While Mexico and Canada settled on their game-site cities, the United States still has 17 potential World Cup game destinations.
The former Houston Dynamo executive Chris Canetti will ensure Houston remains a game site when that number drops to 10 in about two years.
Canetti, replaced by season sports executive John Walker on November 1, brings a wealth of sports experience. But what got the Harris County-Houston Sports Authority to hire him was his securing Manchester United to play the MLS All-Stars in 2010. That All-Star game drew 70,728, the fifth-largest attendance at the time to NRG Stadium, where Houston intends to host some 2026 World Cup games.