Castrol Index Releases Latest Major League Soccer Results

NEW YORK, Aug. 8, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Castrol, official sponsor of Major League Soccer (MLS), has released the latest Castrol Index for MLS.  The results below reflect all 2011 MLS season games played through July 31st.  Landon Donovan of the LA Galaxy tops the leader board, pulling ahead of the previous leader Thierry Henry of the New York Red Bulls.

Donovan's move up to the top of the leader board in July can be attributed to a number of factors: goals, shots and passes.

Both Donovan and Henry have similar scoring rates.  Both have scored the same number of goals this season, 11 total in the regular season with 3 goals in July, but Donovan has accrued fewer points from goals.  All of Henry's July goals came from open play, while one of Donovan's goals resulted from a penalty shot.  Penalty goals carry less weight in the Castrol Index, because they are statically easier to achieve than from open play.  

In terms of shots-on-target, Henry has scored more points than Donovan so far this season, but in July Donovan overshadowed Henry in on-target shots and closed the point gap.  

Donovan's prowess in "good passes" (successful passes resulting in a position further up the pitch) beats Henry by a considerable margin so far this season, therefore pushing him to the top of the Castrol Index.

To view the full Castrol Index, visit www.MLSsoccer.com/castrolindex.

"It's exciting to watch the month to month results, as rankings shift and players rise and recede," said Tracy Drelich-Knauer, Associate Promotions & Sponsorship Manager.  "We hope the Castrol Index will continue to fuel chatter and debate among soccer fans."  Fans can join the Castrol Index discussion on Castrol's Facebook page at www.facebook.com/castrolusa.

The Castrol Index is updated monthly with the next release scheduled for September 8.

About the Castrol Index

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. It was further expanded and refined in partnership with FIFA for the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ and is now used the world over—supporting the 5 major European Leagues and the UEFA Champions League™. This innovative tool analyzes and tracks every players move, providing statistical data and insightful analysis to fans, players and coaches to enhance their engagement with the game.  

Castrol's team of performance analysts use the latest technology to objectively analyze every match in the 2011 MLS season, logging an average of 1,800 player movements per match.  The Castrol Index tracks every move on the field and assesses whether it has a negative or positive impact on a team's ability to score or concede a goal.  A key factor for all areas of performance in the Castrol Index is which zone on the pitch the action takes place.  The Castrol Index operates on the philosophy that not all passes are created equal; a player's quality is more than just the goals and shots he generates and individual actions have their own merits.  Each player is awarded a score out of 10 to determine the best performing players in MLS over the season.

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 16th season, which will feature 18 clubs each playing 34 regular season matches, kicked off on Tuesday, March 15, 2011. The 18 clubs are: Chicago Fire; Chivas USA; 2010 MLS Cup champion Colorado Rapids; Columbus Crew; D.C. United; FC Dallas; Houston Dynamo; LA Galaxy; New York Red Bulls; New England Revolution; Philadelphia Union; Real Salt Lake; San Jose Earthquakes; Seattle Sounders FC; Sporting Kansas City; Toronto FC; and, in their inaugural seasons, Portland Timbers and Vancouver Whitecaps. An expansion team in Montreal will debut in 2012. For more information about MLS, log on to the League's official website at www.MLSsoccer.com.

SOURCE Castrol