Gulati a critical figure in expanding soccer within the US.
By Deepak Chitnis
WASHINGTON, DC: As the world prepares for the commencement of the 2014 FIFA World Cup next week, which is set to transpire in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, the US has been sidelined when it comes to conversation about which countries actually stand a chance at winning the coveted trophy.
The domain of US soccer is headed up by none other than Sunil Gulati, who has been the President of the United States Soccer Federation (USSF) since 2006. Elected to his third consecutive four-year term earlier this year – by a unanimous vote, no less – Gulati has been largely responsible for increasing soccer’s profile and popularity within the US over the better part of the last decade.
Soccer is famously one of the most popular sports in the world, if not the most popular, but has lagged in finding an equally passionate fan-base in the US. Competing with the country’s national pastime, baseball, and consistent ratings winners like American football and basketball, soccer is slowly by surely establishing itself as a favorite among American audiences, and nearly always dominates the popular consciousness during the World Cup.
Gulati, who is making the trip down to Brazil for the World Cup, is one of the key faces of American soccer on the world stage. Born in Allahabad, India in 1959, he and his family moved to Connecticut when he was just five years old. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Bucknell University, where he graduated Magna Cum Laude, and earned both his M.A. and his M.Phil from Columbia University – both of which were in the field of economics.
Currently, in addition to his work with the USSF, Gulati is a senior lecturer of economics at Columbia University. The specific fields he teaches on are development economics and international trade. Gulati splits his time between his academic commitments and his work with the USSF, and he is also currently a member of the FIFA Executive Committee.
After spending several years with the World Bank, Gulati got involved with soccer, culminating with his election as the USSF President eight years ago. His tenure at the helm of the USSF has been peppered with some of the biggest incidents in US soccer; in fact, former USSF President and founder of Major League Soccer, Alan Rothernber, called Gulati “the single most important person in the development of soccer in [the US].”
In 2009, Gulati led the US bid to host the World Cup in either 2018 or 2022, and chaired the World Cup USA Bid Committee Board of Directors; however, the big was ultimately unsuccessful. In 2012, he was arguably the main figure behind the push to institute a new, permanent women’s soccer league in the US, which led to the creation of the National Women’s Soccer League.
Now, as the US heads into the World Cup, all eyes are… elsewhere. The US is in a disastrous part of the bracket, having to emerge from a Group that pits the #14-seeded US against #24 Ghana, #5 Portugal, and #2 Germany. While Ghana may seem safe, the country knocked the US out of both the last two World Cups, so the US will have its work cut out to make it past the first round.
It’s not just the world that is sidelining the US prematurely, however – even US soccer coach Juergen Klinsmann told the New York Times earlier this week that “We cannot win this World Cup because we are not at that level. […] Realistically, it is not possible.”
The statement may be embarrassing for Gulati, who hired Klinsmann to coach the US soccer team in 2011 after his tenure with Bayern Munich ended. Gulati has yet to speak on the matter, choosing to remain focused on getting the US team as prepared for competition as he can.
The FIFA World Cup begins on June 12, and will run until July 13. Host country Brazil is heavily favored to win the tournament, while Argentina and Germany are also considered to be legitimate contenders. The world will know for sure just who the best team is starting next week; in the meantime, Gulati and the rest of the US will see if the 2014 US Soccer squad can pull of a miracle like the 1980 US Hockey team.