US Soccer names 18 cities for World Cup bid

Americans organizers selected 21 stadiums in 18 metropolitan areas to submit in their bid book to FIFA in May.  Left off the list were Chicago and San Francisco.  Organizers said the Bay Area could return to contention if the 49ers get a new stadium in Santa Clara. Others not making the cut included Cleveland, Detroit  and St. Louis.

Chicago, beaten by Rio de Janeiro for the 2016 Olympics in October, has virtually no chance of getting back in consideration. That was a major surprise, given that Soldier Field hosted the 1994 World Cup opener.

"I think there's a little Olympic fatigue. I think the Park District had a tough time wrestling with FIFA requirements in short order after the IOC decision," US Soccer Federation president Sunil Gulati said.

Gulati also cited the 61,000 capacity of renovated Solider Field for World Cup soccer.  "It would have been by about 10 percent the smallest stadium," Gulati said.

Stanford Stadium south of San Francisco, also a 1994 World Cup site, and the Oakland-Alameda Country Coliseum had been among 32 stadiums in contention before 11 were trimmed Tuesday. Other 1994 World Cup sites dropped were Washington's RFK Stadium and the Citrus Bowl in Orlando, Fla.

Eighteen metropolitan areas and 21 stadiums survived the cut and will be part of the bid when FIFA's executive committee votes on December 2.   The 18 metropolitan areas have stadiums in Atlanta, Baltimore, Dallas-Arlington, Texas, Denver, East Rutherford, NJ,  Foxboro, Glendale, Arizona, Houston, Indianapolis, Kansas City, Landover, Md.  Los Angeles, Miami, Nashville, Philadelphia, San Diego, Seattle and Tampa, Florida.