Las Vegas to host Nations League finals in June; US, Mexico, and Canada have work to do
March 21 – Las Vegas and the Allegiant Stadium will be the venue for the finals of the 2022/23 Concacaf Nations League in June this year.
Concacaf
FC Bayern and LAFC form j/v business to develop and sell players
March 16 – German champions Bayern Munich have formed a partnership with Major League Soccer champions LAFC to identify and develop young talent for their own teams but also for the international market.
Scotiabank renews Concacaf commitment with CCL title deal and raft of championships
March 14 – Scotiabank have renewed its long term sponsorship of Concacaf’s major events, including the title sponsorship of the Champions League which is currently at the round of 16 knock out stage for the 2023 edition and in the final year of its current format before expansion in 2024.
Investigation clears Berhalter to stay in running for USMNT job
March 14 – Greg Berhalter remains in the running to return to the role of US men’s national team head coach following an investigation into allegations of domestic violence.
Canadian women get equal pay offer but tell government hearing they don’t trust federation
March 13 – Canada’s women players have told a government hearing they don’t trust the sport’s governing body to negotiate a fair labour agreement after Canada Soccer went public with proposals for equal pay and division of prize money.
Relevent appeals court win raises spectre of LaLiga staging league matches in US again
By Paul Nicholson
March 10 – Relevent Sports Group’s ambition to stage LaLiga regular season games in the US has been given a lifeline after a US federal appeals court ruled they could go to court with their antitrust lawsuit against FIFA and the US Soccer Federation (USSF).
Concacaf to play first W Gold Cup in Feb 2024 with four Conmebol guests
March 9 – Concacaf has announced detail of the next stage of women’s competition programme with the inaugural Concacaf W Gold Cup to be played in the US from February 17 to March 10.
Former athlete Charmaine Crooks takes over as Canada Soccer interim president
March 3 – Charmaine Crooks has been appointed interim president of Canada Soccer in the wake of Nick Bontis’ resignation while agreement has been reached with the women’s national team on an interim funding agreement that should go a long way to ending a festering dispute.
Montagliani says 2026 World Cup is not about winning but building a regional platform
March 3 – Hosting the 2026 World Cup in the Concacaf region is a chance for the confederation to build new opportunity for all its nations, said Concacaf president and FIFA vice president Victor Montagliani.
Yves Jean-Bart says he is returning to run Haitian football now CAS has lifted FIFA ban
March 2 – Haiti’s former FA president Yves Jean-Bart, whose lifetime FIFA ban from the sport over sexual abuse allegations was overturned last month, says he is reclaiming his position.
Concacaf unveils beefed up CNL and the roads to 2024 Copa America, Gold Cup and 2026
March 1 – Concacaf is expanding the top tier of its Nations League to 16 teams and has unveiled new competition formats and qualification routes for the 2023-26 cycle of men’s national team competitions, taking them up to the 2026 World Cup to be hosted in the region.
Bontis quits Canadian Soccer presidency in the name of peace
February 28 – Just months after the country’s first appearance at the World Cup for 36 years and with plans already under way to jointly host the tournament in 2026, Canada’s football reputation has taken a hit off the field with the resignation of Canadian Soccer Association president Nick Bontis (pictured)..
Montagliani promises to keep building as he is handed new 4-year term as Concacaf president
February 26 – Concacaf’s membership has unanimously re-elected Victor Montagliani as president of the Confederation at its Congress in in Guatemala. The four-year term will run from 2023 to 2027.
MLS players’ union says FIFA and IFAB has failed players again on concussion protocols
February 27 – The union representing scores of Major League Soccer players in the United States has criticised FIFA as well as the game’s law-making body for being “short-sighted and misguided” in refusing to allow trials of temporary concussion substitutes.
Californian storms force postponement of Galaxy vs LAFC opener at Rose Bowl
February 28 – The MLS’s big opening weekend on the west coast got off to a false start with LA Galaxy’s derby match against LAFC – dubbed ‘El Trafico’ – scheduled to be played at the cavernous Pasadena Rose Bowl, postponed because of the storm that has battered the area.