By Ben Nicholson
December29 – Spurs Sports & Entertainment (SSE) has announced that it will operate a United Soccer League (USL) franchise in 2016, after reaching agreements with Bexar County and the City of San Antonio. This is the provisional step for the ultimate end of obtaining an MLS franchise in San Antonio, Texas.
By Ben Nicholson
December 20 – With the 2015 MLS season now over, the time for reflection on the league and its teams are upon us. Moreover, so is the time for commercial reflection. To aid the process, soccer marketing agency, Gilt Edge Soccer, has released its summary report, ‘Soccer in America 2015’.
December 16 – Organisers of the 2016 Copa America Centenario have announced that the final will be played at the 82,000 capacity MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
By Andrew Warshaw
December 16 – Suspended former FIFA vice-president Juan Angel Napout (pictured) and one-time Honduras President Rafael Callejas have both pleaded not guilty in a Brooklyn court to bribery charges as part of the US probe into widespread football corruption.
By Ben Nicholson
December 14 – The MLS has committed near an additional $37 million for clubs to spend on player salaries. In both the 2016 and 2017 seasons, $125,000 per season will be dedicated to clubs to use on signing Homegrown Players, and $800,000 per season will be made available to all MLS clubs in the form of Targeted Allocation Money (TAM).
By Ben Nicholson
December 14 – The United Soccer League Players Association (USLPA) – consisting of those players employed in the United Soccer League (USL), which is considered the third tier of US soccer – is coming close to formal unionisation.
December 11 – Honduran international Arnold Peralta was tragically shot dead in a parking lot on Thursday by unknown assailants while on holiday in his hometown.
By Andrew Warshaw
December 10 – Former FIFA vice-president Jeffrey Webb, the official who swept to prominence promising to clean up the organisation but fooled all those who viewed him as the new white knight of transparency and tolerance, has been formally ousted from running football in his native Cayman Islands.
By Andrew Warshaw
December 9 – Having lost three presidents in quick succession as a result of the FIFA corruption scandal, CONCACAF is not taking the same risk again and has decided against putting someone else in place until its next congress in May.
By Ben Nicholson
December 8 – The MLS Board of Governors made multiple announcements over the weekend looking forward to the 2016 season, in addition to signalling intent to expand to 28 teams and rubber stamping David Beckham’s location of choice for his expansion franchise’s stadium.
By Ben Nicholson
December 8 – Major League Soccer (MLS) has had a glowing report card sent home in respect to its progress in gender diversity. The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport delivered the league a solid B for gender diversity, which is a two-footed leap from 2014 when the league was brandished with a must-improve C+.
By Ben Nicholson
December 7 – David Beckham is al last enjoying some Floridian sunlight on his campaign to exercise his contractual option to create an MLS expansion team. After three years of toiling, and scorching in political heat, Beckham has secured a site for his team’s home stadium. The MLS approved the location, getting Beckham over a hurdle that last week threatened to indefinitely suspend the idea.
By Paul Nicholson
December 2 – The commercial rights for the Copa America Centenario 2016 which sparked the US Department of Justice’s deep dive into the murky world of football marketing on its continent, have been re-awarded.
December 2 – Former Brazilian powerbroker Jose Maria Marin, who pleaded not guilty to corruption charges when he was extradited to the United States from Switzerland as one of the infamous ‘Zurich Seven’, has been having trouble meeting the $1 million in cash required as part of his $15 million bail conditions.
By Andrew Warshaw
November 30 – Disgraced former FIFA vice-president Jack Warner, who is trying every tactic he can to avoid being extradited to the United States to face corruption charges, now says the legal process is taking its toll on his finances and has filed an appeal challenging the order.