Since the MLS theme was unveiled in April, Ivan Gazidis said the feedback from fans, players, general managers and league executives has been almost universally positive. And while the song, which is played when the teams and officials march out at the beginning of the game, has achieved its desired effect, the MLS deputy commissioner wanted something more, something better for MLS Cup.
Bring in the chorus.
"We always wanted a choral version for the MLS Cup Final so that there was somewhere for the music to go, there was another step for it to take," Gazidis said. "Having the breadth of voices and having the human element as a part of the music, I believe makes it much more powerful."
So as the New England Revolution and Houston Dynamo prepare for battle at MLS Cup 2007 on Sunday afternoon, they will do so with a more dramatic version of the MLS theme playing at RFK Stadium.
Translated, the chorus, which is sung in Latin, means:
"Victorious warrior,
Persevere
Hold together."
"We feel the choice of those words and the choice of Latin create an almost gladiatorial theme for the sporting contest to come," Gazidis said. "We're very pleased with the way the final piece encapsulates all of the objectives that we had for it when we started."
But why Latin instead of another more familiar language?
"Latin is certainly an unconventional choice of language, but as we thought about it, Latin is the unifying root for many different languages," Gazidis said. "It's the perfect express of diversity with unity at its core. We wanted to have a language that would reflect that."
As they did with the initial theme, MLS went to Audiobrain, a Manhattan-based company that specializes in preparing music for companies, like composing the sound and logo for Microsoft's Xbox 360 and who were music supervisors of NBC's Olympic broadcasts. Audiobrain already had an existing relationship with MLS, having served as music supervisors for MLS on ESPN2 since 2005.
While the original theme was recorded by an 80-piece orchestra in Prague the week before the start of the MLS season, the special, MLS Cup version was recorded last week.
"We wanted the music to be able to go somewhere, to elevate itself, to be even more powerful for MLS Cup," Gazidis said. "I think we achieved that."
The theme is part of the league's "Game First" initiative, which also includes the designated player rule, a change to the playoff format, SuperLiga 2008 qualification for the top four teams and an alteration in the payment of incentive-based bonuses for players, which the league believes will make every game, every moment meaningful.
"It is placing the game and the presentation of the game at the center of our thinking," Gazidis said. "Our idea was to create an original piece of music that would be associated with Major League Soccer wherever it was played. That music would be used as the sound of the league in many different venues, not just in stadiums."
The highlight for Gazidis was having the MLS theme played live at Houston's Robertson Stadium in front of 30,000 fans at the Western Conference Championship against Kansas City.
"It was just terrific," Gazidis said.
Dylan Butler is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
