NYT Q & A With Sunil (Some Revs Content) 10/27

KaptPowers · 27 Oct 2009, 03:34 PM

Interview With USSF President Sunil Gulati
-Goal! Blog, New York Times

Quote:

Q.

You’re in a unique position as an economics professor, the president of the federation and an executive of an M.L.S. team, the New England Revolution. What was your reaction when the FIFA president Joseph Blatter said M.L.S. needed to change its schedule to conform to the European calendar?
A.

I told him that Chicago is not London in January. Chicago is Moscow in January. You’re not playing in Moscow in January. He also mentioned domed stadiums. I don’t think that’s going to happen and we can’t take six weeks off.

I used this analogy with Blatter: He said the U.S. played two different halves against Brazil in the Confederations Cup final. I said that I was turning 50, facing the second half of my life. U.S. soccer is still in the first half of its life. Twenty-five years ago, in 1984, we had big attendance at the Olympics the eventually led to 1994 and the World Cup. For us, 2009 is still the first half. Questions about promotion/relegation, schedule — they are second-half issues. We will need to be more mature. Maybe 10 years down the road with a couple more southern teams, maybe one dome, more passionate fans. Is it the next year or two? No.