TAG Heuer and Soccer

TAG HEUER “CONNECTS” WITH SOCCER IN NORTH AMERICA BY ANNOUNCING NEW PARTNERSHIP WITH MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER, U.S. SOCCER FEDERATION AND PROFESSIONAL REFEREE ORGANIZATION

PRO Referees to Feature TAG Heuer’s Connected Watch In-Game During All MLS Matches; TAG Heuer to Act as the Official Timekeeper of U.S. Soccer

NEW YORK – TAG Heuer today announced a landmark, long-term partnership agreement with Major League Soccer (MLS) and the U.S. Soccer Federation. The partnership, which commences on the first day of MLS’ 21st season, March 6, 2016, will further establish TAG Heuer’s standing as a worldwide timekeeper for The Beautiful Game and challenge consumers and athletes alike: #DontCrackUnderPressure. 
The partnership is also inclusive of the Professional Referee Organization (PRO), the organization responsible for managing the referee and assistant referee program in professional soccer leagues in the United States and Canada. During MLS games, PRO referees will wear a Connected Watch, the innovative and newly launched smart watch in the TAG Heuer collection and a favorite among athletes. Each MLS referee will also be branded with the TAG Heuer logo on their uniform. Additionally, TAG Heuer will provide and be visible on the substitution board used on the sideline. 

As a premier luxury sports watchmaker, TAG Heuer will act as the Official Watch and Official Timekeeper of MLS and PRO. It will act as the Official Timekeeper of U.S. Soccer. Through the partnership, and by leveraging MLS’ and U.S. Soccer’s passionate and growing fan bases, TAG Heuer strives to further elevate its global status as a worldwide luxury watch brand and provider of unparalleled fan engagement. 
“Soccer is the fastest growing sport in the United States; and it is also most popular amongst the youth demographic, a generation we aim to connect with.” said Kilian Muller, President of TAG Heuer North America. “TAG Heuer is proud to already have a fruitful partnership with Bundesliga, the Professional Association Football League of Germany, and we are very proud to be a part of such an exciting new partnership within the United States and Canada. I am certain that together we will make Major League Soccer and U.S. Soccer louder, stronger, and faster. As a team we won’t crack under pressure.”

“We are excited to welcome TAG Heuer to the North American soccer family,” said MLS Commissioner Don Garber. “This is a premium, world-class brand that has already aligned with other top leagues around the world. We think this partnership can be a catalyst for innovating how time-keeping works in global football. We look forward to working with them for many years to come.”

“TAG Heuer has a long-standing connection to sports and an impressive history of creating precision watches used by high-level athletes across the globe,” said U.S. Soccer President Sunil Gulati. “We’re looking forward to the opportunity to work closely with one of the most innovative luxury brands in the world.”

“PRO and its officials are delighted to be associated with a brand of integrity and accuracy,” said Peter Walton, General Manager, Professional Referee Organization. 
For more information on TAG Heuer and their partnership with MLS and U.S. Soccer, please follow us on Twitter, @TAGHeuer, visit the Tag Heuer Facebook page, www.facebook.com/TAGHeuer, check out our Instagram @tagheuer, or visit our website:http://us.tagheuer.com. 
About TAG Heuer
The Swiss Avant-Garde watchmaker since 1860. Avant-garde is in our culture and philosophy. Our unique heritage is built on pushing boundaries and breaking rules: harnessing mental fortitude to overcome technology restraints and create daring watches with real racing spirit and a performance touch. The brand has marked the history of watchmaking, especially in the field of luxury chronographs with an unequalled mechanical accuracy and establishing our first luxury smartwatch, the Connected Watch. 
The new models reveal a new dynamic in terms of both the fast lead times and a completely transformed environment. TAG Heuer is currently one of the world’s rare watch brands to be able to communicate in the four different worlds: Art, Lifestyle, Sport and Heritage. Our ambassadors, the Red Bull Racing TAG Heuer team, tennis superstar Maria Sharapova, living football legend Cristiano Ronaldo, it-girl Cara Delevingne, electronic music icon David Guetta, and NFL’s powerhouse quarterback Tom Brady, they all reflect common core values of mental strength, disruptive attitude and ambition. Our slogan #DontCrackUnderPressure is far more than a claim – it is a mindset.

About Major League Soccer
Headquartered in New York City, Major League Soccer features 20 clubs throughout the United States and Canada. The 2016 season marks the second year of the most comprehensive U.S. media rights partnership in the history of the league, as eight-year agreements with ESPN, FOX Sports and Univision Deportes have commenced. For more information about MLS, visit www.MLSsoccer.com. 

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.

About Professional Referee Organization
The Professional Referee Organization (PRO) is the organization responsible for managing the referee and assistant referee program in professional soccer leagues in the United States and Canada, working alongside the U.S. Soccer Federation, Major League Soccer, Canadian Soccer Association, the North American Soccer League, United Soccer League PRO, and the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup.
The organization’s targets are to increase the quality of officiating in U.S. and Canadian professional leagues, develop more professional-quality officials at a younger age, and produce officials who will represent the United States and Canada in FIFA competitions.