U.S. Soccer Federation And Chipotle Sign Multi-Year Partnership Extension
Long-Term Partnership Will Prioritize Collaboration to Make Soccer the Preeminent Sport in the United States While Supporting Chipotle’s Real Food for Real Athletes Campaign
CHICAGO (June 9, 2022) – The U.S. Soccer Federation today announced a multi-year partnership extension with Chipotle Mexican Grill, continuing the strategic partnership that originally began in 2020 to make Chipotle the official Mexican Restaurant of the U.S. Women’s and Men’s National Teams.
“We’re thrilled to continue our partnership with Chipotle and build on our partnership’s incredible foundation,” U.S. Soccer Chief Commercial Officer David Wright said. “Together, we have the opportunity to drive cultural influence and awareness by bringing healthy, sustainably sourced food and the sport of soccer together as we look to support each other’s missions.”
As part of the agreement, Chipotle will remain the title sponsor of U.S. Soccer’s annual Chipotle Young Female and Young Male Player of the Year awards, which USWNT forward Trinity Rodman and USMNT forward Ricardo Pepi won in 2021. In recognition of their accomplishments, Chipotle rewarded Rodman and Pepi with free Chipotle for a year; a new benefit which will continue to be a component for award winners in the future as U.S. Soccer and Chipotle aim to build upon and enhance the honors.
Last year, the voting process for the Chipotle Young Female and Young Male Player of the Year awards was opened to fans via ussoccer.com for the first time. The fan vote accounted for 15 percent of the overall tally, with the rest coming from National Team players, coaches, media and other related constituencies.
“We are embarking on a golden age of soccer in the United States,” said Chris Brandt, Chief Marketing Officer of Chipotle. “Chipotle is incredibly proud to support our country’s top athletes as our Women’s and Men’s national teams continue to make a serious impact on the international stage.”
In addition, Chipotle will bring U.S. Soccer fans closer to their favorite National Team players via digital content collaborations like the Unwrapped series featuring USMNT midfielders Christian Pulisic and Weston McKennie.
U.S. Soccer will continue to champion Chipotle’s “Real Food for Real Athletes” campaign, which is focused on helping athletes of all levels – from youth players to Olympians – perform at their best by providing proper nutrition through real food and ingredients for their athletic endeavors. Pulisic and McKennie, along with USWNT midfielder Rose Lavelle and forward Sophia Smith, are Team Chipotle athletes and part of the roster of athletes leading the campaign, which was launched in 2019.
Chipotle will also highlight U.S. Soccer through its in-app rewards and special offers in the lead-up to some of the biggest upcoming international soccer events.