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Sunil Gulati accepts ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, with help from Rod Stewart

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Sunil Gulati became the latest member of the American soccer community to accept the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, but his video easily wins the award for most random star power.

Yes, none other than Rod Stewart did the honors of dumping an ice bucket full of water and ice on Gulati’s head. Also in the video are Sacramento Kings owner Vivek Ranadive, NBA legend Chris Mullin and NBA star Rudy Gay.

If the headline made you do a double-take, wait until you see the video:

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EmxcqjQ5rIw]

Comments

  1. Gulati is friends with Rod Stewart? That’s just a bizarre group of people there. I think Gulati is good for US soccer as he actually seems to really care and be involved in the moving parts of US soccer. He doesnt need to be involved in the MLS but its good that he is.

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    • Did you notice that pee wee herman and bill nye the science guy were there in the backgorund, along with david lynch? where did this take place? chicago?

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    • +1 We are spoiled sick to have a person like Gulati. A first rate nerd clearly…. but only a fool would question his passion or contribution. He is dyed-in-the-wool hardcore about US Soccer… his imprint on our success makes the American Outlaws look like part-time hobbyists.

      And he is doing this just right. Right now likely the most powerful guy in FIFA save Sepp, who sounds like he is blowing up Sunil’s phone looking for an exit hatch

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  2. Although it is far and away unlikely that Russia will lose the 2018 WC at this juncture, if hostilities do not cease between it and the Ukraine, I can see the US and Europe putting a “quarantine” on travel to Russia with hostilities eminent, essentially meaning “no WC in Russia”. As sanctions against Russia are being headed by the European Union (and by extension UEFA, which hold immeasurable clout with FIFA) this could be a real possibility.

    Qatar, on the other hand, does not yet have a lock on 2022, given the recent scandal involving vote buying. If the FIFA investigation rules that vote buying did happen (regardless of who did it) FIFA will probably want to either take a re-vote, and/or just award the WC to another nation, The most likely nation would be the US as we are the only country in the world that would have infrastructure in place and could immediately finance the WC. We could even do it on short notice for the Russia WC. Fifa knows this and likes having this hole card. when it come to revoking the WC status of Qatar and Russia.

    Australia, who got jobbed for the 2010 WC by the voting shenanigans of the FIFA Board, could get sympathy, but despite the growth of soccer there, they do not have large football (soccer) stadiums and would have to rely on Cricket grounds and Australian Rules Football stadiums which are not ideally suited (due to the shape and seating) for soccer.

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    • Have you been to Australia? They have lots of Rugby (League and Union) stadia which are about the same size as a soccer field. Actually, Rugby Union fields are little wider and little longer that international standard soccer fields. Australia has quite a few stadia above 40,000 and that does include places like Melbourne Cricket Ground, Sydney Cricket Ground, and Peterson Stadium which have hosted rugby and soccer games. Australia has the infrastructure, and wouldn’t have to do much (they are nice). Australia would be nice for ’22.

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    • I think this is a very thoughtful comment, but I would actually challenge you to take it a step further. As far as I can see, the prospect of a US-hosted WC on short notice is NOT actually a hole card that FIFA has… quite the opposite– it is card they threw away as collateral damage to their crooked process, and Gulati is not playing nice about giving it back. Certainly they have bluffed people about US interest in stepping in (and has been openly rebuffed by Gulati in his rare official comments about the matter).

      There is a reason that FIFA has not given its sign-off to the 2016 Copa America, an event that has thus far been conceived, organized and scheduled between multiple member confederations without any reliance on FIFA. If Blatter rubber stamps this, he is effectively granting license to an event that may very well compromise FIFA’s reason for existing.

      Imagine it– and for illustrative purposes, take it all the way. Let’s say the White House (or whoever) mandates a US boycott of the Russia WC in 2018 (as you suggest it’s hardly impossible at this rate– even if it’s only for fans, the revenue damage would be poisonous). And we get a few of our friends and neighbors (UK and Mexico would be easy enough to drag along by the ear and you are now talking about serious damage to revenue and int’l credibility).

      So the USSF announces that while it is disappointed by the directive, we’re going to go ahead and host a little tournament here anyway, so that the players and fans have something to do. Innocent enough, right?

      For all of the other countries, they now have a choice… (1)Send their players and fans to a chaotic and crooked country contest a “FIFA World Cup” that will certainly come with an asterisk if they should happen to win, or (2) Join the boycott and send their players and fans to a country that has only recently hosted a successful, transparent, and safe event.

      Extreme? Yes of course, but this is the point I’ve been tying to make for months…. FIFA needs Gulati/USSF far more than we need them right now. If they sign off on Copa 2016 and it is successful, DO WE REALLY NEED THEM AT ALL? I will say it now– a FIFA without Gulati is probably doomed. Whatever administrative work they do, we can replace it.

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  3. Awkward 🙂 the kings owner looks like he would go crazy for soccer, not bad for Sacramento.
    As for gulati, some needs to tell him USA needs a World Cup and probably USA can steal the Russia or Qatar bid, if he gets some ba!!s before Canada or Mexico get ahead of the game.
    By the way, does gulati ever attend an MLS, uslpro or NASL game? Or garber?

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    • What? USA “needs” a World Cup??? USA had the ’94 World. UK had ’66 World Cup. They “need” it more. Canada has never had it! Mexico does not need it, nor I think they will get it. They have hosted it twice. FIFA generally likes to divide into Europe then non-Europe. The ’22 Qatar bid, if moved, will go to a non-Europe location. Australia would be nice and they have the facilities.

      Steal Russia or Qatar bid? Since when is Russia’s bid in trouble. Qatar, yes.

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      • Russia isnt going anywhere. Putin is a person of questionable quality but Russian soccer is decent enough. Less racist than Italy?

      • hear, hear! well put. i feel there are some countries which should get hosting recognition, considering history of the game, and the tournament, but we should try to spread this game’s power around, and to get fresh host countries as often as reasonably possible.

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