The first to respond to the call for new writers for MFUSA, Brian Morse has the interesting story of how he picked up the phone to the voice of the President of US Soccer himself, Sunil Gulati.
by Brian Morse
“Brian Morse speaking"
“Brian, this is Sunil Gulati”
A phone call from Dr. Gulati, president of the US Soccer Federation, was certainly not how I expected to start my Tuesday morning. It was 10:15 and I was in no state of mind to have a meaningful conversation with the most influential member of the US Soccer community.
How did I get to this point? Why was this man calling me at work? He told me he only had fifteen minutes before he had to begin his lecture course on the principles of economics at Columbia University. He said that he had to talk to me before it got underway.
Let's go back awhile, to December 2006. The US Men’s National Team hadn’t played since losing to Ghana to close out their 2006 World Cup campaign. I was still bitter about the USMNT’s showing in the Germany. The squad had showed no heart, and little fight. As a result, Bruce Arena, the most successful USMNT coach of all time, was not asked to come back for the next World Cup cycle. My beloved national team was without a manager and had been since July. Juergen Klinsmann had just withdrawn his name after months of speculation and I was fed up with the months of non-action by the USSF. My brother Stephen, who was equally disappointed with US Soccer’s inability to get Klinsmann under contract, suggested I email someone at US Soccer to speak my mind. Why not go straight to the top? Stephen was a graduate student at Columbia University, and had access to faculty email addresses, so he could get me Gulati’s Columbia contact info. It was perfect.
My first email to Gulati was short and sweet. I never expected a response from him, even though I certainly asked for one. I asked him why US Soccer couldn’t reach and agreement with Klinsmann and when oh when would US Soccer hire a new coach so at least we, the supporters, could begin the post World Cup healing process. Gulati, to my surprise, answered my cries, the pleadings of passionate supporter. He assured me that although the USSF and Klinnsman had decided to go separate directions, there was a big announcement to be made by US Soccer very soon. Could this really be? Was Gulati letting me get sneak a peek into the back room at US Soccer? Was it even really him? I immediately called Stephen to tell him that Gulati had actually answered my email, an email that could be have easily been brushed away as mad ravings from an irate fan.
True to his word, on December 8th, US Soccer did make a big announcement. The very announcement I had been dreading from the start; Bob Bradley was to be the new head coach. The announcement was not that big of a surprise to anyone familiar with soccer here in the States; Bradley had just come off a very successful season as coach of Chivas USA, had won plenty of silverware with the Chicago Fire and maybe most importantly was part of Bruce Arena’s coaching tree. To me the announcement couldn’t have been more crushing. As an avid fan of the Red Bulls (then the Metrostars) during Bradley’s stint with the team, I had only bad memories of him as a manager. Bradley oversaw the demise of local favorite Clint Mathis as well creating one of my most dreadful soccer memories by bringing the Metrostars B-team to an important late season game against the Revolution in 2003.
I immediately emailed Gulati again, this time more angry than sad. Once again he responded. This time a little less formal, as he was trying to calm me down. He reminded me that a few mistakes does not a coaching resume make. He asked for my patience and thanked me for my passion. He told me that he had full confidence in Bradley. Still it was unsettling that Bradley was given the job, and the fact he had an interim tag wasn’t helping prove Gulati’s confidence. This being said, I was proud of myself. I had gotten the man behind the biggest story in US Soccer since our collapse in Germany to correspond with me. The excitement died down over time, and the US was winning, so I had no complaints and no bones to pick. Everything was right in the world of US Soccer; everything, that is, until Hope Solo.
I had been following the Women’s World Cup in China with a fair degree of passion, but in reality I was just waiting like the rest of the US soccer public for our women to play in the final and be crowned champs. I got up early during the group stage to watch the matches play out live. I was discouraged by the result against Korea DPR, but I passed it off as the squad looking past the surprising Koreans. I tried to shrug off Greg Ryan’s decision to play in an unfamiliar 4-3-3 formation and play a man down while Abby Wambach was recovering on the sideline. The latter was a little unnerving, as it showed a degree of cockiness that always seemed to catch up with teams on a stage like this. These worries were soon forgotten as the US dispatched Sweden, Nigeria, and England with relative ease. Then the news broke that Ryan had decided to replace keeper Hope Solo with Brianna Scurry for biggest game of his coaching career. It was a truly shocking decision, especially looking back at it now. The loss to Brazil and the controversy which ensued was been well documented and dissected to the extreme. I decided to take a step back and look at an even bigger issue at play. Why hadn’t US Soccer come forward immediately after the loss and pledged their support to Greg Ryan? If they didn’t support what he did, why let him ban Hope Solo from the being a part of the squad for the remainder of the tournament? I dug up Gulati’s email address and let him know how disgusted I was with the federation’s apparent lack of action. Gulati had side-stepped questions about Ryan and Solo during post-match interviews, and I wasn’t going to let him side-step me.
Dr. Gulati –
Good Morning.
I am sure you have received numerous emails and phone calls regarding not only the match yesterday, but the controversy that followed. As a supporter of all our US National Teams, it seems clear to me that a response by the USSF itself is warranted in this situation. Greg Ryan’s pre-match decision to play Brianna Scurry over Hope Solo is certainly his to make, but to only have a post-match response to Hope’s comments from Coach Ryan is unacceptable to me. Either show full support for Ryan or let him go, don’t side step the issue. I am sure you will agree that in a team setting, when a coach displays a lack of faith in a player that has been performing well over a period of time, and his lack of faith appears to be flawed, there is certainly going to be a certain degree of backlash in the media and the locker room. It would be hard for me to believe that making the decision to bench Solo so close to the biggest game the USWNT has had in years doesn’t effect the morale among the younger players on the squad. Now what we have is a situation akin to the one that happened in Germany two summers ago, a coach hanging on without the full support of his squad, his federation, and its fans. Please Dr. Gulati, don’t drag this out like the selection process of the USMNT manager. I think you would be surprised by the number of people in the US Soccer family who are waiting for you to take control of this situation. Either pledge Coach Ryan the federation’s full support or put Ms. Solo on a plane back to the States.
Gulati answered me in typical politically correct fashion, assuring me he was disappointed along with everyone else. He was confident that the team would move forward in a positive way; hopefully with a win against Norway. I appreciated his response but I couldn’t accept his response. I was upset with US Soccer and I wanted answers. The loss in China was starting to stir up bad memories of the Men’s squad in Venezuela over the summer at the Copa America. I had never been satisfied with the reasons Gulati and Bradley had given regarding squad selection for that tournament, and I let my emotions guide me in my response.
Dr. Gulati:
I am assuming you by now realize how patient US Soccer fans have been during the last 18 months. I fail to see how we can continue to spin every loss, every setback, every disappointment as a step in the right direction. I also fail to see how this federation can continue to retain respect of the supporters when it refuses to step up and take real control of any major situation. You and I both are well aware that around the world the USSF is not thought too highly of. Copa America and Ryan’s Folly are the cornerstones of another year to forget. What does US Soccer have to hang its hat on this year? Wins over Mexico? That’s like the Yankees saying there season was a success because they beat the Red Sox a few times. Why doesn’t anyone take charge at US Soccer and say that things like this are unacceptable? A federation is going to sit back and watch this and do nothing? Why does US Soccer never answer questions about the top issues that the fans have? The other major sports in our country certainly have their flaws but they are held accountable for their mistakes. The NFL brings back instant replay, Major League Baseball conducts an internal steroids investigation. Why can’t soccer supporters get a straight answer on why we brought our junior varsity to Copa America, what happened with the Klinsmann negotiations or why we only schedule friendlies with the same CONCACAF teams over and over? Why are we kept in the dark about the rumors that Nike dictates the teams decisions about where, who and when we play? Why don’t you at least come out and deny this?
At what point are Dan Flynn and yourself held accountable for being in charge of two FIFA Top 10 ranked national teams that failed to make an impact at their respective World Cups?
This email apparently touched a nerve with Gulati, as he responded to me hours before meeting with the press in Shanghai the day before the third place game with Norway. Gulati took a tone that I certainly did not expect from the man at the helm of the USSF. He let me know that he would not get into personnel issues with me in the middle of a world championship and went as far as to say that he had gone on record many times in the mainstream media as to why the US brought a lackluster squad to Venezuela, but it just had not been understood or accepted. I could definitely agree with that, not once on Fox Soccer Channel or anywhere else did I hear a real definitive answer on the Copa squad. I knew that I had his attention at this point, and decided to push him for an answer on something that had been bothering me and most US soccer supporters since the USMNT had been embarrassed in South America, an embarrassment that had seen the USSF’s integrity questioned by the general secretary of CONMEBOL. “We like for the continent's most important competition to be respected with the best players," Eduardo Deluca told reporters. He said the USSF decision "doesn't please us."
Why accept an invitation to a tournament you don’t plan on winning? To get caps for Marvell Wynne and Dan Califf?
Dr. Gulati:
Thank you for taking the time to respond to me directly on these topics.
I certainly appreciate your candor on these subjects. As I stated previously when you and I corresponded during Bob Bradley's hiring, there are certainly positives to having a federation where one can feel comfortable contacting the persons in charge. I doubt anyone in England is able to email Prince William or Geoff Thompson.
In regards to the squad selection for Copa America, I have to agree with you that the reasons behind the inclusion of some players on the 22-man roster were not understood or accepted. Why did such giant clubs like Barcelona, Real Madrid, and Arsenal release the likes of Messi, Robinho, and Gilberto Silva if they were not required to do so? I find it hard to believe that a club like Fulham would not follow suit by releasing the captain of a national team during its summer training. It's not like this was the African Cup of Nations taking place during the domestic season, it's safe to say we didn't even select our best 22 players from MLS. I don't think it would have been such a problem with the majority of people who follow US Soccer if there was not already a track record of Bringing sub-standard squads to international tournaments not named "Gold Cup."
I am sure will agree that in most cases there is a lack of soccer coverage in the mainstream media and when the major outlets do cover the sport there is usually a focus on what is happening in UEFA or CONMEBOL countries. Certainly you know that a lack of information leads to misinformation, hopefully this is the case regarding the Nike rumors.
This all being said, the bottom line is that I am big believer in US Soccer as a whole. The Development Academy Showcase this weekend in Carson is definitely something to be proud of as the USSF develops young talent for the future.
Good Luck and Safe Travels
Then it happened. Not five minutes after I clicked send the phone at my desk rang.
“Brian Morse speaking”
“Brian, this is Sunil Gulati”
Gulati and I exchanged pleasantries. He proceeded to launch a calculated defense of Bob Bradley’s squad selection. I was unprepared to respond intelligently. He was too well spoken, too organized, too powerful. He is the head of organized soccer in the free world, my heart was in my throat.
“Believe me”, he said, “we tried to get these guys”
I couldn’t muster anything better than an “okay” or “you’re right.”
He made several points that I already knew: Beasley and Onyewu were in between clubs, Donovan had been extremely vocal about not playing, and Everton wouldn’t release Tim Howard. He did tell me something that finally put me at ease, something Eric Wynalda, Allen Hopkins, and the rest of the usual suspects that cover soccer in the US had failed to mention during their Copa America coverage. Copa America is CONMEBOL’s domestic tournament. This is why the players for all participating CONMEBOL countries had to be released from their club teams. This is also why the US being an invitee to the tournament couldn’t cry to FIFA when the likes of Fulham, Everton, and others wouldn’t release our national teamers.
He asked me if I understood now. I did but I still had so many questions. Why bring Kasey Keller if you are just trying to get experience on a big stage for our young players? Why allow our younger players to be demoralized by a comprehensive defeat from a scarily talented Argentine squad? I never had a chance.
Was Gulati’s phone call a sign of life from within the front office, a place in American sports often vilified for its lack of passion and thought for the common fan? If it was, then despite all my misgivings about US Soccer and its checkered past, I feel like I can trust our national soccer team to this man. If it wasn’t, he will definitely be hearing from me again.
