How the 2022 World Cup would puff up your soccer scene

You probably are … you just don’t know it yet.

Thursday’s announcement from Zurich, where the 2018 and 2022 World Cups will be awarded, is absolutely huge for the domestic game. I don’t mean huge like a rock concert with your favorite all-time band. I mean huge like you get to tour with your favorite all-time band – and play rhythm guitar on two songs for each show.

If you hear news on Thursday that the United States has landed the 2022 World Cup – and the odds favor that happening – your first thought will probably be something like this: “Oh, joy! I’ll be X years old, and I’ll be able to enjoy it with my … new wife / second wife / kids / grown up kids / old soccer buddies from back in the day / whatever.” In other words, you’ll think about where things will be in 2022.

But I’m here to tell you, the 12-years in between will look quite different for our sport if a World Cup is en route. People will treat the game differently, in part because media will treat the game differently. Media will treat the game differently because the various properties will want in on the spoils.

Local governments will treat the game differently because they’ll want their slice of the pie. Awareness will grow exponentially as the event draws closer.

I write about all this more today in SI.com. MLS commissioner Don Garber and U.S. Soccer president Sunil Gulati have been trying to tell us this for two years now. So, read the piece for a little more on how the run-up to 2022 would impact the game here.