This week I’ve been thinking about the summer of 1994. That was the summer that I got my first taste of World Cup soccer. And though I fell in love with the event and the game, I realized even then – before I experienced the World Cup in France and Germany –  that I was seeing a very strange version of the world’s greatest sporting event.

Because the U.S. isn’t set up to host a World Cup.  Sixteen years ago, American cities were flooded with visitors who were befuddled by not only the lack of soccer knowledge from the locals but by the lack of public transportation, of gathering places to watch the game, of easy routes between venues.

This week the USA Bid committee announced the 18 cities that are potential candidates to host the World Cup in 2018 or 2022 (the US is bidding on both games, in the assumption it will be awarded one of those).  And they’re kind of a pathetic little group.

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You could write a book about the 49ers Stadium Follies and all the wrong turns the franchise has taken in its quest to get a stadium built. I don’t want to write that book – I’m just saying that you could.

It looks like they made another one, by shoving Andy Dolich out the door.

As I suspected the stadium is at the root of the problem.  A source with knowledge of the stadium said Jed York is listening to the wrong people who want to wield influence in the stadium situation and they thought Dolich needed to go.

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Haven’t had time today to delve into the departure of Andy Dolich from the 49ers, but – at least on the surface – it looks like bad news.

Dolich joined the 49ers two years ago and brought instant credibility to a really screwed up marketing and public relations entity. Dolich is personable, well-connected. And – more importantly, when it comes to the Yorks and their operation – he’s a man who actually gets things done. His hiring was lauded as extremely smart and was one of the signs in the past couple of years that perhaps the 49ers were turning things around and headed on the right track.

Now he’s out.  The word is the 49ers wanted to eliminate that position (odd in an organization that is overloaded with bureaucracy) but it really sounds like they wanted to eliminate Andy. (Though the Press Democrat says he’ll stay on for awhile as an advisor).

Why?

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This is the time of year when we start saying, “Why would anyone want the Raiders job?”

Exhibit A: Lane Kiffin. Or Young Lance, as Al Davis likes to call him.

Don’t ever tell me that the Raiders job is a thankless one. Maybe for the Bugels and the Shells of the world. But it wasn’t thankless for Bill Callahan (he went on to Nebraska). Not for Norv Turner (he could win the Super Bowl this year). Not for Jon Gruden (he became a millionaire and Super Bowl winner). And it certainly hasn’t been thankless for Lane Kiffin.

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