In The News

Miami, FL (Friday, April 3, 2020) - At Concacaf our thoughts are with all the communities affected by the spread of COVID-19 at this difficult time. As we continue to assess our competitions scheduled to be played in the coming months, the welfare of everyone involved in football across our region remains our first priority.

Given the ongoing public health situation, and following consultation with FIFA regarding the international football calendar, we have made the decision to suspend the Concacaf Nations League Finals, which was scheduled for June 4th – 7th 2020 in the Houston and Dallas areas.

The event, which includes the Costa Rica, Honduras, Mexico and USA men’s national teams, will be rescheduled to take place at a later date in venues to be determined. This will be confirmed following further discussions with FIFA regarding the remaining international windows in the football calendar, and will obviously be subject to public health authorities deeming it safe for professional sports events to resume.

Additionally, following the same considerations and discussions with FIFA, we have made the decision to suspend the Road to Gold Cup qualification matches scheduled in the June international window and the Flow Caribbean Club Championship scheduled for May. We will discuss with stakeholders format and scheduling options for these matches and communicate our plans in due course.

We are grateful to fans across the region for their continued support for these events. In the case of the Concacaf Nations League Finals, fans who purchased tickets via Ticketmaster, SeatGeek or AXS will receive refunds automatically. Fans who purchased tickets directly at the stadium box office or through third party vendors should contact those organizations directly for more details regarding the refund process.

________________________________________

Declaración de Concacaf con respecto a la suspensión de las Finales de la Liga de Naciones Concacaf, la Clasificatoria a la Copa Oro de Concacaf y el Campeonato Caribeño de Clubes Concacaf Flow

Miami, FL (viernes, 3 de abril de 2020) - En Concacaf, nuestros pensamientos están con todas las comunidades afectadas por la propagación de COVID-19 en estos momentos difíciles. A medida que continuamos evaluando nuestras competiciones programadas para los próximos meses, el bienestar de todos los involucrados en el fútbol en nuestra región sigue siendo nuestra principal prioridad.

Dada la situación actual de salud pública, y luego de consultar con la FIFA sobre el calendario internacional de fútbol, hemos tomado la decisión de suspender las Finales de la Liga de Naciones Concacaf 2020, programadas del 4-7 de junio de 2020 en las áreas de Houston y Dallas.

El evento, que incluye a los equipos nacionales masculinos de Costa Rica, Estados Unidos, Honduras y México se reprogramará para una fecha posterior y en sedes por determinar. Esto se confirmará después de más discusiones con la FIFA sobre las ventanas internacionales restantes en el calendario de fútbol, y obviamente estará sujeto a que las autoridades de salud pública determinen que es seguro reanudar los eventos deportivos profesionales.

Además, siguiendo las mismas consideraciones y discusiones con la FIFA, hemos decidido suspender los partidos de la Clasificatoria a la Copa Oro 2021 de Concacaf a llevarse a cabo en la ventana internacional de junio y el Campeonato Caribeño de Clubes Concacaf Flow, programado para mayo. Discutiremos con los interesados el formato y las opciones de programación para estos partidos y torneos, y comunicaremos nuestros planes a su debido tiempo.

Agradecemos a los aficionados de toda la región por su continuo apoyo a estos eventos. En el caso de las Finales de la Liga de Naciones Concacaf, los aficionados que compraron boletos a través de Ticketmaster, SeatGeek o AXS recibirán reembolsos automáticamente. Los que compraron boletos directamente en la taquilla del estadio o a través de proveedores externos deben comunicarse con esas organizaciones directamente para obtener más detalles sobre el proceso de reembolso.

Miami, FL (Monday, March 9, 2020) – The Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (Concacaf) today announced that Houston and Dallas will host the inaugural Concacaf Nations League Finals, with semi-final games at BBVA Stadium and NRG Stadium in Houston, and the Final and third-place game taking place in AT&T Stadium in Arlington. 

The matches, which will feature Costa Rica, Honduras, Mexico and the United States, will serve to crown the first-ever champion of a competition created to provide high quality competitive football for all 41 Concacaf Member Associations, and maximize the official match dates available within the FIFA international calendar.

In the inaugural edition, the Semifinals will be played across two venues in Houston on Thursday, June 4, with Honduras vs United States taking place in BBVA Stadium, followed by Mexico vs Costa Rica at NRG Stadium. The Semifinal matchups were determined by the outcome of group stage play in September, October and November with the four League A winners qualifying for this eagerly anticipated Finals.

The third-place match and the Final will take place at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, TX, on Sunday, June 7. The four matches are scheduled to take place during the June FIFA match window. 

Houston is a remarkably diverse city, boasting fans from the four competing nations, all of whom will be able to enjoy the first-ever Concacaf Nations League Finals matches in two world-class stadiums.

BBVA Stadium, home of the Houston Dynamo, one of Major League Soccer’s most storied clubs, has hosted high-profile matches since it’s inauguration in 2012, including Concacaf Champions League and Gold Cup clashes. NRG Stadium, home of the NFL’s Houston Texans, is no stranger to international soccer, with the stadium hosting five Concacaf Gold Cups, as well as the Copa America Centenario in 2016. 

“The Concacaf Nations League group stages showcased outstanding football across our region and Houston and Dallas are ideal cities for hosting the first-ever Finals of this important international competition,” explained Philippe Moggio, Concacaf General Secretary. “The combination of world class venues, passionate support, and diverse fanbases representing all four of the participating nations, ensure that these two cities are uniquely positioned to host a very successful inaugural event. Houston, home to the third-largest Hispanic population in the country, and Dallas, a proven soccer market, will host an unforgettable first edition of this new tournament.”

AT&T Stadium, the 80,000-seat stadium, home of the Dallas Cowboys, has also hosted top-level soccer competitions in the past, including four editions of the Gold Cup, numerous Mexican National Team U.S. Tour matches and international club soccer events. The Dallas area is a hotbed for soccer in the country, and those fans are sure to enjoy the Final, as well as the third-place match, in what should be a thrilling doubleheader. 

The three venues are state of the art facilities and have hosted some of the country’s most important sporting and entertainment events, such as the Super Bowl, Copa America Centenario, WrestleMania, NBA All-Star Game and college football championship and bowl games.

At the close of the first-ever Concacaf Nations League Group Stage play in November, the following national teams have qualified to the Finals (final standing are available here): United States (Group A), Mexico (Group B), Honduras (Group C) and Costa Rica (Group D).

As per the competition regulations, the four League A Group winners have been ranked to determine the semifinal matchups, with the highest ranked team playing the lowest ranked team. The final standings are as follows:

1. Mexico (12 pts, +10)

2. Honduras (10 pts, +7)

3. USA (9 pts, +12)

4. Costa Rica (6 pts, +1)

The 2019-2020 Concacaf Nations League kicked off in September with the first six days of group stage matches, delivering exciting competition and setting the course for the journey to the Concacaf Nations League Finals, as well as the 2021 Concacaf Gold Cup.

Tickets for the Concacaf Nations League Finals will go on sale to the general public on Tuesday, March 17, at 10 a.m. local time. For an exclusive presale opportunity, sign up at ConcacafNationsLeague.com.

2020 Concacaf Nations League Finals Schedule
*Listed in local time (ET)

Thursday, June 4, 2020
6:30 pm CST (7:30 pm ET) Honduras vs United States - BBVA Stadium, Houston, TX, USA
9:00 pm CST (10:00 pm ET) Mexico vs Costa Rica - NRG Stadium, Houston, TX, USA

Sunday, June 7, 2020
4:30 pm CST (5:30 pm ET) Loser SF1 vs Loser SF2 - AT&T Stadium, Arlington, TX, USA
7:00 pm CST (8:00 pm ET) Winner SF1 vs Winner SF2 - AT&T Stadium, Arlington, TX, USA

Visual Assets for Media Members
Concacaf, together with the Local Host Committees, have prepared visual assets to aid media members in their coverage of this announcement. To access logos, flags, photos and video footage of this announcement, please click here. You may need to copy and then paste the link into your browser.

New Baylor head coach Dave Aranda joined Sports Radio 610’s Landry Locker, John Lopez and John McClain this Tuesday for an episode of In The Loop.

Hot off the heels of the NFL Combine, the conversation starts with 2019 LSU QB1 and potential top draft pick Joe Burrow and what his professional career might look like. When asked if Burrow could translate his one year of college football success to the NFL with potentially the worst team in the league as a top draft pick, Aranda replies, “if there’s a guy that can do it, it’d Joe.” Speaking to the senior’s winning season at LSU he explains Burrow’s cerebral approach to leading his offense, “you’re talking about an Offensive Coordinator who is playing quarterback.”

Aranda brings experience as a National Championship coach as well as 24 years of coaching before that to his new position as the Baylor Bears head coach. When asked what the most important thing his varied experience has taught him he says he learned, “you can be yourself. Connect with your coaches, connect with your players—they need to know you care about them—then you can take off from there.” About his squad’s first game at NRG Stadium for the 2020 Texas Kickoff against Ole Miss, Aranda says, “I’m excited about the challenge and I feel really good about our team. I know we’ll be prepared.”

September won’t be the first time Aranda makes an appearance in Houston in 2020. This Friday the Houston Rodeo is hosting Baylor night and the new head coach will make his rodeo debut. During his tenure as the University of Houston, he never made it out to the rodeo but he jokes, “I remember the traffic, though.” (Can we get an amen from all the Houstonians out there?)

Listen to the full interview below or at SportsRadio610.radio.com.

Don’t miss Aranda’s head coaching debut in Houston at NRG Stadium September 5 vs Ole Miss at the Texas Kickoff. CLICK HERE to sign up for the waitlist to be notified as soon as tickets go on sale.

Ringing in year three of the Early Signing Period era, National Signing Day 2020 was predictably less dramatic than 2020 class commitments in December. However, with an LSU National Championship and a shuffle of coaching staff in early 2020, there were plenty of question marks to keep things interesting. Keep reading for a breakdown of top classes representing each of the conferences in the Power Five, giving us a look at what to expect when College Football returns this fall.

SEC

1) GEORGIA. Overall, the SEC continues to absolutely dominate the college football recruiting world. Georgia, the three-time defending SEC East champions, claims the title of top recruiting class for the SEC and the country. Most notably, the Bulldogs are bringing in eight players all ranked in the top five of their positions. Outside of the impressive young players heading to Athens for their freshman season, they also snagged a very important piece for their offense: a replacement for Quarterback Jake Fromm. Wake Forest graduate transfer Jamie Newman looks to fill Fromm’s shoes for the Bulldogs in 2020.

2) ALABAMA. Another school hinging on the signing of a new Quarterback, Alabama takes second place in the SEC recruiting rankings for 2020. Ranked #11 in USA Today’s Final Chosen 25, Quarterback Bryce Young has all the skill to carry the Crimson Tide’s offense as the highest graded Quarterback they have ever signed. Young is supported by an incredibly talented cast of players including 14 that are ranked in the top 10 in their position.

3) LSU. Winning a National Championship and collectively signing a top five recruiting class is not a bad start to 2020. LSU’s class is led by #1 ranked Tight End Erik Gilbert, #1 ranked Cornerback Elias Ricks, #2 ranked Wide Receiver Kayshon Boutte and #2 ranted Outside Linebacker Phillip Webb. The Tiger’s defensive class took some hits with a few top prospects making other selections including McKinnley Jackson who selected Texas A&M and Jordan Burch who selected South Carolina.

BIG 12

1) TEXAS. The major headline for the Big 12 this Signing Day was Texas clinching the top spot for recruiting class rank over Oklahoma, namely due to the commitment of 4-star Defensive End Alfred Collins who chose to stay home and play for the Longhorns rather than accept Oklahoma’s offer. Overall, their 2020 class ranks in the top ten nationally with the help of the Big 12’s only 5-star recruit, Running Back Bijan Robinson who signed in December.

2) OKLAHOMA. Oklahoma follows Texas in the Big 12 recruiting class rankings with 23 total new additions, split evenly between new offensive and defensive weapons. A big win for the Sooners was the commitment of Riggie Grimes II, an Outside Linebacker listed as a top 50 recruit and the highest ranked recruit of their 2020 class.

3) TCU. The next in line for the conference is TCU who only signed 17 players in this cycle. Their 2020 class is led by Wide Receiver and Texas state high jump medalist Quentin Johnston who will fit in well with TCU’s athletic offense. Other highlights for the Horned Frogs include top 50 ranked Offensive Guard Altrique Barlow and 4-star Defensive Tackle Patrick Jenkins who will look to fill the hole left by Ross Blacklock who will participate in the NFL Draft later this year.

ACC

1) CLEMSON. Surprising no one, Clemson’s recruiting class claims the top spot in the ACC and the only ACC team with a top-10 national ranking. Arguably the biggest win for the Tigers was signing the number one nationally ranked recruit, Defensive Tackle Bryan Bresee. Dabo Swinney’s Tigers also claim the highest number of 5-star recruits of all 2020 classes with five signees coming in.

2) MIAMI. Following Clemson in the ACC, Miami took advantage of their large local recruiting pool, signing 14 in-state players which is two more than Florida State. Top picks in the Hurricane class include four 4-star recruits ranked in the top 150 nationally.

3) NORTH CAROLINA. The Tar Heels put together an impressive class for the 2020 season, rounding out their freshman crew with nine 4-star recruits, most notably lead by top-100 ranked Wide Receiver Josh Downs.

BIG 10

1) OHIO STATE. The Buckeyes take the top spot for 2020 recruiting class in the Big 10, signing arguably one of the greatest Receiver classes of all time lead by Julian Fleming (ranked #2 nationally), Jaxon Smith-Njigba (#28), Gee Scott Jr (#65) and Mookie Cooper (#91). Another notable freshman that will make an impact on the Buckeyes defense along with new Defensive Coordinator Kerry Coombs is 4-star athlete Cameron Martinez.

2) MICHIGAN. Behind Ohio State is their historic rival, Michigan. The Wolverines didn’t add any new prospects to their 23-man freshman class this past week, signing all prospects in December and not receiving any new commitments since. Focuses on this class seem to be adding more speed on offense and adding to their defensive front, with seven of their top ten recruits playing on the defensive side of the ball. 

3) PENN STATE. Penn State scores their fourth consecutive top-15 national recruiting class with the 2020 signees. The Nittany Lions continue their tradition of recruiting and producing exceptional Linebackers with the signing of Curtis Jacobs out of Maryland who was ranked the #2 Linebacker and the #24 overall recruit by 247Sports. 

PAC-12

1) OREGON. Though they didn’t pull a top ten national ranking, Oregon’s 2020 recruiting class gets top honors in the Pac-12. Signing 21 incoming players in December, the only player added to the class this week was 5-star recruit and long-time Alabama commit Defensive Tackle Jayson Jones. Jones joins two additional 5-star recruits in the Ducks 2020 class, Inside Linebackers Justin Flowe and Noah Sewell.

2) WASHINGTON. Despite an unexpected leadership transition from Head Coach Chris Petersen to new Head Coach Jimmy Lake in early December, the 2020 recruiting class for the Huskies went off seemly without a hitch. Ranked second in the Pac-12, Washington’s incoming talent is led by local 5-star Defensive End Sav’ell Smalls.

3) STANFORD. The Cardinals round out our 2020 recruiting review at the third ranked slot in the Pac-12. Most notable commits are the #1 ranked Kicker Joshua Karty. That name sound familiar? Probably because you’ve seen this INSANE video of Karty kicking a 70-yard field goal. If you haven’t, we suggest you watch. Along with Karty, Standford also adds 4-star Offensive Tackle and top 100 recruit Myles Hinton to the 2020 class.

HOUSTON – Lone Start Sports and Entertainment will kick off a big weekend at NRG Stadium on Friday as they play host to the Battle of the Piney Woods Coaches Kickoff Luncheon presented by Don Sanders.  The event will be Friday, Oct. 4th starting at 11 a.m. at NRG Stadium.  This year’s luncheon will feature both head coaches from Stephen F. Austin University and Sam Houston State University Coach Carthel and Coach Keeler will each speak to fans at the luncheon, which will be emceed by Houston Texans Radio Sideline Reporter John Harris.

Stephen F. Austin Head Coach Colby Carthel and Sam Houston State Head Coach K.C. Keeler will both be available to the media at 1:15 p.m. in the West Club at NRG Stadium.

The festivities around the 94th installment of the Battle of the Piney Woods presented by H-E-B will get underway Saturday at NRG Stadium with Fan Fest at 12:30 p.m.  Fan Fest, located in Bud Light Plaza, will feature a special performance by Texas music artist Canaan Bryce at 1 p.m. A Waxahachie native, Bryce brings his own distinctive sound unlike any other up-and-coming artist in the Texas Music scene. His sound has been described as “the definition of Texas Country.” In October 2018 Canaan Bryce released his highly anticipated debut album Hwy 287.  The record showcases Canaan’s vocal talents with more powerful songs like “Just Stay” and “Wastin’ My Time.”  Canaan has toured with and opened as of late with rising stars including Koe Wetzel, Read Southall, Sam Riggs and Shotgun Rider among others.

The game will kick at 3:05 p.m. and will be broadcast on ESPN 3 and heard locally on Sports Radio 610 starting at 3 p.m. CT.  Tickets for Saturday’s game are still available and can be purchased by visiting www.botpw.com or calling 832-667-2390.

WHAT:
Battle of the Piney Woods Coaches Kickoff Luncheon presented by Aramark and Don Sanders

WHO:
Stephen F. Austin Head Coach Colby Carthel
Sam Houston State Head Coach K.C. Keeler

WHERE: NRG Stadium, West Club

PARKING: Teal Lot

WHEN:
Friday, Oct. 4th starting at 11 a.m.
Coaches’ media availability at 1:15 p.m.

CONTACT:
Brianna Lewis, LSSE –
brianna.lewis@houstontexans.com

###