International field battles New York.(Chicago Tribune)

Byline: Philip Hersh

NEW YORK_Dan Doctoroff was a banker with little passion for soccer when a friend invited him to Giants Stadium for the 1994 World Cup semifinal between Italy and Bulgaria, a match tens of thousands of other New Yorkers would have considered the biggest local sporting event in the metropolitan area's history.

Maybe that is why Doctoroff was able to see the match as more than a sporting event. His mind focused on something he had never experienced before, the nationalistic pride and passion that imbued the fans, a fervor Doctoroff was convinced would emanate from New York City for almost any two countries in the world.

That led Doctoroff to wonder why the most international city in the world never had been host to the most international sporting event in the world, the Olympics. When he found no good reason, the question became a dream Doctoroff did not …