Major League Soccer, US Soccer to team up with IMG

Major League Soccer (MLS) and U.S. Soccer have partnered with IMG, a global leader in sport and entertainment, to market and distribute global media rights for the two soccer organizations for the next eight years.

The long-term agreement, from 2015-2022, includes MLS and U.S. Men’s and Women’s National Team matches played on American soil; as well as qualifying games for two World Cup cycles. It excludes media rights within the U.S. and Canada. IMG will market the rights across all platforms including digital and gaming.

New England Revolution midfielder Lee Nguyen Voted MLS Player of the Week

New England Revolution midfielder Lee Nguyen was voted Major League Soccer Player of the Week by the North American Soccer Reporters (NASR) for Week 32 of the 2014 MLS regular season.

Lee Nguyen netted a brace for the Revolution in their 2-1 win over Eastern Conference opponents the Houston Dynamo.

Nguyen’s first goal came in the 65th minute of the match. After receiving a clever through ball from Revolution midfielder Jermaine Jones up the left side of the penalty area, Kevin Alston picked out Nguyen at the top of the box. With a shifty move to create space, the Revs midfielder curled his shot into the right upper 90 to bring the teams level at 1-1.

MLS highlights - Week 33

In the final 90 minutes of the MLS regular season, there is much still to be played for. One of the marquee matches this week will see the Seattle Sounders host the LA Galaxy in a game that will determine the winner of the Supporters’ Shield (2:30 p.m. ET, NBC, TSN2). It will be the second meeting for the two teams in under a week. The Sounders and Galaxy drew 2-2 at the StubHub Center in a pyrotechnic clash on Sunday which saw the away team rally back from a two goal deficit. A win or a tie on Saturday will award Sigi Schmid’s men the Supporters’ Shield for the first time in club’s history. The LA Galaxy will require a win to secure the franchise’s fifth Shield. Earlier this year, Donovan and Co. were able to come away with all three points against the Sounders at CenturyLink Field following a 0-3 win thanks to goals from Gyasi Zardes, Donovan and Stefan Ishizaki.

Portland Timbers midfielder Diego Valeri voted Major League Soccer Player of the Week

Portland Timbers midfielder Diego Valeri was voted Major League Soccer Player of the Week by the North American Soccer Reporters (NASR) for Week 31 of the 2014 MLS regular season.

Diego Valeri scored two goals in the Timbers’ crucial 3-0 win over the San Jose Earthquakes on Wednesday night to keep them in the playoff hunt.

Valeri’s first goal came in the 51st minute of the game after a penalty was called for a foul on Rodney Wallace. The Argentinean midfielder stepped up and curled the ball into the upper right side of the net as Earthquakes goalie Jon Busch went the other way.

In the 73rd minute, Valeri scored his second of the night and sealed the win for the Timbers. Valeri started a counter attack down the right wing then played a pass for fellow midfielder Darlington Nagbe who found Rodney Wallace making a run on the left side of the box. Wallace’s shot was blocked by Busch, but spilled out to the feet of Valeri who tapped it into the back of the net.

The Timbers will host Real Salt Lake on Friday, October 17 at 10:00 p.m. ET on NBCSN.