U.S. plans bid for 2018 World Cup

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WASHINGTON -- U.S. soccer president Sunil Gulati has told the Washington Post that his Federation is preparing a bid for the 2018 World Cup and positioning U.S. cities to be ready as a backup for the 2014 edition.

Federation chiefs will form an organizing committee this weekend at annual meetings in Los Angeles and prepare to advise world governing body FIFA of its intent to launch a 2018 bid, the report says.

The only men's World Cup hosted by the United States was in 1994, which was a success in terms of attendance and staging.

"We've got some history and a track record," Gulati told the Post. "We showed in 1994 that the US is capable of hosting a terrific event.

"Now with the way the soccer landscape in this country has evolved, we would be in position to put on a spectacular event. We are much more a part of the sport internationally than we were in 1994."

England is also planning a 2018 bid, with British Finance Minister Gordon Brown saying earlier this month that the government will back any bid by England's Football Association (FA) to host the 2018 World Cup.

South Africa will stage the next World Cup in 2010 with the 2014 event set to be hosted in South America.

England's only time as host of the World Cup was in 1966 when they won the Cup.

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German football legend Franz Beckenbauer, president of Germany's 2006 World Cup organizing committee, has called England "the only country with an obvious chance" of hosting the 2018 finals.

But there have been U.S. upsets of England before, notably a 1-0 victory at the 1950 World Cup in Brazil.

The U.S. bid comes as former England captain David Beckham prepares to leave Real Madrid in July to join the Los Angeles Galaxy for a $250 million deal that has sparked new excitement over the sport in America.

The 1994 U.S. World Cup set a record for average attendance at 68,991 over nine venues.

Brazil and Colombia have indicated interest in hosting the 2014 World Cup but FIFA president Sepp Blatter has said he would move the event to another continent if no South American candidate was up to the task.

Gulati told the post the U.S. plan is aimed at 2018 but added, "Obviously FIFA knows what we are capable of and if something else changed we would be open to any other possibilities."

Gulati described FIFA as "very open" to a 2018 U.S. bid and said feedback was "very positive" from regional officials in the Confederation of North, Central and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF).

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