U.S. Soccer Rolls Out Interactive Social Destination for 2014 FIFA World Cup

DENVER, June 17, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- U.S. Soccer is taking the digital pitch with all the major social network players on the field in time for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. Through a partnership with Wayin, the social intelligence company, the U.S. Men's National Soccer Team will harness the conversations and photos from Twitter, Vine, Facebook and Instagram in one comprehensive fan experience(ussoccer.com/social).

The destination will launch Monday at noon, June 16, ahead of the USA vs Ghana match taking place at 6 p.m. EST and uniquely visualize the massive volume of conversations pertaining to the team, its players and related game action. The fan page will include real-time features to show which players are being talked about at any given time, and include trending visualizations of the tweets per minute around each game, so fans can better experience the spikes in activity during key moments during the game.

"The World Cup will be discussed in most every coffee shop, corner store and digital platform around the world this year. Now we can harness some of that energy across important social platforms in one amazing experience," said Neil Buethe Senior Manager of Communications for U.S. Soccer. "We are excited to give our fans even more to talk about and an even greater reason to share."

In order to handle the massive amount of social activity across all social networks, U.S. Soccer chose Wayin, one of only two companies in the world with enhanced API access to Facebook and Instagram and access to the entirety of Twitter and Vine activities. The social technology platform gives digital producers moderation tools and filters to surface content from the most influential participants, the most compelling contributors and a wide variety of locations, while ensuring content is both relevant and appropriateness for all ages.

"It's an honor to help the American team amplify the voice of the fans and the excitement of the cup," said Wayin chief executive, Elaine Wood. "The sports industry as a whole is quickly realizing simple innovations can go a long way to foster fan engagement and deliver better ROI to sponsors. Wayin has helped major sports leagues and their franchises leverage social data to augment the fan experience across multiple platforms and in venues around the world."

More about U.S. Soccer
Founded in 1913, U.S. Soccer is the non-for-profit, governing body of soccer in the United States and has helped chart the course for the game for more than 100 years. During this time, the Federation's mission statement has been clear and simple: to make soccer, in all its forms, a pre-eminent sport in the United States and to continue the development of soccer at all recreational and competitive levels. To that end, the sport's development and growth in the United States during the past 25 years has been nothing short of remarkable as U.S. Soccer's National Teams have continually succeeded on the world stage and, with the assistance of its members, the fan support and participation in the game continues to reach new heights. For more information, visit ussoccer.com.

More About Wayin
Wayin is a social intelligence company that integrates social content into new experiences for consumers and delivers greater value and control for brands. Wayin provides the ability to aggregate, curate, integrate and measure social content and data in real-time allowing companies of all sizes to extend and derive new value from their social marketing and communication efforts. Dedicated to bringing clarity to every aspect of social business, Wayin clients include leading global brands, sports teams, TV networks and advertising agencies.

Started by Scott McNealy, the former Sun Microsystems co-founder and CEO, Wayin is led by key Sun Microsystems alumni, as well as top digital and media industry veterans.  Wayin is based in Denver with offices in NYC, San Francisco, Palo Alto, Atlanta, as well as having an international presence in Japan, Argentina, Brazil and Hong Kong.

Media Contact:
Melissa Hourigan of Fabric Media [email protected] 720-988-3856
Jason Damata of Fabric Media [email protected] 917.279.8706

SOURCE Wayin