Today is the day thousands of aspiring young soccer players have been waiting for, as pre-registration opens for Sueño MLS 2012 – presented by Allstate, the premier nationally televised search for the best undiscovered soccer talent in America.
Starting this afternoon, Sunday, March 25, at 2:00 p.m. PT (4:00 p.m. CT), hopefuls will be able to register via www.SuenoMLS.com for an opportunity to participate in one of three open tryouts. The competition and personal stories will be chronicled by Univision Network’s popular weekly sports entertainment program, “República Deportiva” (Sports Republic).
Now in its sixth year, Sueño MLS 2012 – presented by Allstate will be staged by three MLS teams, including first-time host, Seattle Sounders FC, as well as returning hosts FC Dallas and Chivas USA. Up to 500 tryout spots will be made available at each city on a first come, first served basis. In past years, spots have filled up in only a few hours following the start of registration. A waiting list will be available for those who are not able to register for the initial spots.
In each city, field players will be battling for one of five invitations to a week-long trial with their respective youth development host club and a ticket to the exciting four-day “Final Event” which will be staged in the greater Los Angeles area and be hosted by MLS and Argentina soccer legend Guillermo Barros Schelotto. The finals will include training sessions, scrimmages, guest celebrity scouts, and an opportunity to meet some of the League’s biggest stars. The ultimate champion will be crowned on Sunday, May 13, live on “República Deportiva” (see calendar below for more information). “Republica Deportiva” host and former Mexican national team goalkeeper, Félix Fernández, will also be onsite to participate in select Sueño MLS events.
Returning to Sueño MLS for a second year is the Allstate “Good Hands®” top goalkeeper award – El Portero Allstate. One goalkeeper at each of the three local tryouts will be selected as the top goalkeeper and will compete in the finals on Univision’s “Republica Deportiva” on Sunday, May 13th for the opportunity to be named El Portero Allstate and train with an MLS team. El Portero Allstate will be selected in conjunction with the winner of the Sueño MLS 2012 – presented by Allstate, and mentored by Mexican goalkeeping legend Adolfo Rios. For more information on El Portero Allstate, go to www.suenomls.com.
“As a proud MLS supporter, Allstate is pleased to be the presenting sponsor of Sueño MLS and part of the search for the best undiscovered soccer talent” said Lisa Cochrane, Allstate’s senior vice president of marketing. “We are also excited to bring back El Portero Allstate, our “Good Hands®” award presented to the top goalkeeper, the one who protects his team’s goal from the opponents. At Allstate, we celebrate protection in soccer and in life because we’re committed to protecting people to put them in Good Hands®.”
Airing nationally every Sunday at 10:55 a.m. ET/10 a.m. CT/1 p.m. PT, Univision Network’s “República Deportiva,” the highest-rated weekly sports show on Spanish-language television, will follow the action weekly in a unique “reality show within a show” format.
Since its inception in 2007, Sueño MLS has given thousands of talented young athletes a chance to showcase their skills and impress youth development scouts. The original winner, forward Jorge Villafaña (formerly Jorge Flores) of Anaheim, Calif., is now in his sixth year with MLS’ Chivas USA. He is also part of the current roster for the United States Under-23 National Team. The 2008 FC Dallas Sueño MLS winner, Gabriel Funes Mori, played with the FC Dallas Juniors U-18 team before moving on to Argentina’s legendary side River Plate, where he plays alongside his twin brother Jose, a Dallas Sueño MLS finalist that same year.
Tryouts for Sueño MLS 2012 – presented by Allstate, kick-off the weekend of Saturday, April 14, with two days of open tryouts in Frisco, TX, home of FC Dallas. The program then moves to Seattle on April 21-22 and on to LA-based Chivas USA April 28-29. Specific tryout locations will be announced at a later date. The “Final Event” will take place May 9-13, at the Home Depot Center in Carson, CA, where League scouts and celebrity guests, including Barros Schelotto and Rios, will be on hand to provide guidance and select the ultimate winner in front of a live Univision national television audience on Sunday, May 13.
