Castrol® Announces Weekly Castrol Index for Major League Soccer for 2012 Season

WAYNE, N.J., April 18, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Castrol, the official sponsor of Major League Soccer (MLS) announced that the Castrol Index for MLS will be updated on a weekly basis. The Castrol Index, a proprietary technology that objectively ranks a player's performance, was launched in 2008 with Castrol's official sponsorship of the UEFA Euro2008™ tournament and is now used the world over—supporting the five major European Leagues and the UEFA Champions League™, in addition to MLS. This innovative tool analyzes and tracks every player's move, providing statistical data and insightful analysis to fans, players and coaches to enhance their engagement with the game. 

"Castrol is thrilled to continue its partnership with Major League Soccer and provide fans with weekly updates to the Castrol Index MLS Rankings during the 2012 season," said Carolyn Eckert, Director of Promotions, Sponsorship and Creative Services. "The Castrol Index builds on our more than 100 years of technology leadership. Castrol is focused on creating the best products and experiences for our consumers." 

Castrol is announcing this change on the heels of a successful inaugural year with MLS by providing an opportunity for fans to connect with the sport through the introduction of the Castrol MLS Index and Castrol MLS Predictor.  With a proprietary technology, these tools ranked player performance and predicted which team would be triumphant at the MLS Cup championship game.  Increasing the frequency of the Castrol Index rankings will ensure fans have the most updated statistics, making the Index more timely and relevant as fans watch for exciting player movement throughout the season. 

"It's a dynamic time for soccer in North America," said David Wright, Senior Vice President of Global Sponsorship, Soccer United Marketing. "Castrol continues to engage fans, players and coaches worldwide and we're excited to see how the weekly Castrol Index rankings will influence fan fodder as they debate who the best player in MLS is throughout the season." 

The Castrol Index will debut the rankings for the 2012 MLS season today, April 18.

To view the full Castrol Index, visit www.MLSsoccer.com/castrolindex.  Fans can also join the Castrol Index discussion on Castrol's Facebook page at www.facebook.com/castrolusa.

About Castrol
BP Lubricants USA Inc. markets premium lubricants and business–building programs directly to independent lube operators, service providers, new car dealers and leading retailers. Our leadership brands include Castrol® GTX® — a premium conventional motor oil; Castrol® GTX® High Mileage™ - a premium synthetic blend designed for vehicles with over 75,000 miles; the Castrol® EDGE ® line of advanced full-synthetic super premium motor oils that offer unsurpassed strength and performance; as well as our range of commercial transport lubricants. To find out more about Castrol products and programs, please call 1–888–CASTROL or log on to www.castrol.com/us.

About Major League Soccer
Headquartered in New York City, Major League Soccer is the top-flight professional soccer league in the United States and Canada. MLS features many stars from the U.S., Canada, and around the world. Major League Soccer's 17th season kicked off March 10 and will feature 19 clubs each playing 34 regular season matches. Those clubs include Chicago Fire; Chivas USA; Colorado Rapids; Columbus Crew; D.C. United; FC Dallas; Houston Dynamo; 2011 MLS Cup champion LA Galaxy; New York Red Bulls; New England Revolution; Philadelphia Union; Portland Timbers; Real Salt Lake; San Jose Earthquakes; Seattle Sounders FC; Sporting Kansas City; Toronto FC; Vancouver Whitecaps FC; and, in their inaugural season, Montreal Impact. For more information about MLS, log on to the League's official website at www.MLSsoccer.com.

About Soccer United Marketing
Founded in 2002, Soccer United Marketing (SUM) is the preeminent soccer business company in North America. SUM holds the exclusive rights to the most important soccer properties in the region, including: all commercial rights to Major League Soccer; the United States Soccer Federation; promotional and marketing rights to Mexican National Team games played in the United States; and the CONCACAF Gold Cup™. SUM also manages promotional and marketing rights in the United States for Mexico's most popular sports team, Club Deportivo Guadalajara (Chivas).

In 2008, SUM entered into a long term partnership with FC Barcelona which includes tours of the legendary Spanish club. In addition, SUM has worked closely with world-renowned clubs such as Manchester United and Real Madrid during their recent North American summer tours.  In early 2009, SUM announced the creation of the SUM Digital Network, the only soccer advertising network of its kind, covering all facets of the sport in the U.S., and which allows advertisers to reach millions of soccer fans via online advertising and sponsorships campaigns. These global properties are represented by SUM's slogan: One Sport. One Company.™ For more information, visit www.SUMworld.com.

SOURCE Castrol