ConcaCorner Turns One!
Reflecting on the first year of the publication with a collection of the best content
It’s hard to believe a year has come and gone already for this publication. As a kid, I had dreams of covering sports and frequently thought about what that could look like in the future. I still laugh about my first email address, ‘espn_bound’. I was set on becoming a sports reporter. I would obsessively research history, statistics, and the background stories of players. If I wasn’t playing video games, I was probably reading sports encyclopedias.
Fast forward to adulthood - I did not pursue those dreams of covering sports, but the passion never faded. On many occasions, I would have many thoughts on something happening in the world of soccer or stories I wanted people to know about, but did not have an outlet (well…there is a group chat of friends who also love the sport, and I thank them for letting me use it as a medium for my TL;DR opinions before launching this site). I felt the need to share more about the wonderful region of Concacaf and its importance in the global mosaic of the beautiful game.
I had this idea to create a publication dedicated to bringing the nations, players, and stories I cared deeply about to a wider audience. During the 2022 World Cup, I started brainstorming what I wanted to do. After several months of sharing a few drafts with friends and family, I decided to go for it. The passion I had carried since childhood for sports, and my increasing interest in its cultural impact, found an outlet with ConcaCorner. In my introductory post, I wrote:
“When most people think of this confederation, beauty isn’t what comes to mind. Most people think of scrappy teams that hustle their way to victories. They think of a few powerhouse countries who easily navigate by smaller nations. And this region is often overlooked and pushed to the side. But I do see beauty. I see players proud to represent their countries on any stage, I see divided nations united behind their national teams, and I see a wealth of untapped potential that can change the soccer landscape in the decades to come.”
That is why this site exists - to celebrate the beautiful game in this region and share stories of the impact it can have! This post is dedicated to highlights of ConcaCorner from the past year. I hope you enjoy reading some of these for the first time or re-reading some of your favorites!
Before diving in, I want to say a huge THANK YOU! If it weren’t for you, this would all be the personal diary of a Concacaf fanatic living in my brain and the notes section of my phone. It has been a joy to hear from friends who have enjoyed this content and to connect with people from around the globe who stumbled onto these writings and decided to stick around. I can’t thank you enough for supporting this project!
A special shoutout to my wife, Marlen! She has supported this effort as a proofreader, subscriber, translator when my Spanish isn’t quite correct, and travel companion to games. I’m thankful it is a sport that we can enjoy together! Here is one of my favorite moments we experienced together watching her home country, Honduras, play in Texas:
We start this reflection on the past year with the introductory post that started it all:
Interviews & Profiles
One of my favorite things has been telling the stories of players and coaches around the region. Some have been household names, while others have been rising stars and people making a difference that I want you to know about. I count it a privilege to share these with you and a special thanks to those who have entrusted me with their stories!
As a fan of Honduras, I was familiar with Tyson Nuñez and his career. I knew about his big goals for Los Catrachos and his impressive longevity. I also knew he was the first Honduran to play in the Premier League. I would see stories from time to time about the worst Premier League transfers and his name was always on the list…I wanted to know why. Read more about this legendary player and a Premier League career that was never allowed to begin.
I have only been starstruck a few times interviewing someone and this was certainly one of them. Honduran legend, Amado “El Lobo” Guevara, was generous enough to connect with me and share his story. We discussed his childhood, becoming a legend for La H, his MVP performance at the 2001 Copa América, and captaining the team at the 2010 World Cup. Check out Part 1 below and Part 2 in the ‘Profiles & Stories’ section of ConcaCorner.
In 2023, the Honduran women’s national team made huge strides as a program. I wanted to know what was driving this change. I connected with now former manager, Fernando Banegas, to learn more. He shared about the work to change the narrative of women’s soccer in a country that has long neglected it and the dedication of the players for Las Catrachas.
One of the reasons for the recent leap of the Honduran women’s team is a young forward named Ale Puerto. She was a breakout star in W Gold Cup qualifying and people are starting to take notice. She shared her journey of immigrating to the US, debuting with the national team, and her hopes and dreams for the future. Don’t forget the name - she is just getting started!
Other Stories
From time to time, I have the itch to write a piece related to current events in the sport or something I have been marinating on for a while. These have been some of my favorite stories to write and the most read by you all!
In early 2023, before ConcaCorner was started, I was in Honduras seeing stories on Keyrol Figueroa (Liverpool academy player and son of the legendary Maynor Figueroa) choosing to play for the USYNT rather than Honduras’ youth teams. I spoke to others in Honduras about this to get their viewpoint. This prompted me to write a piece on dual nationals in Concacaf and the difficult decisions they face.
There had been rumblings of Messi coming to Miami for a long time. As rumors swirled, I thought a lot about the kind of impact Messi could have in MLS and Concacaf as a whole. Then it happened…and it has been a wild year! In this piece, I outlined the potential effects he can have on the region. Full disclosure, I am a self-proclaimed and unashamed Messi fanatic.
Back in October, I had the chance to be around the Mexican National Team for the first time when they visited Charlotte. As a fan of the game and this region, it was a treat to watch the team up close and interact with the Mexican media. These were some observations I had - a lot has changed in 8 months!
Honduras beat Mexico for the first time in over 6 years last fall and it was a big deal! Even though the good vibes wore off after losing to Mexico in the second leg, this was still Honduras’ biggest victory in the last decade. There have been some ups and downs since, but I think the program is headed in the right direction under Reinaldo Rueda.
This was one of my favorite pieces to write. As a native of Columbus, Ohio it was a privilege to share the city’s outsized impact on US vs. Mexico soccer history. I also added a voiceover feature for this more personal story that I may start bringing into other posts. Enjoy this ode to my hometown, a special stadium, and the team that almost ceased to exist!
Competition Coverage
One of my goals with this project was to bring coverage and insight from various Concacaf competitions to readers. While many outlets focus solely on the US and Mexico, my goal was to provide thoughts and updates from other nations. Here are some highlights from the past year:
The first tournament I covered was the 2023 Gold Cup. This included a full preview, matchday recaps, and the tournament recap below. It was great to bring these countries, their players, and these storylines to the forefront!
The 2023 World Cup was historic for Concacaf! A record 6 teams from the region participated (including Haiti and Panama for the first time). While some nations did not perform as they had expected - we saw many great stories including Jamaica’s run to the knockout round and Marta Cox scoring Panama’s first World Cup goal and arguably the goal of the tournament.
Building on the momentum from the World Cup, the inaugural Concacaf W Gold Cup was played earlier this year and it was a great success! This tournament showcased all of the emerging talent from this region and deepened the relationship with CONMEBOL as Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, and Paraguay participated. My biggest storylines heading into that competition are below:
CarolinaCorner
Living in Charlotte, I know many of those who read are from the area and are fans of Charlotte FC and teams from around the Carolinas. For several months I pondered how to bring more specific coverage of this region to my audience and launched a new section called ‘CarolinaCorner’ a few months ago. I look forward to bringing more updates and stories to you over this next year!
As I think about what is to come for ConcaCorner, it’s hard to say exactly what it will look like. I want to continue bringing you the stories of stars and those behind the scenes from around the region. I want to provide updates from various competitions with insight and angles not covered elsewhere. I also want to dive more into stories at the intersection of sport and culture. As a reader, what would you like to see more of?
If you enjoy this publication and want more coverage of this region, check out what I have enjoyed reading and listening to:
Getting CONCACAFed by . He is the expert on all things Concacaf and his newsletter has incredible stories and the most regular updates available. I like to refer to him as “the real Concacaf Jon”.
Clavado en un VAR - a Spanish-language podcast and platform dedicated to covering Concacaf and Central American fútbol.
Futbol Americas - ESPN’s show and podcast from Sebastian Salazar and Herculez Gomez. They do a wonderful job bringing Concacaf storylines (mostly from US and Mexican perspectives) to the forefront. Herc also has the Vamos podcast on the Men In Blazers network that he uses to share similar stories.
Squad Depth by Theo Lloyd-Hughes. This is a great publication dedicated to covering the women’s game across the region!
Fútbol with Grant Wahl. As most of you know, Grant tragically passed away during the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. I still love going back into his archives and reading/listening to interviews and stories he shared. He was the preeminent journalist of the beautiful game in the US and his legacy continues to live on. You can purchase the definitive collection of his best work in a new book released this week, World Class: Purpose, Passion, and the Pursuit of Greatness On and Off the Field.
Good stuff bro! “Do you see a man skillful in his work, he will stand before kings he will not stand before obscure men.”
Congrats on one year!