In the follow-up to the announcement that the USA Bid Committee has sent a letter to 70 stadiums identified as potential hosts for the 2018 or 2022 World Cups, United States Soccer Federation president Sunil Gulati and USA Bid Committee executive director David Downs held a conference call on Thursday.
Gulati focused on the recent successes of American professional soccer with the National Team, MLS in Seattle, and the push towards a winning bid for the 2018 or 2022 World Cup. "What we've done in this introductory letter is tell them a little bit about the World Cup, a little bit about the process, and introducing our committee," Gulati said. The next step is self-selecting, with the venues expressing interest receiving further information.
"The model has been just around double digits," Gulati said. "We think that's probably their thinking at this point, but we don't want to be closed for a few others. The range is 9 to 12." Gulati also talked about the potential for new stadiums being built between now and 2018/2022.
The bids for 2018 and 2022 are due in May of 2010.
