May 22 – The four nations in the Concacaf Nations League Finals to be played June 15-18 at the Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, have released preliminary rosters of up to 60 players.
Red Bull Arena, Harrison, New Jersey
The 25,000-capacity home to the New York Red Bulls of the MLS and the NJ/NY Gotham FC of the NWSL is situated in Harrison, New Jersey, seven miles west of Lower Manhattan, on the waterfront in the Riverbend district.
Originally planned to be built for the MetroStars in the MLS in 2004, various planning issues prevented the build from starting until the start of 2005 when drinks company Red Bull bought the MetroStars MLS franchise from Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG) and renamed the club.
Shell Energy Stadium, Houston, Texas
Home to MLS side the Houston Dynamo and the Houston Dash in the National Women’s Soccer League, the 22,039-capacity Shell Energy (formerly the BBVA Compass Stadium) was built as a soccer-specific stadium but has been used for lacrosse, rugby, and concerts.
Architecturally, the stadium features a faceted facade of expanded metal mesh with orange polycarbonate enclosed entrances and spectator facilities that reflects the industrial heritage of the East Downtown location.
Soldier Field, Chicago
The iconic Soldier Field stadium in Chicago,Illinois, will host the opening match of the 2023 Gold Cup between the USA and Jamaica on Saturday June 24.
The multi-purpose stadium opened in 1924 and was reconstructed in 2003. It has been the home of the Chicago Bears NFL team since 1971 and Chicago Fire FC in the MLS from 1998 to 2005 and since 2020.
With a capacity of 61,500 for American football,
May 19 – Concacaf has released more details of its inaugural W Gold Cup, the confederation’s new women’s national team championship to be played February 17 – March 10, 2024, in the US.
May 18 – The MLS has awarded it 30th franchise to San Diego in California, and an investment group led by Egyptian Mohamed Mansour and the Sycuan Band of the Kumeyaay Nation.
State Farm Stadium, Glendale, AZ (Quarterfinals; 2009, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2021; 63,400 to 72,200 to 78,600)
The State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, has been a regular stop on the Gold Cup schedule, hosting a semi final in 2019 and will host a quarter final this edition.
Designed by New York architect Peter Eisenman in partnership with HOK Sports and Hunt Construction Group, State Farm Stadium opening in 2006,
May 18 – The draw for the third edition of the expanded 2023/24 Concacaf Nations League (CNL) has seen Panama, Guatemala and El Salvador in a Central America-heavy group in League A. Haiti and Jamaica headline Group B which has an all-Caribbean profile, bar the challenge from Honduras.
May 17 – The NWSL professional women’s league in the US is set to have a new rival with the USL Super League announcing the first eight teams and markets for the top tier licensed league that is scheduled to start play in August 2024.
May 17 – LigaMX sides Monterrey and Club America top a club ranking of 184 teams across the Concacaf confederation. LAFC from the MLS are third in the ranking that sees seven teams from Mexico and three from the US in the top 10.
TQL Stadium, Cincinnati, Ohio
A soccer specific stadium holding 26,000, the stadium was built for MLS team FC Cincinnati.
Located in the West End on the the former site of Stargel Stadium, the stadium cost about $250 million to construct.
The stadium was proposed in 2016, as part of the team’s bid for an MLS franchise that was awarded in 2018, when the build began.
May 15 – While the English Premier League is taking six teams – including Chelsea and Newcastle United – to play a series of friendly fixtures on the East coast of the US at the end of July, Arsenal and Manchester United have signed up to play on the west coast.
How they qualified
Mexico only just squeezed past Jamaica to top their group, drawing with the Reggae Boyz 2-2 in the final group game, but they had to come from behind twice to win the point needed to qualify. Bobby De Cordova-Reid opened the scoring in the 8th minute for Jamaica before Orbelín Pineda levelled on 17 minutes. Jamaica were ahead again 16 minutes later when a ball from De Cordova-Reid bounced off the left thigh of Edson Álvarez for an own goal.
How they Qualified
The USMNT secured their qualification for the 2023 Concacaf Nations League Final Four with a 1-0 win against El Salvador on March 27 at the Exploria Stadium in Orlando. The US had gone into the game needing just a point to qualify. Ricardo Pepi was the saviour for the US, coming off the bench in the second half against El Salvador to score with his first touch. Three days earlier the US had demolished Grenada 7-1,
How they qualified
Los Canaleros (the Canal Men) qualified at the expense of fellow Central Americans Costa Rica who they have been battling with for qualification Panama clinched their spot with a 1-0 win over Costa Rica in San José. The Panamanians needed a draw or a win to qualify with Jose Fajardo’s solitary goal in the 77th minute proving to be sweet revenge for missing out on Qatar 2022 World Cup qualification to Costa Rica.