MLS Deputy Commissioner Sunil Gulati, who was "one of
the most influential men in the sport domestically," lost
his job yesterday because he "was apparently a victim of his
own considerable autonomy and of the controversial structure
he helped create," according to Steve Davis of the DALLAS
MORNING NEWS. Gulati recently picked up the option year on
the oft-injured Tab Ramos of the MetroStars for the league
maximum $250,000 annual salary, without informing team
investor/operator Stuart Subotnick. Although Gulati's term
was "wrought with controversial decisions," a source said
that he "tried hard to make decisions that truly were best
for the league. But that often meant angering 11 other
teams." Another source said that the relationship between
Gulati and MLS Commissioner Doug Logan was "never more than
lukewarm," with Logan "often seen as more of a spokesman
with less influence" than Gulati (DALLAS MORNING NEWS,
2/24). In S.D., Mark Zeigler writes that the events leading
up to Gulati being "more or less fired" were "bizarre and
sometimes confusing." Zeigler: "Logan confirmed that the 3-
year-old league had pushed off the scaffolding the man many
consider its principal architect" (SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE,
2/24). In Boston, Gus Martins writes that Gulati's ouster
"came as a major surprise considering his enormous role
within American soccer during the last decade," although it
was "well known" that Gulati and Ramos "have been close
allies during the last decade" (BOSTON HERALD, 2/24).
