Chivas, MLS and Univision Team for 'Sueno MLS'

• MLSNet, Monday, January 29, 2007 3:09 PM

Taking a page out of Chelsea's playbook, Chivas USA, along with Major League Soccer and Univision, is set to launch a television reality competition featuring aspiring players hopeful of earning a contract with Chivas. Called Sueno MLS, and marketed specifically towards the L.A. area's large Hispanic population, the tryout is open to any player age 16 or older. All they have to do is be one of the first 2,000 people to sign up on the Sueno MLS Web site.

Tryouts begin Feb 16 at Chivas USA's training center in Bell Gardens, Calif.; 60 players will make the first round of cuts, while a total of 24 will make it to the third round. Segments of the competition's progress will air on Univision's weekly report, "República Deportiva," the highest rated sports program on Spanish-language TV, according to MLS. The winner will be announced on March 25.

This could prove to be a great move for MLS, Chivas and Univision. First, the segments should generate more publicity for the league in the crucial Latin American market; second, Chivas was badly in need of a publicity boost (especially in its core market) in the wake of the Galaxy's Beckham signing; third, the competition is a constant reminder to República Deportiva's big audience that MLS games will be showed on Univision and Univision's TeleFutura network. Also, as news segments, the competition doesn't have the added pressure of being its own show.

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