on the 1994 event that it’s incredible to me they haven’t come back. And playing at home can only help our team’s chances of doing well. Plus, it’ll further expose the sport to a lot of Americans who aren’t aware that when it’s played at the highest level, soccer is pretty damn beautiful.
On the other hand, part of the fun of actually attending a World Cup is seeing another country. Our trip in 2006 was the greatest experience ever. But America’s just too big to really follow the US team – you might get lucky and have them play near you, or you might be able to make plans to go to one or two games. And while the foreign fans make for a festive atmosphere, at the end of the day you’re still….in America. You lose that part of it.
It’ll also point out the huge disparity between soccer as it’s played on the world stage and as it’s played in our domestic league (which will have to shut down for the duration, there’s no other way to do it, I don’t think). I’m sure MLS will have made even greater strides by 2018 (by which point it will have been in business longer than the NASL), but it can’t help but suffer by comparison.
It’ll be lots of fun and will push soccer to the front pages and the tops of Americans’ minds for a month, so that will be a positive.
January 30th, 2009 at 2:08 am
“We’re obviously going to get one”
Gee, I wish I could share your optimism. We might get it, but it is far from certain. The FIFA voters take into account more than just potential earnings from the event.
A big factor is how long it has been since a country has hosted the tournament. England last hosted in 1966, and that’s why I think England is the favorite for 2018. As for 2022, we have a good shot, but so do Russia and Australia.
January 30th, 2009 at 6:40 am
Let me rephrase: “We’re obviously going to get one eventually.” I didn’t mean necessarily 2018 or 2022 (though I believe we will get one or the other).
I think an American bid would be at least as strong as an English bid, and I wish I could share your idealism about what motivates FIFA voters. 2018 is 24 years since ’94 and 2022 is (obviously) 28. That strikes me as being almost too long to avoid America especially when ’94 was the best-attended (still) and most-profitable WC ever. It’s not like it was just a nice one-off.
January 30th, 2009 at 8:05 am
You can’t see MLS trying to weasel in as some sort of World Cup double header?
(For those that are sarcasm impaired, there’s a lot of sarcasm there)
January 31st, 2009 at 11:28 am
I will be shocked out of my mind if 1 of those years isn’t in the USA.