The AJC’s Kristi Swartz cites the figure reported in a study commissioned by the U.S. Soccer Federation’s World Cup bid committee at $80 million, and I’m certainly hoping that number isn’t too optimistic.

The report concludes that having the World Cup within these borders in 2018 or 2022 would have a benefit of $5 billion across the board.

But I remain skeptical when I hear about any touted financial windfall associated with sports — whether it’s building a new stadium or playing host to a major event.

How are these figures arrived at? Which sectors of a local economy benefit?

Those are the perpetual questions that really never get quite fully answered.

There’s only one place in Atlanta where soccer fans can watch Saturday’s critical World Cup qualifier between the U.S. and Honduras.

Fado Atlanta, located at 247 Buckhead Ave. (near the intersections of Peachtree and West Paces Ferry), will be that nirvana. It’s one of the city’s top soccer watering holes as it is, but for unexplained reasons, the Brewhouse Café is not showing the game on its premises in Little Five Points.

The complicated story behind the decision by the Honduran federation to sell only close-circuit availability is here, and Yahoo’s Martin Rogers doesn’t hesitate to blame American soccer marketers for letting it reach this point:

“As is always the case with bureaucratic pileups of this nature, a swathe of finger pointing and insinuation has ensued. In reality, though, the primary fault lies with U.S. Soccer and Soccer United Marketing, the subsidiary company which owns its commercial rights.”

The U.S. can qualify for the World Cup in San Pedro Sula, a four-hours’ trips from Tegucigalpa and one of the most difficult venues on the continent. And even when there’s not a political crisis like the one that has consumed Honduras in recent months.

And then there was the so-called “Soccer War” that involved Honduras.

It was Conyers native Clint Mathis who etched an indelible moment in American soccer history eight years ago in San Pedro Sula. Another Atlantan, Ricardo Clark, gets ready for his first trip.

Game time is 10 p.m. ET, but given the nature of Buckhead traffic in general, and on Saturday evening in particular, getting to Fado with plenty of lead time is highly recommended.

The U.S. Soccer Federation is making its final rounds this fall before narrowing down the list of venue finalists for its 2018/2022 World Cup bid early next year.

Those lucky cities that move on will have shown significant local support for their city. And like any good bidding effort, signatures are required, with 50,000 the ideal threshold for this particular event.

The folks over at Georgia Soccer, an integral part of the Atlanta venue committee, have a way to make it very easy for you to do this online.

So if you haven’t been able to sign a petition at a local soccer event, take a few minutes now and type in your name in support of Atlanta’s bid.

The U.S. chances for landing the World Cup might have improved greatly when Mexico withdrew its bid and promised to lend support to the American effort.

The teams were mediocre — lousy, even — and so was the match. Except for one crackling moment in the second half when Atlanta’s own Ricardo Clark pounced on a loose ball just outside the penalty area and thumped it in the net.

The shot by the former AFC Lightning and St. Pius X star proved to be the only goal of the game as the U.S. improved its World Cup chances Wednesday with a 1-0 win over Trinidad & Tobago.

Associated Press

If you need your player ratings fix, here you go. Clark, Landon Donovan and Tim Howard won’t get many detractors as men of the match.

The meme coming out of Port-of-Spain, and one that sums up how the Yanks look overall, is that three points are three points. Another World Cup berth is virtually in the books as the U.S. has a slim lead at the top of the CONCACAF qualifying table.

In the coming weeks and months, there will continue to be much that is written about the mediocrity of the U.S. team, and how just getting to the World Cup isn’t good enough any more. I do largely agree with this thesis, but for the time being some proper perspective is needed. Beyond accepting the reality that the Americans are who they are, and that they grow up in a country that develops players quite differently than the world powers of the sport. That is a subject for another time.

It was nearly 20 years ago at the very same Hasely Crawford Stadium that a goal by Paul Caligiuri — the so-called Shot Heard ‘Round the World — ended a 40-year World Cup drought for the Americans. Clark’s goal was strikingly similiar in many ways, and perhaps years from now we’ll look at his shot as important in its own way: That it likely has kept alive a World Cup streak vital to the continued development of the game in America. Such as it is.

It sure beats what Argentinians are thinking this morning.

With Saturday’s massive World Cup qualifier in his adopted home town, former U.S. national team forward Clint Mathis went down memory lane with Sports Illustrated’s Grant Wahl, who famously dubbed the Conyers native “Cletus” for his Southern iconoclasm. It’s a nickname that stuck as he became an American soccer folk hero for an all-too-brief spell earlier this decade.

When the Yanks meet El Salvador in Salt Lake City facing the possibility of missing out on the World Cup altogether, I’ll be thinking of the inventiveness Mathis demonstrated, his instinctive playfulness that is a virtue in soccer around the world but all too rare in the development of the game in America. It’s a quality that is glaringly missing from Bob Bradley’s current team, which features Landon Donovan, Clint Dempsey and a promising attacker in Jozy Altidore but otherwise has one thinking “work rate:”

“Not since Reyna retired has an American shown his cleverness at varying the pace and direction and rhythm of possession by holding the ball as well as running with it or passing it. Calmness and patience and diversity in attack, especially against a bunkered-in opponent, is still hit-or-miss. Having a lot of the ball doesn’t guarantee a lot of success.”

If Mathis had been able to blend his innate skills with better discipline, we might not be thinking of him now as a could-have-been. He parlayed his international success into a disastrous spell with Germany’s Hannover, where he contemptuously dropped his shorts after being put into a game by a coach who rarely played him. He’s settled down now, a husband and a father, still enjoying a respectable career in Major League Soccer at the age of 32.

The memories shouldn’t haunt, but might perhaps inspire a younger generation of American players riding an exasperating roller coaster this summer. Humiliation at Costa Rica, victory over No. 1-ranked Spain, agony at the hands of Brazil after going up two goals early, leaving it late against Mexico at Azteca. And now, needing three points against lowly El Salvador to stay out of the CONCACAF danger zone.

The searing free kick goal Mathis scored in San Pedro Sula to down Honduras during this very same stage in qualifying eight years ago was one of the defining moments of recent U.S. soccer history. Then there was the goal against co-hosts South Korea in the 2002 World Cup. When asked days before the game about the unpredictability of Mathis, then-U.S. coach Bruce Arena sheepishly told reporters: “Clint could show up for the game bald for all I know.”

Cletus' finest moment, albeit a fleeting one

So Cletus went out and got himself a Mohawk instead.

In the clanging hothouse of Daegu, Mathis was cool and precise under pressure. The Americans got a vital point against a South Korean side riding the euphoria of tens of thousands of youths joyously gathering in the streets, all over the country. It was hard to tell which was louder: the deafening thundersticks in the stadiums, or the marching, chanting and viewing parties on big screen TVs in downtown Seoul.

Mathis’ goal was pure brilliance, and so was the service:

“I just remember Johnny O’Brien played a phenomenal ball. But what I’ll remember most telling my grandchildren is, you couldn’t hear anything during the game. There were 65,000 home fans screaming. You couldn’t hear each other ask for the ball. And when I scored that goal, you could hear a pin drop. It was a really cool feeling. In sports, people always like to get the crowd up and to hear your fans, but in my opinion, there’s no better feeling than to silence a crowd.”

He was maddeningly inconsistent, and he’s honest with Wahl in explaining some of his regrets. But the combination of fearlessness and free play that was crafted on hardscrabble ground in Rockdale County, and against ruthless older brothers, gave Mathis the confidence to reach an exalted place in world sports. His perspective now, offered to his successors, is both instructive and hopeful:

“You don’t need to really be peaking now. You need to qualify for the World Cup but you need to be peaking next summer . . . It’s just about the timing. Hopefully this new era of kids can withstand the pressure, because it is a lot of pressure. You’ve got a billion people watching you. I can’t think of any other sport that has that. It’s crazy to even fathom.”

What’s billed as one of the largest youth tournaments in the United States gets underway all around the metro area Saturday as the Atlanta Cup swings into action through Labor Day.

Here’s the complete schedule of games, venues, teams and other information. More than 600 youth teams will be in action, as well as a handful of women’s teams in the first year that the Atlanta Cup has been open to adult teams.

In addition to being the biggest fundraiser for Georgia Soccer, the Atlanta Cup is an integral part of Atlanta’s bid for a World Cup venue. One of the factors examined by the U.S. Soccer Federation is community support.

Georgia Soccer executive director Rick Skirvin said petitions in support of Atlanta’s bid will be available at the Atlanta Cup venues. Players, parents and fans will be encouraged to make videos, among other things, to show their support. Atlanta is one of 27 remaining cities in the mix for inclusion in the USSF’s bid to play host to the World Cup in either 2018 or 2022.

“These efforts will be going on beyond this weekend,” Skirvin said. “It’s a chance to see how strong the local interest is. What is clear is that Atlanta is capable of handling major sporting events. What is unclear is how big a soccer community we have and how far our reach is.”

Georgia Soccer was involved in promotional efforts for the AC Milan-Club América World Football Challenge match at the Georgia Dome that drew 50,000 spectators in July. Like a June match, also at the Dome, that featured Mexico and Venezuela, spectators came from around the state and the Southeast.

Jürgen Maika of the USA Bid Committee said he got “a very good feel and understanding of the city” when visiting during the World Football Challenge, but spoke in general terms about what prospective bidding cities needed to do to show community support. Atlanta’s experience during the so-called “Summer of Soccer” in North America, he said, was not uncommon.

“What we saw in Atlanta is a clear example of what we have seen around the nation,” he said. “There is a passion for the game, greater than what people might imagine. There’s a sense of soccer being elevated to having a much stronger social consciousness in the States. It gives us a sense of relief that we know how to host large events. Our cities are well-prepared for this.”

Maika said another trip to Atlanta is not scheduled before the bid committee pares down its list of potential venues to 18 cities by the end of the year because visits to other sites still need to be made.

The U.S. Soccer Federation has whittled down its working list of cities and venues bidding for World Cup venues for 2018 or 2022, and Atlanta is among the 27 cities and 32 venues reaching the next phase of the process.

Among those bidders from the Southeast not making the cut: Birmingham, Fayetteville, Knoxville, New Orleans.

Still in the picture: Charlotte, Jacksonville, Orlando, Miami, Nashville, Tampa.

The USSF ultimately will submit around a dozen finalists when it formalizes its proposal to FIFA next May.

Here’s one soccer blogger’s rundown of the field. He puts Atlanta in the “near-lock” category.

But not everyone in Atlanta is working for a successful U.S. bid. An Atlanta-based consultancy, Helios Partners, has been hired to help craft Russia’s bid for the World Cup, also for either 2018 or 2022.

But a caveat here: Helios worked with Russia for its winning bid for the 2014 Winter Olympic Games in Sochi.

Even before he confidently predicted victory in a place the U.S. national team has never won (more on that in a moment) Ricardo Clark was priming for what figures to be the biggest game of his budding soccer career.

When the Americans take on Mexico Wednesday at the forbidding Estadio Azteca in a colossal World Cup qualifying match (4 p.m., mun2, Telemundo) the former AFC Lightning club and St. Pius X standout is a likely candidate to be in Bob Bradley’s starting squad.

After numerous fits and starts that have included injuries and disciplinary issues (including a red card in the Confederations Cup), Clark has recovered nicely this summer to raise his game and his profile.

His play in South Africa, filling in at defensive midfield for an injured Maurice Edu, earned him some interest overseas, including an offer from Livorno of Italy’s Serie A that he may accept by the end of the year.

And Clark’s form is cresting for Major League Soccer powerhouse Houston Dynamo, as he scored his first goal of the season over the weekend.

With the U.S. needing three points to virtually seal another trip to the World Cup — and potentially slay the aspirations of its fiercest rival — Clark sounded quite ready for the challenge when he proclaimed: “It’ll be a great experience, and it’ll be nice to beat Mexico on their soil.”

No pressure at all, mate.

The Americans will probably be soaking up pressure everywhere with El Tricolor coming off a 5-0 thrashing of the U.S. “B” team in the finals of the CONCACAF Gold Cup. A re-energized Mexican attack features the young, free-flowing Giovani dos Santos, who scored during the team’s June win over Venezuela in the Georgia Dome. As one of the first lines of defense, Clark’s going to be fiercely tested.

But will it be any more intense than the consecutive games against Spain and Brazil in the Confederations Cup? If the Americans can’t draw from their experiences in those games, then they may never claim Mexico’s scalp in this “House of Horrors.”

There’s certainly going to be plenty of scrutiny paid to Landon Donovan, whose skill, leadership and brio will be crucial for the Americans to end their winless drought.

From our little parochial corner of the American soccer universe, this game represents Clark’s best chance not only to solidify a place on the U.S. team, but also to help write no small piece of American soccer history.

As an announced crowd of 50,306 congregated at the Georgia Dome Wednesday for the World Football Challenge match between AC Milan and Club América, local organizers were hopeful the turnout solidifies Atlanta’s bid to host potential World Cup matches.

Even though any games played here wouldn’t be for nearly another decade at the earliest, time is running short to make a decisive impression. Atlanta and 36 other cities have a July 29 deadline to turn in their bids to the U.S. Soccer Federation.

Atlanta youths bring out the Club América flag before Wednesday's World Football Challenge match at the Georgia Dome. (photo by David Tulis)

“The bid is pretty much written,” said Scott Moran, a partner with the law firm of Berman Fink Van Horn and president of the Atlanta Fútbol Project, which is spearheading the World Cup effort.

The USSF will narrow down its list of finalist cities to 12 by next spring, when its bids for either the 2018 or 2022 World Cups are due to FIFA. Both of those hosting nations will be announced in December 2010.

Moran said no future games in Atlanta are in the pipeline for the time being. If Atlanta is one of the cities chosen by the USSF for its World Cup bid, further site visits would follow in the coming months.

Also coming away roused by the festivities were the fans in a crowd-pleasing match won by Club América by a 2-1 score. Daniel Marquez headed home the winning goal in the 84th minute.

AC Milan’s Ronaldinho, who was named the man of the match, also wowed the crowd all night. After the game, as both teams departed the Dome, several Club América players asked the Brazilian national team star to pose for pictures. He eagerly obliged, flashing his famous gap-tooth grin. Ronaldinho clearly enjoyed the space and creativity he’s expected to demonstrate following the departure of his countryman Kaká to Real Madrid in a controversial $92 million transfer this summer.

While the crowd cheered on both teams, those behind Club América were constantly on their feet. During an offensive sequence in which AC Milan defenders tried, but failed, to win possession, those supporting the Mexican team chanted: “Olé! Olé! Olé!”

AC Milan's Ronaldinho was the man of the match, but Club América got the win. (photo by David Tulis)

The match was the AC Milan debut for American defender Oguchi Onyewu, who entered at the start of the second half. He was caught flat footed with Club América’s Enrique Escueda powered home a cross from Salvador Cabañas in the 56th minute. Ten minutes later, AC Milan unleashed a quick counterattack, with Mathieu Flamini serving up a sizzling long ball that Filippo Inzaghi finished to draw even at 1-1.

There was a feisty sequence between those goals triggered by AC Milan’s rugged Gennaro Gattuso. The teams had to be separated near midfield, and a few yellow cards were shown. This may have been a preseason friendly for both teams, but the World Football Challenge also is a competitive tournament with a round robin format.

While the winner of that event will be determined over the weekend, Atlanta World Cup organizers will have to wait several agonizing months to learn if their aspirations will go into extra time.

For most of the last century, European club teams have been spending part of their off-seasons in North America, earning extra income, getting players into shape and enjoying a respite from intensified media and public attention that often overwhelms at home.

So when Major League Soccer announced this week the coming months would be the “most prolific Summer of Soccer ever,” this claim needs to be taken with a few historical grains of salt. And it deserves a bit of an explanation.

Surely MLS isn’t exaggerating one thing: In terms of marketing and promoting the presence of Barcelona, Real Madrid, Chelsea, AC Milan, the Mexican national team, etc., this is an unprecedented slate of highly coordinated events that illustrate a growing demand for high-profile spectator soccer in this country and Canada. A total of 101 games, starting today with the SuperLiga series between MLS and the Mexican Primera, will be played over the next 51 days.

Soccer United Marketing, an arm of Major League Soccer, is putting on Wednesday’s international friendly at the Georgia Dome between Mexico and Venezuela. Such legends of El Tricolor as Luis Hernandez, Carlos Hermosillo and Alberto Garcia Aspe will be in town before then to make appearances in various pockets of metro Atlanta’s sizable Mexican-American community.

Is Atlanta ready for some fútbol?

The Georgia State Soccer Association, which helping promote the game, announced on Friday that tickets for upper level seating at the Dome have gone on sale. More than 30,000 tickets, comprising the lower bowl, have already been sold. On Saturday, real grass was laid down at the Georgia Dome.

Next month, that same demographic is the obvious target of a club friendly, also at the Dome, between Mexico’s Club América and AC Milan. This is clearly the biggest ethnic soccer market in Atlanta, as it is in many U.S. cities, and turnout for these games will go a long way toward determining Atlanta’s viability as a destination for future spectator soccer events.

The timing of these two games couldn’t be more important for Atlanta’s bid to become a potential World Cup venue. The U.S. Soccer Federation, which is bidding for either the 2018 or 2022 World Cup, has put the Dome on its list of 45 venues in 37 cities for consideration and is requesting more detailed proposals to meet FIFA hosting specifications.

Atlanta Sports Council president Gary Stokan told me this week his group has little more than a month — July 29 — to provide that information and sharpen its pitch. That’s the sort of thing Atlanta’s been known for in bringing major sporting events to Atlanta — the Summer Olympics, Super Bowl, Final Four, SEC and ACC championships, etc. Stokan, who worked for Adidas during the days of the North American Soccer League, has for quite a while wanted to add soccer to the city’s inventory of big events. In a sense, it’s the final missing link.

But the World Cup — this is pretty heady stuff. It’s a different international animal than the Olympics, which depends on the largesse of both the American media establishment and corporate sponsorship. FIFA certainly depends on the latter, but its political culture is hardly dependent on the American way of doing things. To illustrate that, FIFA boss Sepp Blatter this week urged MLS to consider switching its seasons from the summer if it wants to attract the “next Beckham” to these shores.

Setting aside the fact that the Beckham experiment has been a dismal failure, that one of the top professional leagues in North America gets a public upbraiding like that from the most powerful man in the sport shouldn’t sit well with American soccer organizers and marketers. MLS commissioner Don Garber couldn’t really offer much of a response except to talk about new soccer-specific stadiums being constructed.

Blatter’s hot air, as usual, is nonsensical and misplaced when it comes to assessing the reality of the game on this continent. He understands fully the limited salary structure of MLS that pales in comparison to, say, Kaká’s transfer fee to Real Madrid. But that’s a topic for another time.

The fact that Atlanta has been added to the “Summer of Soccer” tour is the first phase in putting the city on America’s soccer map. That’s no small accomplishment in a city where spectator sports in general, much less soccer, have a history of inconsistent support.

Garber will be in town this week to talk about MLS expansion in the wake of a recent bid by Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank. He abandoned that bid, but his vice president of marketing, Jim Smith, is a former general manager of the MLS Columbus Crew. There now is a resident point man here well-versed in the league and who is learning this sports market and what might be possible.

So for the first time, major players in Atlanta’s sports scene are interested in MLS, even though having a team here is a long-term prospect at the very least. But in a city currently without any professional soccer, Atlanta is at last taking some baby steps toward becoming a serious soccer destination.