July 15 – Adidas have renewed their partnership with the Mexican national team in an eight-year deal that means they will provide playing and training kit up until the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
By Andrew Warshaw
July 11 – Canada is hoping to use next year’s Women’s World Cup as a springboard to bidding for the men’s equivalent in 2026 when in theory it should be CONCACAF’s turn to host.
By Ben Nicholson
June 24 – The MLS has experienced a 6.1% year-on-year average increase in attendance, as recorded prior to the start of the FIFA World Cup. The league average attendance currently sits at 18,497 spectators per game.
June 16 – Reports are starting to emerge that David Beckham may ditch his plans for a Miami expansion, instead opting to join a consortium led by, as of yet unnamed, Asian investors who are interested in bidding for Chivas USA.
By Paul Nicholson
June 13 – The CONCACAF congress last week included on its agenda the first report of its newly created Sports Integrity Department, delivered by Dr Laila Mintas. Her report included results on investigated cases and the announcement of a whistleblower hotline for fans, players, coaches and executives.
By Ben Nicholson
June 12 – The prospect of a Miami Beckham United gracing the MLS stumbled again after their plan B soccer stadium proposal has been shot down.
June 11 – Allegations have been made by supporters of Chivas USA that they were subjected to racist abuse by LA Galaxy fans during their MLS game last week.
By Andrew Warshaw in Sao Paulo
June 11 – CONCACAF President Jeffrey Webb pledged to never to return to the confederation’s corruption-tainted past. In a dignified yet passionate address to the region’s 41 member nations at the CONCACAF congress here, Webb told delegates there would be no letup in maintaining the transparency showed in his two years in charge.
By Paul Nicholson
May 30 – Group 4 of the Women’s CFU Cup, the inaugural Caribbean Football Union event for senior women, kicks off today in Haiti. To date the tournament is being hailed a success despite the unforeseen withdrawals of Dominica, Guadeloupe and now Anguilla.
May 30 – ESPN may start offering coverage of Major League Soccer (MLS) games online, without a required subscription to ESPN.
May 29 – The National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) in the USA has struck a deal with ESPN to televise nine matches televised this year. Six regular season games are scheduled to be televised on either ESPN 2 or ESPN 3, whilst both playoff semifinals and the championship game will be shown on ESPN 2.
May 28 – The Central American Football Union (UNCAF) which is playing its Central American Cup 2014 in the USA later this year, has announced that the final will be played at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on September 13. This is the first time the regional championship has been played outside the Central American region and the 13th time the Cup has been played, as UNCAF prepares to celebrate its 25th anniversary.
May 27 – Jamaica will join Mexico in CONMEBOL’s Copa America tournament in Chile in 2015, the 44th time the competition has been held. The 45th edition in its hundredth year – Copa America Centenario – will be held by CONCACAF in the US in 2016.
By Andrew Warshaw
May 23 – The head of US Soccer says has reiterated his country will only target the 2026 World Cup if FIFA’s bidding rules are significantly tightened up – including votes being made public. Sunil Gulati and other senior executives within his CONCACAF confederation have long been uncomfortable with the way the joint ballots for the 2018 and 2022 tournaments were conducted.
By Ben Nicholson
May 23 – David Beckham, in his bid to build a Major League Soccer stadium in downtown Miami, is envisioning a new location for his home turf. Having met with opposition for a waterfront park, largely from disgruntled businessmen from the port area, he has switched his attention to filling a water basin with a 20,000-seat stadium.