June 1 – Timed just two weeks before the FIFA Congress in Moscow, FIFA has lifted its suspension imposed on Guatemala 18 months ago over its failure to comply with anti-corruption rules.
May 30 – FC Cincinnati, founded only in 2016 but playing before average 24,500 crowds in the second tier USL this season, is the newest recruit to the MLS and will start play in the 2019 season.
May 22 – The new Nashville MLS franchise that will start play in the 202 season has named former Liverpool chief executive Ian Ayre as its chief executive officer.
May 21 – Concacaf is taking its expanded 16-team Gold Cup to 15 venues spanning 13 US cities in 2019, as well as taking matches to Central America and the Caribbean to venues that will be announced later this year.
May 14 – The Women’s U17 Concacaf Championship that was abandoned last month in Nicaragua after three matches due to civil unrest and security concerns in the country, will resume in June in the US.
May 2 – There may still be life in the North American Soccer League (NASL) that shelved its 2018 season after US Soccer denied the league Division 2 status, effectively ripping away its commercial underpinning.
April 23 – CONCACAF has canceled the rest of its 2018 Women’s Under-17 Championship following violence in Managua, Nicaragua, where the tournament began Thursday.
April 11 – FIFA’s 2026 evaluation committee had only just left Mexico City and its Azteca stadium when the iconic venue returned to the real business of play in the Conacaf Champions League. Toronto FC endured a far tougher examination in the Azteca than the FIFA bid bods were likely to have given it.
April 9 – Concacaf is to play its 2018 Women’s Championship in the US in three cities: Cary, N.C., Edinburg, Texas, and Frisco, Texas. The tournament will be played October 4-17.
April 5 – The Caribbean Football Union (CFU) is championing its Women’s Challenge Series 2018 as a “recommitment to female players” in the region. The competition marks a return to locally organised game play in a forgotten region of world football that has been left emaciated, underfunded and excluded by political power plays at CONCACAF and FIFA level.
April 2 – Manchester United are returning to the US for their pre-season tour for the second consecutive year. Their two-week tour, presented by sponsor AON, will include matches against Mexico’s Club America and MLS side San Jose Earthquakes.
March 27 – The US will host the 2018 CONCACAF Women’s Championship, to be played October 4-17. Venue for the 8-team championship have still to be decided.
March 20 – The Caribbean Football Union (CFU), emaciated by the withdrawal of financial support by CONCACAF and FIFA, has shown that it still has some teeth left with the announcement of a new women’s competition, the CFU Women’s Challenge Series.
March 14 – The three-way co-operation between Canada, Mexico and the US in the bid for the 2026 World Cup, is seeing new alliances formed at the top end of club football in their countries. Liga MX and Major League Soccer have agreed a long-term partnership that will see new club competition between the countries.
By Paul Nicholson
March 8 – CONCACAF have announced the structure and completed the first draw for their new tiered Nations League men’s national team competition that will ultimately include all 41 confederation members.