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Major League Soccer

The Official 4-v-4 Soccer Tournament of Major League Soccer, Returns This Summer With 13 Events Acro

May 15, 2009 - Major League Soccer (MLS) News Release


NEW YORK (Friday, May 15, 2009) -Thousands of soccer players of all ages and from all walks of life will lace up their cleats this summer to participate in the seventh edition of "MLS Futbolito", Major League Soccer's official 4-v-4 tournament and one of the nation's most successful grassroots soccer initiatives. The 13-event national tour, presented by Panasonic, begins with a New York Red Bulls hosted event in New York City on Saturday, June 6 and follows a week later in Miami with a nationally televised event on Univision, including a celebrity game, on Sunday, June 14, before continuing to the other markets.

MLS Futbolito, the largest touring Hispanic event hosted by a U.S. professional sports league, is a series of all-day events targeting the League's growing multicultural fan base and hosted by the local MLS team. Univision, a league broadcast partner, and their popular sports show, "Republica Deportiva" (Sports Republic), Univision's ground-breaking sports lifestyle program on Spanish-language television in the U.S., will broadcast its third consecutive live annual show from the Miami MLS Futbolito event to officially kick off the 2009 grassroots series.

"MLS Futbolito truly represents and supports MLS' overarching goal to connect the soccer community with our league and our clubs," said Marco Liceaga, Major League Soccer's Director of Marketing. "Celebrating its seventh year, MLS Futbolito has evolved to become a staple in each of the respective markets and a must-attend event for the entire family."

Among the highlights, for the first time in the tour's history, the New England Revolution will offer New England-area fans the unique opportunity to participate in MLS Futbolito on the actual pitch at Gillette Stadium. It will take place just prior to the Revolution's first group round match in the 2009 edition of SuperLiga.

In 2009, Major League Soccer will recognize Hispanic community leaders across the United States. The new initiative, Distinguished Hispanics, will be run in conjunction with MLS Futbolito and initially will be hosted in nine markets by the local MLS team to identify 10 winners. In each market, three candidates will be chosen by the local MLS team and will be presented to the MLS Latin American Advisory Board for review and selection. Winners will be decided on their merits within the local soccer community. The winner in each market will receive a commemorative plate and a financial contribution to support one of their community initiatives. Further program details are below.

In 2008, MLS Futbolito experienced great growth, with an average of 1,000 players in each city. Events in Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, New York and Phoenix were sold out, setting new high marks for single-day team registration in each city. Since its inaugural year of 2003, there has been a 40% percent increase in total player participation in MLS Futbolito.

Soccer legends and TV personalities who have assisted and participated in MLS Futbolito in the past include former World Cup legends Marco Etcheverry, Teofilo Cubillas, George Weah, Carlos Valderrama, Mauricio Cienfuegos and Noticiero Univision's lead anchor Jorge Ramos.

In addition to MLS Futbolito presenting sponsor Panasonic, associate level partners include adidas, Glidden, Makita, Pepsi, The Home Depot VISA, Volkswagen and Xbox 360.

For further information about MLS Futbolito, visit the event's revamped official site: www.MLSFutbolito.com.

Below is the 2009 Futbolito schedule, including park addresses, as well as the official competition format and registration information.

2009 MLS Futbolito Schedule

Saturday, June 6 - New York City

Flushing Meadows Corona Park

111 54th Ave.

Flushing, NY 11365

Sunday, June 14 - Miami, Florida

Kendall Soccer Park

8011 SW 127th Ave.

Miami, FL 33183

Saturday, June 20 - New England

Gillette Stadium

1 Patriot Place, Foxborough

Foxborough, MA 02035

Saturday, June 27 - Philadelphia

Showalter Middle School

1100 West 10th street

Chester, PA 19013

Saturday, July 11 - Washington, DC

Maryland SoccerPlex

18031 Central Park Circle

Boyds, MD 20841

Saturday, July 18 - Columbus

Rhodes Park

1818 W. Broad St,

Columbus, OHý 43223

Saturday, July 25 - Salt Lake City

West Jordan Park

7876 S 4000 W,

West Jordan, UT 84084

Saturday, August 8 - Houston

Bear Creek Sports Complex

3535 War Memorial Dr.

Houston, TX 77084

Saturday, August 15 - Los Angeles

(hosted by Los Angeles Galaxy)

Rose Bowl - Brookside Park

360 North Arroyo Avenue

Pasadena, CA 91103

Saturday, August 22 - Chicago

Riis Park

6100 W. Fullerton Ave.

Chicago, IL 60639

Saturday, September 12 - Los Angeles

(hosted by Chivas USA)

Bell Gardens Sports Complex

8000 Park Ln.

Bell Gardens, CA 90201

Saturday, September 19 - San Jose

Independence HS

1776 Educational Park Dr.

San Jose, CA 95133

Saturday, September 26 - Dallas

Pizza Hut Park

9200 World Cup Way

Frisco, TX 75034

Competition Format and Registration Information

The 4-v-4 tournament is open to players of all ages, abilities and affiliations. Team rosters can consist of up to seven players (four field players and three substitutes) and each team will play in round-robin action, with the possibility of advancing to the single-elimination championship playoff.

Teams registered for the competition will be divided according to age groups and competitive levels with winners in each division receiving prizes. In addition to the games, each registered player will receive a ticket to an MLS match (in applicable markets), a Futbolito t-shirt, and the chance to win prizes from the presenting sponsors as well as associate sponsors.

More information on the competitions and events in both English and Spanish can be found on the official web site for Futbolito: www.MLSFutbolito.com. Teams can register for competitions, obtain complete lists of all rules and regulations and learn about the competition dates and locations. Additionally, interested participants with questions can call toll-free at +1-888-MLS-FUTBOLITO. The entrance fee is $150 per team for those competing in the Adult Premier Division and $120 per team for all other participants.

Distinguished Hispanics: New MLS initiative

In 2009, Major League Soccer will recognize Hispanic community leaders across the United States. The new initiative, titled Distinguished Hispanics (Hispanos Distinguidos in Spanish), will be run in conjunction with MLS Futbolito and initially will be hosted in nine markets by the local MLS team and LAAB members to identify 10 winners: Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles (2 winners: one initiative run by the LA Galaxy, the other by Chivas USA), Miami, New York, Salt Lake City, San Jose and Seattle. In each market, three candidates will be chosen by the local MLS team and will be presented to the MLS Latin American Advisory Board for review and selection. Winners will be decided on their merits within the local soccer community. Criteria includes: a) number of years involved in the community, 2) projects and reach, 3) growth of soccer and participants in their market, and 4) support of the local MLS team. The winner in each market will receive a commemorative plate and a financial contribution to support one of their community initiatives. Interested individuals should contact their local MLS team for further information or visit www.MLSFutbolito.com

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