March 5 – The MLS looks set to draft in replacement referees for the opening matches of its season this weekend as a wages dispute between the league and the referees union over payment looks increasingly unlikely to be resolved before kick off and the referees committed to carrying out their threat of strike action.
March 4 – The international friendly between Ukraine and the US looked like it had become a victim of the crisis in the country when Anatoliy Konkov, president of the Ukrainian Football Federation, said that the team would not be travelling to Cyprus for the rescheduled fixture.
March 4 – The next steps towards the creation of a long-talked about Caribbean Professional League were taken yesterday with the announcement by CONCACAF of a Task Force to look at the feasibility of a regional league.
By Paul Nicholson
March 3 – The draw for the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup Canada 2014 took place yesterday. The finals tournament is one of three major women’s world championships being hosted in the CONCACAF region over the next 18 months. Next month Costa Rica will hold the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup whilst the spotlight will be back on Canada in 2015 for the FIFA Women’s World Cup.
February 27 – CONCACAF is building on the success of its interactive Gold Cup last year and has launched the CONCACAF Interactive 2014 (#CI14), calling for fan and gamers across the region to compete for the title of CONCACAF Interactive Champion, as well as an all-expenses-paid trip for two to be guests at the FIFA Interactive World Cup (FIWC) Grand Final 2014 this summer in Rio de Janeiro.
February 25 – The CONCACAF grassroots programme continues to roll out across the Caribbean Islands. St.Vincent and the Grenadines were the latest to host the programme which concluded on Saturday at the Arnos Vale Stadium in Kingstown.
By Paul Nicholson
February 23 – The MLS has bought back the Chivas USA franchise from Mexican owners Jorge Vergara and Angelica Fuentes (pictured) with immediate effect. The Los Angeles team will compete this season under the Chivas name, but will have a new president appointed by the MLS who will take over the running of the business. Head coach Wilmer Cabrera, who only joined the club on January 9, will remain in charge of the team.
By Paul Nicholson
February 21 – Speaking at an international finance conference in the Cayman Islands, CONCACAF President Jeff Webb emphasised the economic benefits sports can bring to a country and encouraged greater investment in sports as a tool for growth and social change. He made it clear that economic opportunity and social responsibility can, and should, work together comfortably, and that success would be achieved through leadership rather than following.
By Paul Nicholson
February 17 – The US men’s national team may face the ‘group of death’ in Brazil at the World Cup finals – Germany, Portugal and Ghana are their opponents – but it is very much alive and kicking as preparations for the Finals start to take shape with one eye also firmly fixed on the future.
February 7 – The National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) has added the Army National Guard (ARNG) as the Official Armed Forces Partner of the NWSL. The ARNG joins Nike and the US Soccer Foundation as main sponsors of the league. No figure has been released for the value of the deal.
February 7 – The Caribbean Football Union (CFU) has adopted a series of integrity measures with immediate effect and to include the CFU Cup which kicks off. While there has never been allegation of match-fixing in the Caribbean, the measures will warn and educate players and officials of one of the biggest challenges facing top level football worldwide.
By Andrew Warshaw
February 6 – David Beckham’s dream of running his own club in the United States has become a reality after the global sporting superstar and former England captain announced that he has exercised his option to become the owner of a Major League Football team in Miami.
By Paul Nicholson
February 5 – Israeli technology specialist Evento have signed a deal with Kroenke Sports Entertainment to launch its SitNearMe social media ticketing application for Kroenke’s sports francjsies including MLS team and the Colorado Rapids.
February 5 – Croatian playing legend and now president of the Croatian Football Association, Davor Šuker, is in the Caribbean visiting the Turks and Caicos Islands this weekend. The trip follows an initial approach from the Croatians to the Turks and Caicos Islands last December offering assistance and seeking to build a stronger relationship with the federation.
February 4 – The Union of Central American Football (UNCAF) has said that it will play its next championship for national teams, the UNCAF Copa Centroamericana, in the US, most likely 1-13 September 2014, in the FIFA window for international fixtures.