U.S. Soccer officially announced that it is bidding for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups on Monday. One of them is very likely to go to Europe, the other somewhere else — America, Mexico, Australia or Asia. Right now, the Americans have told FIFA they’re bidding. The specifics will come later.

So if you’re wondering about venues for matches, it’s way too early for that. If America were to host in 2018, sites might not be determined until 2015. The stadium situation is one in flux and there are stadiums that don’t exist yet that could well be sites, especially if the World Cup is here in 2022.

Where does St. Louis stand? Stadiums need to seat a minimum of 40,000 people, so you’re looking at NFL and college football stadiums. (And US Soccer president Sunil Gulati said that the bigger stadium the better, so if you’re under 60,000, you may be on the outs.) None of MLS’ soccer-specific stadiums would be big enough. In St. Louis, the one venue would be the Edward Jones Dome, though who knows if the Rams will have a new stadium by then. And who knows what FIFA rules on artificial turf, or the logistics on putting grass inside a dome, will be by then.

As to whether or not MLS cities would get preference over non-MLS cities, MLS Commissioner Don Garber, who is on the executive board of the bid committee, said it was too soon to say, but that by 2018, MLS would likely be in every major city that has a big stadium, so the question may well be moot. “It’s still so far away that by the time the World Cup is played, I would expect conceivably more cities would have MLS teams. Most do or will soon will, so I”m not sure that’s relevant,” he said.

Gulati said they would try to spread the games around, using as many as 13 or 14 venues. In 1994, the venues were the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Stanford Stadium in Northern California, the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, Soldier Field in Chicago, the Pontiac (Mich) Silverdome, Giants Stadium in New York, the Citrus Bowl in Orlando, Fla.; RFK Stadium in Washington, and Foxboro Stadium outside Boston. Stanford Stadium has been downsized and isn’t big enough anymore, and I’d expect the Silverdome is out of the running. There will be a new Giants Stadium in New York, and there’s a new stadium in Foxboro. FedEx Field outside Washington would be better than RFK. Soldier Field has been rehabbed, and the Rose Bowl provides a giant venue, even if it’s getting old. Sub the new Cowboys stadium for the Cotton Bowl in Dallas.

I would think other strong candidates would be the NFL Cardinals’ stadium outside Phoenix, the Seahawks’ stadium in Seattle and Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia. And they might consider the Dolphins’ stadium in Miami rather than Orlando.

But that’s all guesswork. More relevant in the short term is how the American bid stacks up against the other competitors: England, Russia, Spain/Portugal and Netherlands/Belgium in Europe (though FIFA may rule out the joint bids), Japan, Indonesia and Qatar in Asia and Australia, Mexico and the United States. Europe can get only one of the World Cups.

Final bids are due in May of 2010. The winner will be chosen seven months later.

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Nothing much on the expansion front. There was a Spanish language report over the weekend that Miami was a done deal, but the team’s potential owner denied it. One Miami paper said an expansion announcement could come in mid-February. Another said before the start of the MLS season in March. March to me seems more likely since there are some stadium votes still to be held, though I guess they don’t have to announce both cities at the same time. Garber went to Ottawa and liked it, though they’ve got to get a stadium plan together.

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Look for Athletica’s full schedule to come out later this week. It’s possible their opening game, which is the same day as the NCAA Women’s Final Four semifinals in St. Louis, could be moved to a time when there’s less competition for local eyeballs.

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No one got in to the Soccer Hall of Fame on the veterans or builders voting. Bruce Arena came up two votes shy of the 50 percent needed. I’m not a voter in these two categories, but its pretty ridiculous if the most successful American coach ever doesn’t get in. He’s certainly offended people along the way, but geez, he’s taken the U.S. to the quarterfinals of the World Cup, he’s won MLS and NCAA championships. I’m pretty sure he’s not just really lucky. He got one more vote than Bob Gansler, who admittedly may have done the greatest coaching job ever in getting America to the 1990 World Cup in Italy. Kyle Rote Jr. was three votes shy of getting in on the veterans ballot.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Who are these voters? Joy Fawcett barely gets in, and on the third try? What are these people thinking?

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Jack Jewsbury didn’t make the roster for the U.S.-Sweden friendly, but he got called back in for the rest of the pre-Mexico camp. It would be an even longer longshot if he was on the roster for the U.S.-Mexico match on Feb. 11 once the team’s Europeans get called back in.

Several members of Athletica are in Spain right now with the women’s U-23 team: Stephanie Logterman, Kia McNeil and Amanda Cinalli. Meanwhile, four other Athletica players, Lori Chalupny, Hope Solo, Angie Woznuk and Tina Ellertson are in camp with the full national team in Carson, Calif.