MLS Partners With Second Spectrum For Advanced Data Tracking

• Major League Soccer now has its first official data provider from a partnership with Second Spectrum.
• The data provided by the company will be helpful to MGM Resorts, another partner of the League and their sportsbooks.
• More gambling on soccer matches is expected to be seen by the added data provided during the 2020 season.

NEW YORK – Major League Soccer (MLS) has signed with Second Spectrum in a multi-year deal for the company to act as the League’s first Official Advanced Tracking Data Provider.

This new partnership shows the impact that legal sports betting has had on professional sports organizations. Second Spectrum will be able to provide crucial data for sportsbooks about soccer matchups.

The Partnership

MGM Resorts is already partnered with the MLS and the 2020 season will bring many more opportunities to expand their fanbase with Second Spectrum data. MGM will be able to provide a plethora of new bets for fans to engage in based on the information received from the data provider.

Every single stadium in Major League Soccer has been fully equipped with optical tracking systems. These cameras will be able to track players, referees, and the location of the soccer ball 1,500 times a minute. In conjunction with the camera footage, machines will then take that data and come up with statistics based on the information they’ve received.

The 2020 season will kick off the start of this latest innovation for the sport.

Second Spectrum can also provide the League and MGM sportsbooks with estimations on an athlete’s speed, when they accelerate or decelerate, the speed of the ball by the player, and the possibilities of possession as well as how many goals a player could make in a single game.

All of these calculations are done instantly which could be a very big factor for live in-game betting in terms of the number of bets the sportsbook offers as well as the number of fans that will take part in these bets due to the new official information.

“We’re incredibly excited to partner with MLS and its teams,” said Rajiv Maheswaran, Second Spectrum CEO. “The combination of our new technologies and capabilities with a forward-thinking organization like MLS creates an exciting future of continued growth and innovation together.”

Not only will this new partnership be huge for MLS betting, it will also help in the recruitment of new players for MLS. The statistical data the teams will receive on their players will help them to better understand player performance. The League is just as excited by this deal as Second Spectrum is.

“MLS’s partnership with Second Spectrum sets a new standard for innovation in player-tracking in soccer,” said Chris Schlosser, MLS SVP of Media. “Along with Second Spectrum, MLS will deliver an enhanced new fan experience, bringing innovation to MLS content, while providing MLS clubs and technical staff with new tools to enhance player performance.”

News tags: Chris Schlosser | MGM Resorts | MLS | Rajiv Maheswaran | Second Spectrum