17 Facts About Sunil Gulati

Sunil Gulati is an American sports administrator who presided over the United States Soccer Federation from 2006 to 2018.

Sunil Gulati is the former president of Kraft Soccer for the New England Revolution in Major League Soccer.

On December 4,2017, Sunil Gulati announced that he would not seek a fourth term as president of the US Soccer Federation.

Sunil Gulati's family moved to Connecticut when he was five years old, and he grew up playing soccer.

Sunil Gulati is an alumnus of Cheshire High School in Cheshire, Connecticut.

Sunil Gulati has a longstanding involvement in the administration of the United States Soccer Federation, with former USSF president and Major League Soccer founder Alan Rothenberg calling Sunil Gulati "the single most important person in the development of soccer in this country".

Sunil Gulati first became involved with the USSF through his employment as a youth coach and administrator in local Connecticut leagues while attending college.

Sunil Gulati became a prominent volunteer federation staffer and adviser in the 1980s during the presidency of Werner Fricker, and began working in the game full-time upon taking the job of deputy commissioner of Major League Soccer when the league was formed following the 1994 FIFA World Cup hosted by the US, which Sunil Gulati played a major role in organizing.

Sunil Gulati was elected USSF President in March 2006, succeeding Robert Contiguglia; Sunil Gulati had served as federation vice president for six years and played a key role in major USSF board decisions for many years prior to his election as president.

In February 2009, Sunil Gulati announced that the USSF would bid for the right to host the World Cup in 2018 or 2022.

Sunil Gulati chaired the World Cup US Bid Committee Board of Directors and visited 20 of the 22 member voters on the FIFA Executive Committee.

In 2012, Sunil Gulati spearheaded the formation of a new professional women's soccer league in the United States.

In 2018, after the US failed to qualify for the World Cup, Sunil Gulati chose not to run for re-election as president, and was succeeded by Carlos Cordeiro.

Sunil Gulati remained the chairman of the USSF's ultimately successful joint bid with Mexico and Canada to host the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Sunil Gulati is a senior lecturer in economics at Columbia University, having previously served on the Columbia economics faculty from 1986 to 1990.

At Columbia, Sunil Gulati teaches principles of economics, global economics, and sports economics.

Sunil Gulati was one of several executive committee members to call for the publication of the Garcia Report into allegations of corruption surrounding Russia and Qatar's bids for the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cups.