U.S. Soccer: USA, not Mexico, to host CONCACAF qualifying tournament for 2015 WWC

Sydney Leroux (2) and the U.S. women's national team will host the 2015 CONCACAF World Cup qualifying tournament, which was originally slated to be hosted by

Liviu Bird | May 16, 2014

U.S. Soccer: USA, not Mexico, to host CONCACAF qualifying tournament for 2015 WWC /

Sydney Leroux (2) and the U.S. women's national team will host the 2015 CONCACAF World Cup qualifying tournament, which was originally slated to be hosted by Mexico. (Bruce Fedyck/USA Today)

In the press release announcing Jill Ellis as the new United States women’s head coach, U.S. Soccer also dropped a tidbit concerning her first major challenge: qualifying for the 2015 Women’s World Cup in Canada.

Originally slated for to be held Oct. 16 to 26 in Cancún and Playa del Carmen, Mexico, the 2014 CONCACAF Women’s Championship will now be held in the U.S. As of now, the FIFA website still lists Mexico as the host.

“Her first major tournament will come on home soil as U.S. Soccer has been selected to host the CONCACAF qualifying tournament for the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup,” the release reads. “The format, schedule, venues and ticket information will be announced as the information becomes available.”

CONCACAF confirmed that announcement with a press release of its own, though it offered no details on the switch and why it was made.

U.S. Soccer president Sunil Gulati is likely to address the change in a conference call with reporters on Friday. This story will be updated at that time.

UPDATE, 2:15 p.m. ET | Gulati told reporters that Mexico had "some issues" with the venues it was planning to use for the tournament.

"We're happy to step up, and CONCACAF was pleased with that possibility," Gulati said.

Published May 16, 2014

LIVIU BIRD

Liviu Bird is a soccer analyst with more than 20 years of experience in the game. He learned how to play in the streets of Romania before moving to the soccer wilderness of Fairbanks, Alaska, escaping to play collegiately as a goalkeeper at Highline Community College and Seattle Pacific University, where he also earned his B.A. in journalism. Bird played semiprofessionally and had tryouts at professional clubs but hung up his gloves in 2012 to focus on writing and coaching at the youth and collegiate levels. He joined Sports Illustrated in March 2013 as a freelance contributor and has also written for NBC Sports, Soccer Wire, The New York Times, American Soccer Now and the Telegraph (UK).