Fred Dreier

Major League Soccer officials expect Wednesday’s AT&T MLS All-Star Game at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, N.J., to have the largest sponsor activation and branding campaigns of any event in the league’s 15-year history. All 23 league partners will activate around the game, which will pit MLS’s top players...

Competitor Group Inc., which owns the successful Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon series, has acquired the SunTrust National Marathon and half marathon races in DC. The races in ’12 will be called the SunTrust Rock ‘n’ Roll USA Marathon and CareFirst Rock ‘n’ Roll USA Half Marathon, and will be...

Longtime Devils play-by-play announcer Mike Emrick has signed an exclusive contract to call games for NBC/Versus. Emrick, who has called Devils games for 21 years on MSG Network, wrote a letter to his fans on the Devils official website where he explained the move. “I...

Medical insurance company UnitedHealthcare has signed on as a founding partner of the inaugural USA Pro Cycling Challenge stage race in Colorado, which runs Aug. 22-28. The insurance company will serve as presenting sponsor of the opening stage of the race. It will also be the presenting sponsor of...

The Montreal Impact will not start their inaugural MLS season at Saputo Stadium, team officials announced yesterday. Due to “unsatisfying results regarding proposal bids” the team has pushed back the opening of the stadium -- which is set to grow from 13,000 to 20,000 seats -- from March '12...

Another private equity firm is diving into the triathlon space. Leonard Green & Partners, which controls $9 billion in investments, is backing a new group of races called the HITS Triathlon Series. ...

The MLS Fire will play a friendly against Mexico club Chivas de Guadalajara on Sept. 14 at Toyota Park. Miller Lite is presenting sponsor of the event, and Soccer United Marketing is working with the Fire to promote the game. The match marks only the second time the Fire has played...

The Los Angeles Kings hope to introduce the rambunctious culture of soccer-style supporters to NHL clubs. The Kings have set aside a 500-seat section behind the goal in the lower bowl at Staples Center that will house the team’s new supporters club, which has yet to be named....

Clive Toye remembers when attracting Europe’s premier soccer clubs to play in North America cost little more than the average price of a U.S. home. Toye, who brought over European clubs in the 1970s and 1980s, said the highest appearance fee he ever paid a club was $100,000 to...

The MLS Earthquakes today will announce a new multiyear partnership with Wells Fargo. The S.F.-based bank will sponsor the team’s Goals for Education campaign, which donates $250 to local education programs for every goal scored by the Earthquakes, as well as the Soccer Mom of the Match award. The...