• by Aalok Patel, writing from the Bay Area

As hard as it is to pick host countries for a World Cup, the officials from FIFA had an even more laborious task last week: see the United States in four days.

The FIFA Inspection Delegation arrived in the United States for an examination of the US World Cup Bid. The four-day, five-city event consisted of visits to facilities and tourist attractions as well as meetings with coaches, players, fans, business officials, and civic leaders. Organized by the USA Bid Committee, the tour was created to give the FIFA Inspection Delegation a thorough examination of all aspects critical to the US bid.

Starting with a welcoming reception in New York hosted by Mayor Bloomberg, the Delegation was greeted by representatives from all 18 cities involved in the USA Bid. The event featured food delicacies from all the cities (cheesesteaks from Philadelphia, crab cakes from Baltimore, etc.) in an attempt to give the representatives from FIFA a “taste” of the country.