U.S. soccer chief Gulati on America's growing prestige

Sunil Gulati has been busy in the hiring area, naming new coaches for both the U.S. men and women over the past 18 months. Scott Bales/Icon SMI

World Soccer's Paul Gardner recently sat down with U.S. Soccer Federation president Sunil Gulati to discuss the U.S. national team, coach Bob Bradley, MLS and the growing prestige of the game in America -- both inside and outside our borders.

World Soccer: Will U.S. Soccer make a bid to host the 2018 World Cup?

Gulati: We're assessing that; we'll make a decision by June 1 or shortly after. Clearly, bringing the World Cup here would be a plus, both for FIFA and for soccer in the U.S. One of the big advantages we have in a potential bid is the number of modern and very large stadiums that are perfectly suited to hosting a World Cup without the need for extensive renovation. New large stadiums are being planned for a number of cities, notably New York and Dallas.

World Soccer: What is your reaction to the English Premier League's plan to play matches in foreign countries? It seems to be a given that the U.S. would be one of the chosen sites.

Gulati: There's been a strong reaction against it from the soccer institutions -- from FIFA, UEFA and the English FA. We've made it clear that we won't entertain the idea if it's not approved by FIFA. If FIFA does approve it, then we'll consider it.

World Soccer: U.S. soccer has some experience of this sort of situation.

Gulati: There have been occasions when we've been asked to allow league games from Central American countries to be played here, but they were turned down by CONCACAF. And there was a request to allow one of our teams, the Los Angeles Salsa, an A-League team, to play in the Mexican League, but that was rejected as well.

World Soccer: Does it help or harm the American game for foreign teams to play here?

Gulati: It can go both ways. It's positive if it helps us improve the level of the sport here -- by bringing in the game's top stars. But if it's simply adding to an already crowded market place, I'm not so sure. But I don't think that, in this day and age, we can make our game successful by sheltering it from the rest of the world.

World Soccer: Overall, do you think the sport is putting down roots in the U.S.?

Gulati: Absolutely -- and a very big part of that success is down to MLS, which has clearly established itself. It's not the NFL or Major League Baseball yet, but it is a remarkable presence on the American sports scene after only 12 years of existence. National telecasts -- in both English and Spanish -- are a big part of this success, and David Beckham's arrival has helped draw the attention of those who show just a casual interest in the sport. Whether they can be persuaded to be full fans, that's part of our challenge.

World Soccer: Internationally, has the U.S. gained prestige?

Gulati: Yes, I think so. The cornerstone of respect there is having a good national team, and our teams continue to do pretty well. We've hosted [international] competitions, MLS is getting stronger, we have more players playing abroad. I don't think the strength of the commercial side has ever been in doubt. And we've got more people involved on the various committees of CONCACAF and FIFA. FIFA takes us seriously in soccer -- that's a big change from 25 years ago.

World Soccer: Are you satisfied with the performance of the national team under the coach you appointed, Bob Bradley?

Gulati: Yes. In the year-and-a-half since his appointment, we have won the Gold Cup and a number of important exhibition games. We would have liked to send a stronger team to the Copa América last year [the U.S. lost its three group games], but as it was not a mandatory tournament for us, we couldn't get players released by their European clubs. We're trying to arrange more games overseas -- we have scheduled games in England on May 28 and Spain on June 4. We are also bringing Argentina to New York on June 8.

World Soccer: Are you satisfied with the ethnic makeup of the national team?

Gulati: I don't see this as a matter of ethnic composition. What's wanted is a winning team, playing good soccer, getting good results. I think we have all of that.

World Soccer: When Bradley was appointed, you mentioned the possibility of appointing a technical director. Is that idea still alive?

Gulati: Yes, we are actively pursuing it, looking for a suitable person. Probably, it will be an international coach.

World Soccer: What was your thinking behind the appointment of Wilmer Cabrera to take over the running of the Bradenton, Fla., academy, the federation's academy for the country's leading young talents?

Gulati: He was a top-level player -- a member of the Colombian national team -- and he has been a very successful youth coach in the early part of his career, and he's bilingual. These are all big pluses. The Bradenton program is the building block for our Under-20 and Olympic teams. A lot of top-level players come through it.

World Soccer: Does it concern you that there will be a growing tendency for Bradenton graduates to want to move overseas?

Gulati: The number of players who have gone straight to Europe is not that high. I'm not sure that the situation will get worse. It's more likely that they will play in MLS for two or three or four years before thinking about making a move. MLS, obviously, can help persuade players to stay in the U.S. by offering them more money. Ultimately, it's for each player to decide for himself what's best for his career.

Whatever young players decide, it's clear that as MLS expands, it needs more players. In November it received permission to up the number of international players on its teams. But we are going to need to find a way to develop more young players in this country. It should also be clear that for talented young American players the decision at age 17, before starting their pro career, involves much more than just pro soccer -- the role of university education in American society is central to understanding this dynamic.

While I think that is certainly a positive social decision, attending college at that age does put many of our talented young players behind their international counterparts during very important developmental years.

To subscribe to World Soccer Magazine, click here.