U.S. Soccer’s Next Goal
The 2010 FIFA World Cup™ closed yesterday with a thrilling final that saw Spain win its first cup with a single goal against the Netherlands in extra time.
For the US, this year’s World Cup will be remembered for taking Americans’ passion for soccer to a new level. On June 26 the US played Ghana for a spot in the quarterfinals in a match that was the most watched men’s World Cup game ever in the US.
Now US soccer fans look forward to the opportunity to host the FIFA World Cup™ in 2018 or 2022. This December FIFA, soccer’s official governing body, will select two bids from a group of nine competing to host one of the two tournaments. (The 2014 World Cup will be held in Brazil.)
Pentagram has collaborated with the USA Bid Committee on the design of the graphic program for the US bid to host the games in 2018 or 2022. Designed by Michael Gericke and Luke Hayman, the identity captures the unique spirit of a US-hosted World Cup. The campaign centers on a phrase, “The Game is in US,” and utilizes a custom-designed typeface called Game and bold color palette to convey the unmatched enthusiasm and amazing diversity of soccer fans in the US.
The program includes the official U.S. Bid Book, the document that presents the US qualifications for hosting the FIFA World Cup™. In May, a delegation that included U.S. Men’s National Team captain Carlos Bocanegra delivered the U.S. Bid Book to FIFA at a formal ceremony in Zurich. The book lists the 18 host city finalists and 21 stadiums, as well as plans for team training sites and accommodation, and infrastructure like transportation, security, medical services, media facilities, information technology and environmental sustainability.
We’re longstanding soccer fans. Michael Gericke designed the identity for the 1994 FIFA World Cup™, the previous cup held in the US. The ’94 World Cup still holds the record for the highest attendance in history, with 3.6 million attendees overall.
The USA Bid Committee is currently sponsoring a petition to bring the FIFA World Cup™ to the US. With a goal of collecting 1 million names before December, the petition has already amassed an incredible 850,000 supporters. Help bring the World Cup to the US by signing the petition here.
