MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER

Double Encore is Major League Soccer’s mobile partner. MLS MatchDay 2011 for iPhone, iPad, and Android brings the game to soccer fans and sets the bar for sports apps…

MLS selected Double Encore in summer 2010 to craft the experience for it’s first mobile application– an iPhone app. We spent the first few weeks learning about MLS and their fans. We learned that MLS fans are incredibly passionate and loyal. We started designing an experience focused on team loyalty and capturing aspects of the in-stadium atmosphere– favorite team selection, home team chants, satellite views of the stadium, and interactive maps to local pubs. The app also included all real-time scores, push notifications, news, and on-demand video highlights. The iPhone app was immensely popular among fans, who praised MLS’s entry into mobile with a 5-star rating App Store – an incredibly difficult achievement for a free application.

In 2011, we expanded the MLS mobile portfolio by introducing MLS MatchDay 2011 for Android and iPad. The Android app brought the same great features of the iPhone app to Android users. As the season evolved, we refined the user experience to be consistent with what Android users expect– which meant stripping away iPhone metaphors.

The flagship of the 2011 portfolio was the stunning new iPad app– perhaps the most immersive experience of any sports app available today. MLS MatchDay 2011 for iPad brought Match Day Live to the iPad, giving fans another way watch live games. Plus, with Apple’s new AirPlay technology, fans could stream games live from their iPhone to a big screen TV with Apple TV. MatchDay for iPad implemented this technology so well, that Apple featured the application on its AirPlay demo videos in early 2011.

The past two seasons have been a great start, but the MLS and DE teams are working on some fantastic new products for 2012 that fans are going to love.