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Castrol Index Releases Latest Major League Soccer Results

NEW YORK, June 6, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Castrol, official sponsor of Major League Soccer (MLS) has released the latest Castrol Index for MLS. The results below reflect all the 2011 MLS season matches through May 29. Thierry Henry of the New York Red Bulls continues to top the leader board.

    Rank Last   Up/  Player        Position    Team           Minutes Score/10
         Month Down
         Rank
                                                New York Red
      1      1     0 Thierry Henry Forward      Bulls             798     9.33
                      Alvaro                    Seattle
      2    157   155  Fernandez     Midfielder  Sounders FC       776     9.27
                                                Portland
      3    178   175 Mamadou Danso Defender     Timbers           720     9.22
      4    140   136 Nat Borchers  Defender    Real Salt Lake     720     9.17
                      Landon
      5    103    98  Donovan      Forward     LA Galaxy          973     9.13
      6      4    -2 Omar Gonzalez Defender    LA Galaxy         1080     9.09
      7      8     1 George John   Defender    FC Dallas         1080     9.05
                      Chris                     San Jose
      8     64    56  Wondolowski  Forward      Earthquakes       981     9.01
                                                New York Red
      9     99    90 Luke Rodgers  Forward      Bulls             739     8.98
      10    52    42 Ugo Ihemelu   Defender    FC Dallas         1018     8.94
                                                Seattle
      11    27    16 Jeff Parke    Defender     Sounders FC       900     8.91

Forwards Thierry Henry and Landon Donovan, who both rank in the top 5, have primarily derived most of their Castrol Index scores from attacking play. While Donovan has scored more goals than Henry, Donovan has scored 8 and Henry 6, Henry has picked up more points than Donovan from shooting and scoring goals while playing less minutes. Comparing shots on target to date, Donovan is trailing Henry. However, Donovan's contribution in terms of good passes has helped him become the 2nd highest ranked Forward on the Castrol Index so far.

Alvaro Fernandez, Midfielder for the Seattle Sounders FC, is ranked second (in the Castrol Index) for May. Fernandez's increase is contributed to being ranked top for "shots on target." Fernandez also ranks 10th for scoring goals and 18th in terms of good passes.

To view the full Castrol Index, visit www.MLSsoccer.com/castrolindex.

"We're excited to watch how the players rank from month to month, and it's always a thrill to see who comes out on top," said Tracy Drelich-Knauer, Associate Promotions & Sponsorship Manager. "We expect to see lots of movement among the player's as the season progresses."

The Castrol Index is updated monthly with the next release scheduled for July 7.

About the Castrol Index

The Castrol Index, a proprietary technology that objectively ranks a player's performance, was launched in 2008 with Castrol's official sponsorship of the UEFA Euro2008(TM) tournament. It was further expanded and refined in partnership with FIFA for the 2010 FIFA World Cup(TM) and is now used the world over -- supporting the 5 major European Leagues and the UEFA Champions League(TM). This innovative tool analyzes and tracks every players move, providing statistical data and insightful analysis to fans, players and coaches to enhance their engagement with the game.

Castrol's team of performance analysts use the latest technology to objectively analyze every match in the 2011 MLS season, logging an average of 1,800 player movements per match. The Castrol Index tracks every move on the field and assesses whether it has a negative or positive impact on a team's ability to score or concede a goal. A key factor for all areas of performance in the Castrol Index is which zone on the pitch the action takes place. The Castrol Index operates on the philosophy that not all passes are created equal; a player's quality is more than just the goals and shots he generates and individual actions have their own merits. Each player is awarded a score out of 10 to determine the best performing players in MLS over the season.

About Castrol

BP Lubricants USA Inc. markets premium lubricants and business-building programs directly to independent lube operators, service providers, new car dealers and leading retailers. Our leadership brands include Castrol® GTX® -- a premium conventional motor oil; Castrol® GTX® High-Mileage(TM) -- a premium synthetic blend designed for vehicles with over 75,000 miles; the Castrol® EDGE ® line of advanced full-synthetic super premium motor oils that offer unsurpassed strength and performance; as well as our range of commercial transport lubricants. To find out more about Castrol products and programs, please call 1-888-CASTROL or log on to www.castrol.com/us.

About Major League Soccer

Headquartered in New York City, Major League Soccer is the top-flight professional soccer league in the United States and Canada. MLS features many stars from the U.S., Canada, and around the world. Major League Soccer's 16th season, which will feature 18 clubs each playing 34 regular season matches, kicked off on Tuesday, March 15, 2011. The 18 clubs are: Chicago Fire; Chivas USA; 2010 MLS Cup champion Colorado Rapids; Columbus Crew; D.C. United; FC Dallas; Houston Dynamo; LA Galaxy; New York Red Bulls; New England Revolution; Philadelphia Union; Real Salt Lake; San Jose Earthquakes; Seattle Sounders FC; Sporting Kansas City; Toronto FC; and, in their inaugural seasons, Portland Timbers and Vancouver Whitecaps. An expansion team in Montreal will debut in 2012. For more information about MLS, log on to the League's official website at www.MLSsoccer.com.

SOURCE Castrol