Blanco named cover athlete for FIFA Soccer 10
Kljestan, Chelsea star Lampard also to be featured on packaging in North America
The popular Chicago midfielder and two-time MLS All-Star won five MVP awards in the Mexican Premier League prior to joining the Chicago Fire. Blanco has represented Mexico at two FIFA World Cups (1998, 2002), and is the second leading goal scorer of all time for the Mexican national team.
At Monday's press conference EA Sports cited Blanco's well-known and unique Cuauhtémiña (CWAU-te-MEEN-YA), or "Blanco Bounce" move where he jumps with the ball held between his feet to escape defenders, which will be a featured skill move in FIFA Soccer 10.
Blanco will be joined on the cover by midfielder Sacha Kljestan of Chivas USA, who enjoyed a breakout season in 2008. In his third year in MLS, Kljestan led Chivas USA in scoring, was named Team MVP, chosen as an MLS All-Star, and played for the United States Olympic Team.
The spotlight will also shine on Chelsea's world-class attacking midfielder Frank Lampard who will be featured on FIFA Soccer 10 packaging in North America and around the world. Lampard is just the second midfield player in the history of English Premier League to score more than 100 goals.
Responding to consumer feedback from more than 400 million online games played* last year, FIFA Soccer 10 will deliver gameplay refinements and innovations that will make it the most complete and intelligent simulation of soccer. The first-ever true 360° dribbling system gives players finer control of the ball, enabling them to find spaces between defenders that previously were not possible. A new Freedom in Physical Play concept enables players to perform wider dribble touches and new collision sharing creates a varied, less predictable, and extended fight for possession between the dribbler and a defender. Master the game before stepping on the pitch in a new practice arena that enables users to design free kicks for different dead ball situations. Record and test plays before taking them onto the pitch with Customizable Set Pieces.
Visit WWW.FIFA.EASPORTS.COM for more information about FIFA Soccer 10. Screenshots and box art of FIFA Soccer 10 are available at http://info.ea.com.
FIFA Soccer 10 is developed in 18 languages and available in 37 countries around the world -- it is the most popular EA SPORTS franchise globally. FIFA Soccer 10 will be available in stores throughout North America on October 20. It will be available for the PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system, Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system, Wii™ home video game system, PC, PlayStation®2, Nintendo DS™, PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) system and mobile. It is developed under the EA SPORTS brand by EA Canada in Burnaby, B.C. The game is rated "E" for Everyone by the ESRB and 3+ by Pegi in Europe.
EA SPORTS™ is the leading interactive sports software brand in the world, with top-selling titles and franchises including Madden NFL football, FIFA Soccer, NHL® hockey, NBA LIVE basketball, NCAA® Football, and Tiger Woods PGA TOUR®.
* Number of games played while connected online between September 2008 and August 1, 2009
ABOUT CHICAGO FIRE SOCCER
Chicago Fire Soccer was founded on October 8, 1997 as a Major League Soccer expansion team. The Fire won the MLS Cup in its inaugural season in 1998 and was crowned the champion of U.S. Soccer's national tournament, the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, in 1998, 2000, 2003 and 2006. In June 2006, the Fire moved into its world-class home of TOYOTA PARK, located in Bridgeview, IL.
ABOUT TOYOTA PARK
Located 15 minutes from downtown Chicago and minutes from Midway airport off of I-55 on Harlem Avenue, TOYOTA PARK is the Midwest's preeminent outdoor live entertainment and sporting facility. Opened in 2006, TOYOTA PARK not only serves as the home of the Chicago Fire, but also hosts a variety of sporting events, special events and concerts by national and international artists. In 2009, artists ranging from Jimmy Buffett to Phish will perform live at TOYOTA PARK.
About Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts Inc. (EA), headquartered in Redwood City, California, is a leading global interactive entertainment software company. Founded in 1982, the Company develops, publishes, and distributes interactive software worldwide for video game systems, personal computers, wireless devices and the Internet. Electronic Arts markets its products under four brand names: EA™, EA SPORTS™, EA Mobile™ and POGO™. In fiscal 2009, EA posted GAAP net revenue of $4.2 billion and had 31 titles that sold more than one million copies. EA's homepage and online game site is www.ea.com. More information about EA's products and full text of press releases can be found on the Internet at http://info.ea.com.EA, EA SPORTS, EA Mobile and POGO are trademarks or registered trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries. Official FIFA licensed product ' © The FIFA brand OLP logo is a copyright and trademark of FIFA. All rights reserved.' Manufactured under licenese by Electronic Arts Inc. Player names and likenesses used under license from FIFA, International Federation of Professional Footballers "(FIFPro)" and national teams. John Madden, NFL, NHL, NBA, NCAA, Tiger Woods and PGA Tour are trademarks of their respective owners and used with permission. Microsoft, Xbox, and Xbox 360 are registered trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies. "PlayStation", "PLAYSTATION" and PSP are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Memory Stick Duo™ may be required (sold separately). Nintendo DS, and Wii are trademarks of Nintendo. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
