The US were beaten by lowly Trinidad & Tobago (no, it is one country, they weren’t playing two countries at the same time), lost fair and square and to add to their grief, Panama equalised against Costa Rica with a Thierry Henry type goal (“…the referee’s decision is final”, so don’t expect a Samoura-Senegal type replay decision to bail the US out).
By Andrew Warshaw
October 16 – The United States are looking for a national coach once again after Bruce Arena as expected stepped down following the humiliation of the country failing to qualify for the World Cup finals for the first time since 1986.
October 12 – The United States’ failure to qualify for next year’s World Cup in Russia marks a “sad and dark moment” for the game in the country says former star defender Alexi Lalas.
October 9 – Former CONCACAF president Alfredo Hawit has had his sentencing for his role in the FifaGate scandal delayed until March next year.
October 5 – The list of potential host cities for the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico has been further trimmed, this time to 32.
September 26 – CONCACAF has set up a Disaster Evaluation Taskforce to assess the impact of the natural disasters that have devastated the region in recent weeks.
September 22 – Mexican football is on a hold as domestic clubs have rallied to offer aid relief after a magnitude 7.1 earthquake killed more than 200 people and inflicted mass devastation in Mexico.
September 20 – The fractious relationship between the North American Soccer League (NASL) and its national governing body, the US Soccer Federation (USSF) has boiled over with the NASL filing a federal antitrust lawsuit against the USSF in Brooklyn federal court.
By Paul Nicholson at Soccerex, Manchester
September 5 – CONCACAF wants three automatic places at the 2026 World Cup if the US, Mexico and Canada bid wins the hosting rights, said general secretary Philippe Moggio (pictured right). He also said that the confederation’s blue riband Gold Cup may be expanded to 16 teams in future editions as well as potentially being hosted outside the US.
August 31 – Las Vegas’ new pro soccer team now has a name – Las Vegas Lights FC. The name was chosen via an online poll and emblazoned across the Fremont Street Experience LED Canopy.
August 31 – The fashion for establishing club partners outside national domestic markets is catching on at all levels. French top tier women’s team Girondins de Bordeaux has signed a partnership Olney Girls 99 based in Washington, Maryland, forming Girondins de Bordeaux USA.
August 24 – Just seven weeks into the 2017 United Soccer League (USL) season, the fast growing second-tier division in the US has announced record breaking attendances of more than 1.5 million, beating its 2016 total attendance, itself a record.
August 18 – Thirty-four cities in the United States, seven in Canada and three in Mexico, in all encompassing 49 stadia, are on a list of proposed venues to host the 2026 World Cup, the United Bid Committee for the three prospective joint hosts has announced.
August 14 – Probably the worst kept secret of the USL, the second-tier of professional leagues in the US, has become official. Las Vegas will have a team playing in the 2018 competition.
August 11 –United Soccer League, the second tier of US professional football, has announced two new clubs in Birmingham, Alabama, and Austin, Texas, who will being playing in the 2019 season.