U.S. Soccer President Sunil Gulati has said before that the appointment of Bob Bradley as national team coach is not the beginning of a new era. Rather, he says, we’re still in the midst of the “modern era” of U.S. soccer, which began when a rag-tag group of college soccer players qualified for the 1990 World Cup in Italy. Since then, the U.S. team has qualified for five consecutive World Cups, the highlight being a quarterfinal finish in 2002. “It’s the start of a new cycle for the national team,” Gulati said. “Expectations are raised. Bob knows that. Bob’s been part of that new era in many ways, building it.” Gulati adds that the U.S. players, the U.S. soccer training staff, and the administration have all grown over time. He doesn’t worry about this summer’s disappointment, either. “The progress at the World Cup level isn’t linear,” he said. “It can’t be, because otherwise what would Brazil do after winning it? France wins one, doesn’t score a goal in the next one, then gets to the final. Turkey finishes third, then doesn’t qualify.” For the U.S., “clearly, last summer was a disappointment. The summer of 2002 was an extraordinary joy. Hopefully, the summer of 2010 will be another joy.”