MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER 420 Fifth Avenue, 7th Floor New York, New York 10018 Phone (212) 450-1200 Fax (212) 450-1300 www.MLSnet.com DON GARBER MLS Commissioner COMMISSIONER'S OFFICE INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS Commissioner Don Garber Exec. VP of International Business & Special Events Will Wilson Deputy Commissioner Ivan Gazidis Director, International Business Orlando Conguta President, MLS Mark Abbott Manager, International Business Take Nakamura President, SUM Doug Quinn Consultant, International Business and Operations Thom Meredith Exec. VP, MLS JoAnn Neale Chief Financial Officer Sean Prendergast LEGAL Sr. VP, Strategic Business Development Nelson Rodriguez VP Business and Legal Affairs William Z. Ordower Special Asst. to the Commissioner Ali Curtis Legal Counsel Jennifer Duberstein Exec. Asst. to the Commissioner Cynthia Carvajal Associate Legal Counsel Brett Lashbrook Exec. Asst. to Mark Abbott & Ivan Gazidis Ashley Drezner Administrator, Legal Jasmin Rivera BROADCASTING BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT Executive Producer, Broadcasting/SUM Michael Cohen Executive VP, SUM Kathryn Carter Director, Broadcasting Larry Tiscornia Senior Director, Hispanic Business Michael Gandler Manager, Broadcasting Jason Saghini Senior Director, Business Development Gil Larsen Coordinator, Broadcasting Johanna Rojas Manager, Online Sales & Business Development Steve Nunez Manager, Business Development Courtney Carter COMMUNICATIONS AND MLS INTERNET NETWORK Executive Assistant, SUM Monique Beau Sr. VP, Marketing and Communications Dan Courtemanche Executive Assistant, SUM Alyssa Enverga Director, Communications Will Kuhns Director, International Communications Marisabel Munoz PARTNERSHIP MARKETING Manager, Sports Communications Stephen Rodriguez VP, Partnership Marketing David Wright Manager, Corporate Communications Sean Dennison Director, Partnership Marketing Camilo Durano Coordinator, International Communications Ben Spencer Director, Partnership Marketing Russell Sargeant Coordinator, New Media Public Relations Susan Marschall Coordinator, Partnership Marketing Emily Behncke Editorial Consultant, MLS Communications Rick Lawes Account Executive, Partnership Marketing Sara Toussaint Consultant, International Communications Gabriel Gabor Account Executive, Partnership Marketing Brett Gaudin General Manager Baseball Advanced Media (BAM) Martin Keely MARKETING & CONSUMER PRODUCTS DIRECTORY FINANCE & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY VP, Marketing and Consumer Products Stu Crystal STAFF STAFF Director, Payroll & Tax Walter Konopka Director, Marketing Marco Liceaga Accounting Manager Yesenia Martinez Retail Manager, Consumer Products Carly Williamson Manager, Financial Analysis & Reporting Josh Neier Manager, Marketing Charlie Shin Coordinator, Finance Edwin Fernandez Manager, Community Relations Jan Greenberg Coordinator, Accounts Payable Camille Carillo Director, Fan Development Neel Shah Staff Accountant Avina Ramnarine Account Executive, Fan Development Jerome Rankine Staff Accountant Dustin Smith Director, Creative Richard Levy Director, Information Technology John Sullivan Manager, Design Thibault Chevillard Coordinator, Information Technology Christian Barris Graphic Designer Sergio Delgado Consultant, Finance Alex Goldberg Ambassador, Fan Development Mark Santel Ambassador, Fan Development Dante Washington GAME OPERATIONS Senior Director, Operations Evan Dabby SPECIAL EVENTS Manager, Game Operations Jef Thiffault VP, Special Events Geoffrey Hayes Manager, Operations Jeremy Lisch Director, Special Events Jen Maurillo Coordinator, Operations Luis Rodriguez Manager, Special Events Lindsay Nevins Consultant, Operations Diane Johnson Coordinator, Special Events Christie Lenox Consultant, Operations Jan Osborne SOCCER AND PLAYER DEVELOPMENT HUMAN RESOURCES & ADMINISTRATION Exec. VP, Player Relations & Competition Todd Durbin Director, Human Resources & Administration Susie Goldsmith Senior Director, Player Personnel Lino DiCuollo Coordinator, Human Resources & Administration Donna Martinez Director, Player Programs Alfonso Mondelo Benefits Manager Yanick Sohan Manager, Player Personnel Jessica Minetti Office Administrator Georgia Crosby Coordinator, Player Personnel Vanessa DiLiddo Receptionist Catherine Irick Asst. to Commissioner's Office for On-Field Competition Joe Machnik TEAM SERVICES Head of Team Services Paul Mott VP, Team Services Brad Pursel Senior Director, Team Services Bryant Pfeiffer 180 2008 MLS FACT SHEET WHAT Major League Soccer is the top-flight professional soccer league in the United States and was founded in 1996, after the country hosted the 1994 FIFA World Cup. Entering its 13th season in 2008, MLS is experiencing a period of growth highlighted by expansion, the construction of soccer-spe- cific stadiums, and the addition of new investors. The San Jose Earthquakes join as an expansion team beginning in 2008, Seattle will be home to an expansion team in 2009, and the League aims to have 16 teams by 2010. TEAMS EASTERN CONFERENCE WESTERN CONFERENCE Chicago Fire Chivas USA Columbus Crew Colorado Rapids D.C. United FC Dallas Kansas City Wizards Houston Dynamo New England Revolution Los Angeles Galaxy New York Red Bulls Real Salt Lake Toronto FC San Jose Earthquakes Seattle begins play in 2009; its conference will be announced at a later date. SEASON o The 2008 MLS regular season opens March 29 and ends Oct. 26. The MLS Cup Playoffs begin Oct 30. MLS Cup 2008, the League’s champi- onship game, will take place Nov. 23 at The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif. o In 2008 the 14 MLS teams will each play a 30-game regular season and eight teams will advance to the MLS Cup Playoffs. The top three teams in each conference, plus two “wild cards” with the most points after 30 games, regardless of conference, will qualify. The team that finish- es with the most regular season points is awarded the Supporters’ Shield and earns an automatic bid to the annual CONCACAF Champions Cup tournament. o More than 33 million fans have attended regular season games in MLS’ 12-season history. o MLS set an all-time attendance record in 2007 as 3.27 million fans attended regular season games. o In the 2007 Sierra Mist MLS All-Star Game, the MLS All-Stars defeated Scottish Premier League champion Celtic FC, 2-0, at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park, home of the Colorado Rapids. MLS is now 4-0 against international opponents in All-Star Games. o In 2008, eight of the 14 teams will play in soccer-specific stadiums that were custom built for MLS teams during the past seven years. (More on stadiums below). PLAYERS o The 2006 U.S. World Cup 23-man roster featured 11 MLS players (at the time of the tournament) and 18 players with MLS experience. o At the end of the 2007 regular season, MLS had 130 players born outside the United States, representing 53 different countries. o A list of notable MLS players follows: o Juan Pablo Ángel (New York Red Bulls): Colombian National Team forward was a standout with Aston Villa in England before joining the Red Bulls as a Designated Player in 2007. o David Beckham (Los Angeles Galaxy): Former Real Madrid/Manchester United midfielder and English national team standout joined the Galaxy in 2007 as the team’s Designated Player. o Cuauhtémoc Blanco (Chicago Fire): One of the most popular athletes in Mexico, Blanco is a regular for his national team and joined the Fire in 2007 as their Designated Player. o Brian Ching (Houston Dynamo): One of the best attacking players in the air in MLS, the Hawaiian native was a member of the 2006 U.S. World Cup team. SHEET o Jimmy Conrad (Kansas City Wizards): Veteran defender was a standout for the U.S. World Cup team in Germany in 2006. 2008 FACT o Dwayne De Rosario (Houston Dynamo): De Rosario, from Scarborough, Ontario, is one of the League’s most exciting and dangerous play- makers. He is the only two-time MLS Cup MVP winner. o Landon Donovan (Los Angeles Galaxy): Turning 26 in March, he began the year tied for the most career goals (34) for the U.S. Men’s National Team and is considered the best American player today. o Luciano Emilio (D.C. United): The 2007 winner of the Budweiser Golden Boot for most goals and the Honda MVP, this Brazilian striker became the first player since 2002 to score 20 goals in a season. o Marcelo Gallardo (D.C. United): Dynamic attacker twice represented Argentina at the World Cup, led Monaco to the French League title and helped River Plate win the Copa Libertadores. o Christian Gómez (Colorado Rapids): Clever Argentine midfielder was the 2006 MLS Honda MVP. o Taylor Twellman (New England Revolution): The 2005 MLS MVP and Budweiser Golden Boot winner. Twellman has scored more MLS goals (91) than any player since he joined the League in 2002. TELEVISION o MLS has secured long-term national television agreements with ABC and ESPN, Univision, HDNet, Fox Soccer Channel and Fox Sports en Español. o All MLS teams have regional television agreements. o Every MLS match will be televised in 2008, either nationally or regionally. 181 INVESTORS Major League Soccer is structured as a single, limited liability company (single-entity). In the single-entity business structure, club operators own a financial stake in the league, not just their individual team. The MLS investors are: o Phil Anschutz & the Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG): Investor-operator of the Houston Dynamo and Los Angeles Galaxy (other domestic sports business ventures include the Staples Center, The Home Depot Center, the NBA’s Los Angeles Lakers and the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings). o The Hunt Family (Hunt Sports Group): Investor-operator