U.S. Soccer Federation President Dr. Bob Contiguglia announced today that Sunil Gulati has been named managing director of U.S. Soccer’s Project 2010 Committee. “I could not think of anyone more qualified than Sunil Gulati to head up such an important task force,” said U.S. Soccer Secretary General Hank Steinbrecher. “I’m very pleased that he will continue his voluntary service to the Federation in this role, because only through solid planning will U.S. Soccer achieve our goals for Project 2010.” The Project 2010 committee will work to identify U.S. Soccer’s needs for player, coaching, refereeing and organizational development to reach the Federation’s stated goals of being a contender for the World Cup title by the year 2010. Additional committee members will be appointed in the coming weeks. “One of the most important goals in establishing Project 2010 is to identify and attract the best young players into our programs,” said Gulati. “Once we have attracted them, we must give them the best possible environment in which to succeed. We are going to look at all areas of the game in order to do that, with an emphasis, of course, on player development.” As part of those goals, U.S. Soccer has already taken their first steps toward 2010 with the establishment of the Federation’s new Player Development Opportunity (PDO) Program. The Federation’s new marketing partnership with Nike and IMG has also led to the development of a full-time player residency at the Bollettieri Academy in Florida, where the Under-17 National Team will gather in January to prepare for the 1999 FIFA U-17 World Championship. And at the professional level, Project 40 continues to expand to give young players an opportunity to train and play in a professional environment on a daily basis. Gulati is currently the Deputy Commissioner of Major League Soccer where he is responsible for all of the league’s player-related issues, including acquisition, development, placement and player drafts. Fluent in Spanish, Gulati serves on the boards of a number of organizations including the U.S. Soccer Federation, the 1999 FIFA Women’s World Cup and the U.S. Soccer Federation Foundation.