As part of MLS Unites, a league-wide platform designed to educate communities, entertain fans and elevate heroic efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic, Major League Soccer unveiled a series of programming focusing on celebrating creativity.
Aiming to rally and inspire the soccer world, MLS Unites programming this week focuses on how clubs, players, coaches, staff, partners and fans are utilizing creative expressions to help bring communities together, all while staying apart, during this unprecedented time. From music playlists and street art, to movies and book recommendations, MLS Unites will celebrate a variety of creative expressions over the next two weeks.
MLS Clubs Examples
Throughout the week, the League and clubs will also have a series of digital content showcasing ways our MLS community is celebrating creativity. A sampling is detailed below, with more to be featured on @MLS, @MLSWORKS, and club social platforms, as well as available HERE.
- D.C. United – Midfielder Felipe Martins of D.C. United and his wife are having fun staying safe at home while dancing.
- Portland Timbers – Diego Valeri shows off his guitar skills with his daughter Connie to raise money for the Oregon Food Bank.
- Sporting Kansas City – From coloring pages and word searches, to mazes, crossword puzzles and jigsaw puzzles, Sporting’s Kid Zone helps the next generation of soccer stars keep their mental game strong during this challenging time.
- Seattle Sounders – Sounders FC invited fans to take part in an opportunity to decorate their walls with truly one-of-a-kind pieces of art. Rave Green goalkeeper Stefan Frei and Roger Bennett (pictured right), co-host of the popular podcast and NBCSN program Men in Blazers, came together to create portraits of one another for auction, with all proceeds supporting the Seattle Sounders FC Relief Fund, which has been established to provide financial support to individuals and small businesses in the neighborhoods surrounding CenturyLink Field that have been impacted by the COVID-19 public health crisis.
MLS Kicks Off League Anthem Album Art Contest
In February, MLS unveiled a new official anthem, created by Grammy- and Oscar-winning composer Hans Zimmer. Today, the League is giving fans the opportunity to design the album art for MLS’ anthem, which is set to be released on streaming platforms later this year.
Fans may enter the content now through May 24 by submitting their album design by posting on Instagram and Twitter, tagging @MLS, and including the hashtag #MLSArtContest in the post. The winner will have his or her artwork featured across all platforms where the anthem is available and win a trip for two to the 2021 MLS All-Star Game presented by Target.
The new anthem will be played during pregame player processions at all MLS matches and it will be the featured audio signature on MLS broadcasts around the globe. For more information on MLS’ League Anthem Album Art Contest, visit mlssoccer.com/rules/2020/mls-anthem-album-art-contest.
Honey Bunches of Oats Teams Up With Houston Dynamos Christian Ramirez for the ‘Score for More’ Campaign
Honey Bunches of Oats, the League’s official cereal partner, and Houston Dynamo forward, Christian Ramirez have teamed up to kick hunger during the COVID-19 pandemic through the Score for More social media campaign benefiting Feed the Children, a leading nonprofit focused on alleviating childhood hunger.
Coinciding with this week’s MLS Unites programming, focused on creativity, Honey Bunches of Oats is calling the soccer community to imagine new ways to score goals while social distancing. To help kick hunger, fans are encouraged to create and share a video of their goal on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter and tag it with #ScoreforMore.
Fans are encouraged to get creative with their goals – trees, cones, garage doors – almost anything can become a goal with a little imagination. For every goal scored, Honey Bunches of Oats will donate $10 to supplement 60 meals through Feed the Children, with the goal of supplementing 300,000 meals.
For more information on Honey Bunches of Oats and MLS’ “Score for More” campaign, visit honeybunchesofoats.com/score-for-more/.
For more information regarding how MLS’ partners are supporting communities during the pandemic, visit mlssoccer.com/mls-partners-unite.
MLS Unites was launched in partnership with the Major League Soccer Players Association. For additional ways the soccer community is celebrating creativity, follow #MLSUnites. For more information on “MLS Unites,” visit MLSsoccer.com/MLSUnites.
