10 Things FIFA's Decision Says about the United States.

As the light continues to fade and the United States' World Cup bid hopes are put on hold for at least four additional years, FIFA World Cup selection for the 2022 bid makes important statements about soccer in America.

1.  The Goal of FIFA is to develop the Game around the World
A nod to the United States may have been FIFA's decision to not award us the World Cup. The decision says a professional league is (finally) sustainable. FIFA is about introducing the atmosphere the World Cup brings into new environments and cultures. While the nostalgic feeling of 1994 is still in Americans' veins, it is that feeling which must be felt in its homegrown clubs and stadiums around the country and not just Seattle, Philadelphia and Los Angeles.

2.  FIFA is about Firsts.

The World Cup has been on North American soil before, in both Mexico and the United States. The tournament has yet to reach Middle Eastern soil. The opportunity to play a part of improving political relations by including Qatar in its bigger plan will significantly impact more than soccer.

3.  Proximity is everything.

The locations of the stadiums is every bit as important as the infrastructure to transport fans from match to match. The advantage, which Qatar presents, is the ability to introduce new stadiums and new infrastructure. There is little need for renovation as with other nations. Qatar presents an opportunity for FIFA to build it into a nation, which bleeds soccer.

Qatar's World Cup Stadium Concepts to become reality.

For more pictures of the Qatar 2022 stadiums, click here.

USA loses 2022 FIFA World Cup Bid. What have we learned?

In 2022, Qatar will become the first Middle Eastern nation to host the FIFA World Cup.  Smallest country ever to host. Qatar is smaller than Connecticut. The nation has never qualified for a World Cup. 2022 will be Qatar's first World Cup, as an automatic qualifier.

"Oil and natural gas won today. This was not about merit, this was about money."
                                                       - Former U.S. Men's National Team star, Eric Wynalda

Qatar will budget $50 billion for infrastructure upgrades and an additional $4 billion on nine new stadiums and renovations to three existing facilities.  More intriguing is the advantage of a small nation and locality of its stadiums - all twelve stadiums will be located within thirty minutes of one another.

In a video produced by the Wall Street Journal, FIFA President Sepp Blatter, initially mentioning the success the World Cup in the United States and Major League Soccer, emphasizes the problems with American soccer.  He includes the lack of all soccer specific stadiums, failure to adopt the international calendar, and inability to attract top talent.  Simply put, the MLS "not credible," as American born players leave to play with clubs abroad.  Additionally, Blatter has not hidden his distaste for the Major League Soccer's closed league system.

Help bring the World Cup back to the States.