Contiguglia Gets Nod to Head U.S. Soccer
The United States does not have a national coach and its post-France 98 prospects look grim, but Bob Contiguglia has the answer to U.S. soccer’s woes: Bring the World Cup back here in 2010.
Contiguglia, a 56-year-old doctor from Denver, made staging another World Cup one of his prime goals Saturday after easily winning election as U.S. Soccer’s president, succeeding Alan Rothenberg.
The vote at the federation’s annual general meeting at Wailea, Maui, was not even close. Contiguglia defeated former federal government attorney Larry Monaco, 57.6% to 42.4%.
Afterward, he said he would keep U.S. Soccer on the same course that Rothenberg has charted over the past eight years, but said he wanted to see “a comprehensive program of coach, referee and player development.”
Contiguglia is the former chairman of the United States Youth Soccer Assn.--an organization he rescued from near bankruptcy and rebuilt completely. He said he wants to see Project 40--a youth development initiative that brings promising high school players directly into the professional ranks--become Project 400 and wants more emphasis put on developing players from an early age.
“Our 6- to 8-year-olds are not as good as 6- to 8-year-olds in Brazil or Italy,” he said, pledging to “raise the level of the average player in the U.S. by a little bit and the elite player by a huge amount.”
Asked who might replace Steve Sampson as national coach, Contiguglia said the four candidates that have been mentioned are still in the running.
They were pared, he said, from a list of about 30 candidates and represent the “best available” choices. They are Washington D.C. United Coach Bruce Arena, former U.S. coach Bora Milutinovic, former Brazil coach Carlos Alberto Parreira and former Portugal coach Carlos Queiroz.
Contiguglia said the committee will recommend a coach and a decision would be made “hopefully well before” Nov. 6, when the U.S. is scheduled to play Australia.
“The criteria,” he said, “would be international experience, working with professional athletes, obviously track record and preferably, if possible, an American. One of my criteria would be someone who’s played in the World Cup too.”
None of the four have done so.
Although 2014 remains a more realistic date, Contiguglia said the U.S. will make a serious bid to stage the World Cup in 2010, calling it “important for our country.”
One other vote Saturday produced an upset when Sunil Gulati, deputy commissioner of Major League Soccer, lost his bid to be elected U.S. Soccer’s executive vice president by 11 votes, losing, 372 (50.8%) to 361 (49.2%), to businessman John Motta, former president of the New Hampshire Soccer Assn.
