Concacaf – Inside World Football

USL Super League agrees naming rights deal with Gainbridge

Paul Nicholson — Fri, 25 Apr 2025 01:15:42 +0000

April 25 – The new top tier women’s league in the US, the USL Super League, is changing its name after just a season, having sold its naming rights to financial services firm Gainbridge in a multi-year partnership.

The Gainbridge Super League will start debut its new name at the start of the 2025/26 season.

“This is a landmark moment for professional soccer,” said Amanda Vandervort, president of the USL Super League.

Former USMNT coach Arena questions Pochettino’s ‘foreign’ leadership

Paul Nicholson — Fri, 25 Apr 2025 01:00:40 +0000

April 24 – In an interview with the U.S. Soccer Federation (USSF) website, current United States Men’s National Team (USMNT) coach Mauricio Pochettino criticised his players’ mentality, prompting former USMNT coach Bruce Arena to respond with what could generously be called “constructive feedback”.

Arena, who guided the US to the World Cup quarterfinals in 2002, shared his thoughts on the ‘Unfiltered Soccer’ podcast with all the subtlety of a brick through a jewelers window.

Pochettino set for squad shake-up ahead of CONCACAF Gold Cup

Andy Elliott — Thu, 24 Apr 2025 08:23:54 +0000

April 24 – United States Men’s National Team coach Mauricio Pochettino has declared he’ll be prioritising mental fortitude in his squad selection for the CONCACAF Gold Cup.

In an interview with the U.S. Soccer Federation, the Argentine tactician outlined his expectations as the team prepares for their last competitive action before the 2026 World Cup.

“The right mindset must be there, because we need to compete for our flag,

Concacaf partners with Offline Sports for fly-on-wall Champions Cup docu-series

Paul Nicholson — Wed, 23 Apr 2025 04:28:09 +0000

April 23 – Concacaf are taking a big step into the broadcast media world with an agreement with South American and LA-based TV production company Offline Sports to produce a documentary focussed on the 2025 edition of Concacaf’s revamped Champions Cup.

The series will go behind the scenes to cover teams, key players, coaching staff, and fans. Filming will take place across the region, with crews capturing the passion and drama of the Champions Cup from stadiums,

Breaking barriers. Bay FC and Spirit step up to the plate at Giants’ Oracle Park

Paul Nicholson — Wed, 23 Apr 2025 04:20:59 +0000

April 22 – In a first for the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL), Bay FC will take on the Washington Spirit at Oracle Park – home of Major League Baseball’s San Francisco Giants – on August 23.

This will mark the first time a women’s professional sporting event has been played at the iconic stadium, which has a seating capacity of 40,260 – more than double that of Bay FC’s current home, PayPal Park,

Cleveland Soccer Group buys franchise and stake in new 2nd tier WPSL Pro league

Paul Nicholson — Tue, 22 Apr 2025 05:57:59 +0000

April 22 – The US will have a third professional women’s league in 2026 with the Women’s Premier Soccer League (WPSL) launching as a second tier pro league.

The WPSL, founded in 1998, is the largest women’s league in the world with currently 153 women’s teams playing in 24 conferences across the USA.

The new WPSL Pro league is expected to launch with 20 teams and currently has 15 signed up,

MLS bets on Kitman Labs partnership to modernise player development

Andy Elliott — Thu, 17 Apr 2025 10:13:42 +0000

April 17 – Major League Soccer has deepened its relationship with performance intelligence firm Kitman Labs in a move that could help stitch together a more coherent player development pathway across the United States and Canada — from academy level through to the first team.

The expanded partnership now spans MLS, MLS NEXT Pro, and MLS NEXT, unifying operations and player data across all three tiers under a single digital platform.

Club Leon boss slams FIFA and Infantino over Club World Cup

Andy Elliott — Thu, 17 Apr 2025 10:05:44 +0000

April 17 – Club Leon manager Eduardo Berizzo has blasted FIFA and its President Gianni Infantino over his side’s exclusion from the Club World Cup because of multiple-club ownership rules.

In March, Zurich ruled that Leon were not eligible to play in the inaugural 32-team competition after failing to meet FIFA’s multi-club ownership criteria, and Infantino has since offered up their spot in a playoff match between Club America and Los Angeles FC.

Villarreal CF expands youth soccer presence with New Idaho Academy

Andy Elliott — Thu, 17 Apr 2025 08:32:31 +0000

April 17 – Spain’s Villarreal CF continues its quiet infiltration of the US youth soccer market with the opening of an academy in Hailey, Idaho—marking the club’s 14th affiliated academy in North America.

This new academy aims to further expand the renowned Villarreal methodology throughout the country’s developing soccer landscape.

The Idaho Academy will open its doors between June 2-5, beginning the talent identification process. These sessions will be led by Villarreal-affiliated coaches,

FC Dallas begins $182m revamp of Toyota Stadium

Paul Nicholson — Wed, 16 Apr 2025 01:20:17 +0000

April 16 – One of the founder clubs of MLS, FC Dallas, has started the $182 million renovation of its Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas.

The capacity of the 20-year-old stadium will expand from 19,000 to about 22,000, with completion scheduled for 2028.

The stadium will remain open during construction, including for World Cup events with the venue expected to serve as a “base camp” for a national team during the 2026 World Cup.

Messi roadshow continues to break records

Andy Elliott — Tue, 15 Apr 2025 09:00:18 +0000

April 15 – The Lionel Messi ‘MLS’ experience continues to shatter records as it makes its way around the United States, this time in the ‘Windy City’ of Chicago as 62,358 devotees attended the Inter Miami FC and Chicago Fire match-up last weekend.

While the game at the iconic Soldier Field Stadium has seen its share of football (NFL) drama over the years, Messi couldn’t find the net in the round ball version of the game as the two sides played out a 0-0 draw.

The post Messi roadshow continues to break records appeared first on Inside World Football.

Dallas Cup back and bigger than ever

Andy Elliott — Tue, 15 Apr 2025 08:47:50 +0000

April 15 – The 2025 edition of the Dallas Cup, one of the world’s premier youth tournaments, began this weekend with 450 boys’ and girls’ teams participating in the opening day festivities at the historic Cotton Bowl.

A record crowd of 23,134 spectators broke the single-day Dallas Cup attendance record, underscoring the tournament’s prestigious status.

The “Whataparade of Teams” and opening ceremonies brought together over 10,000 athletes. With each of the 21 participating nations represented,

The post Dallas Cup back and bigger than ever appeared first on Inside World Football.

14 stadiums in 29 days: Concacaf unveils Gold Cup match schedule

Paul Nicholson — Mon, 14 Apr 2025 21:00:17 +0000

April 14 – Concacaf’s Gold Cup will open at the SoFi Stadium and bounce between San Jose, San Diego, Vancouver and Carson on the West coast of North America for four days, before heading to Arlington, Houston and Austin in Texas for another six days of group games.

Concacaf has unveiled the match schedule for the 18th edition of its blue riband men’s national team tournament that will be played this summer,

MLS talks on-going over switching season to align with international calendar

Paul Nicholson — Mon, 14 Apr 2025 01:08:27 +0000

April 14 – Major League Soccer (MLS) is continuing its exploration into the feasibility of moving its calendar to align with the international football calendar as early as 2027. Along with the switch, the league is also looking at changes to the format of the regular season and playoffs.

“Major League Soccer’s Board of Governors today authorised a second phase of exploration into a potential move to the international soccer calendar, along with a continued evaluation of the league’s regular season and playoff formats,”

Lights, Camera, Action: Ronaldo launches film studio

Paul Nicholson — Mon, 14 Apr 2025 00:10:26 +0000

April 14 – Former World Player of the Year, Cristiano Ronaldo has done everything on the field of play, and now he is attempting to conquer the silver screen joining forces with British filmmaker Matthew Vaughn in creating an independent film studio.

“And action! I’m excited to announce UR•MARV, my new film studio with Matthew Vaughn, and can’t wait to tell you about our first movie. Coming soon!” Ronaldo said in an Instagram post.

Champions Cup draw guarantees a LigaMX vs MLS final

Paul Nicholson — Sun, 13 Apr 2025 12:54:09 +0000

April 13 – The semi-finals of the 2025 Concacaf Champions Cup will guarantee an MLS vs LigaMX final with Vancouver Whitecaps facing Inter Miami and Tigres UNAL up against Cruz Azul for the final places.

The semi-finals first legs will be played April 22-24 and the second legs April 29 – May 1. The final will be played June 1.

Inter Miami came back from a two-goal deficit with a brace from Lionel Messi to beat LAFC and secure their semi-final slot.