MLS’s Minnesota expansion plan snags on shaky foundations
By Ben Nicholson
June 18 – Minnesota’s MLS expansion franchise is in peril as their plans to build a soccer-specific stadium are struggling to receive attention in the State Capitol.
Concacaf
CONCACAF/Interpol integrity workshop tops 3,350 attendees with Guyana event
June 15 – The confederation may be in turmoil but the battle against match-fixing is on-going. This weekend CONCACAF hosted its Integrity Workshop training session in Guyana for the first time.
Hoops superstar Anthony to launch NASL team in Puerto Rico
By Ben Nicholson
June 15 – New York Knicks basketball star Carmelo Anthony has joined the elite club of celebrity athlete owners of football clubs playing in the North American Soccer League (NASL) by creating his own team in his ancestral home of Puerto Rico.
Gulati hits back as US senator questions selection of Hope Solo
June 14 – US senator Richard Blumenthal has written to US soccer president Sunil Gulati expressing discontent about Team USA’s investigation into the domestic violence charges filed against US goalkeeper, two-time Olympic gold medalist, Hope Solo.
CONCACAF postpones U15 Boys championship
June 11 – CONCACAF has postponed its U15 Boys Championship originally scheduled to be played in the Cayman Islands and Jamaica this August until further notice.
CONCACAF put the wheels back on and call for FIFA elections to go-ahead
By Paul Nicholson in Zurich
May 28 – CONCACAF have said that they want the election for FIFA president to go ahead tomorrow, and have set up their own Special Committee to manage the affairs of the confederation after the tumultuous events of yesterday that saw their president Jeffrey Webb and Costa Rican president and newly elected FIFA executive member Eduardo Li arrested in their Zurich hotels by Swiss police.
Cantona sues New York Cosmos over unpaid wages and equity claim
May 21 – Former France and Manchester United legend turned film actor Eric Cantona is suing the New York Cosmos, saying they failed to pay him nearly $1m in salary and provide a share of equity in the club.
Grenada debuts with U17 women, US hosts for Rio 2016 qualifiers named
May 18 – Grenada has been named as hosts for the 2016 CONCACAF Women’s U17 Championship next March. The regional confederation has also announced the four US cities that will host the men’s Olympic qualifying tournament in October – Denver, Kansas City, Los Angeles and Salt Lake City.
CFU finalists head for Trinidad in race for Champions League spots
May 11 – The Caribbean Football Union’s senior club competition will go into its final round games in Trinidad, May 22-24. Three of the four qualifying teams will go into the June 1 draw for the 2015/2016 Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League.
Honduras step up for U20 Women’s championship hosting
May 8 – Honduras have stepped up to host the second regional championship in the country in a year, with the CONCACAF Under-20 Women’s Championship 2015 this December. The championship will decide the three teams to qualify for the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup Papua New Guinea 2016.
Brazil and England juniors head for Caribbean showdown
April 30 – Brazil have joined England in sending teams to the Caribbean this August for the second CONCACAF Boys’ Under-15 Championship that now has grown to a 37-nation tournament.
Gold Cup teams to get integrity officers to police match-fixing threat
April 30 – CONCACAF is to assign an integrity officer to each of the teams in this July’s Gold Cup, the confederation’s premier national team tournament. The officers will travel and stay with the teams to discourage approaches from match-fixers.
Records tumble as Montreal Impact sell-out for Champions League decider
By Paul Nicholson
April 29 – The second leg of the CONCACAF Scotiabank Champions League final kicks off tonight in Montreal in front of a sell out crowd. Last week the first leg of the final between Club America and Montreal Impact ended even at 1-1 in front of an estimated 80,000+ spectators in Mexico City’s iconic Azteca Stadium.
Gloves off, CONCACAF federations show their election colours
By Paul Nicholson in the Bahamas
April 16 – If there was any lingering confusion as to where the CONCACAF federation votes were heading, in bulk, at the May election for FIFA president, no-one was left in any doubt after an extraordinary show of support from the floor for Sepp Blatter at the confederation’s congress in the Bahamas today.
Webb powers up CONCACAF with new goals and World Cup target
By Paul Nicholson in the Bahamas
April 16 – CONCACAF president Jeffrey Webb used his opening remarks at the confederation’s congress in the Bahamas to acknowledge the progress they have made as a group but to reset their goals for the next stages of reform and building.