• by Karl Greenberg , June 11, 2013

Chevrolet has been busier on the soccer field than just about any auto brand lately. In addition to having a multi-year deal with super-team Manchester United that will ultimately result in the Chevy bowtie being emblazoned on team jerseys, the GM division also recently signed a deal with reigning MLS Cup champs AEG's Los Angeles Galaxy. 

The company has now also signed up with the United States Soccer Federation for a three-year sponsorship deal that makes Chevrolet the Official Partner of U.S. Soccer. The organization is the governing body for a lot of soccer programs in the U.S., and manages such global teams as the U.S. National Men’s and Women’s Teams, Youth National Teams, Men’s and Women’s Olympic teams and the Development Academy.

Chevy, which sponsors the One World Futbol Project, also has its name on another global cause initiative, Chevy Youth Soccer -- which, per GM’s largest brand, involves close to 1,000 dealers and 850,000 youths throughout the U.S.

The One World Futbol project involves distribution of a nearly indestructible football to around a million and a half youth in war zones, refugee camps, disaster areas, and underprivileged communities, per Chevy.  

Soccer probably will supersede MLB and NFL if the benchmark ESPN Sports Poll is accurate. The poll last year said soccer is America's second-most-popular sport after the NFL for those ages 12-24. It is also the favorite sport of the fastest-growing demographic in the U.S. -- Hispanics. 

Chevrolet isn't alone on the field. Hyundai Motor Co and Kia Motors Corp have sponsorship of the UEFA (Union of European Football Associations) competitions until 2017, and also sponsored the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa. They are also Official Automotive Partner of FIFA until 2022. Toyota has served as presenting sponsor of the FIFA Club World Cup.

In 2010 Volkswagen of American signed a five-year sponsorship deal that with MLS team D.C. United that put the VW logo on their jerseys, branding at RFK Stadium where they play and advertising during broadcasts of their games. Globally, the automaker also backs the 22-country youth league tournament Junior Masters, the U.S. finals of which will be in Kansas City next month.  

Ford has backed U.S. Club Soccer. And for a three-year stint that started last year, Jeep -- a quintessentially American brand -- is sponsoring an Italian soccer club, Turin, Italy's Juventus. Juventus says it has nearly 300 million fans around the world. Jeep and soccer? Well, Fiat owns Chrysler, and the Agnelli family founded -- and owns a major stake in -- Fiat, and also owns Juventus.