Castrol® Index Releases Latest Major League Soccer Results

Forwards Macoumba Kandji and Kenny Cooper Top Rankings Ahead of the 2012 AT&T MLS All-Star Game

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Jul 24, 2012, 12:14 ET

WAYNE, N.J., July 24, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Castrol, the official sponsor of Major League Soccer (MLS), announced the latest rankings for the Castrol Index Weekly Top 20 earlier this week ahead of the 2012 AT&T MLS All-Star Game tomorrow in Philadelphia. The top five ranked players for week 20 of the season are Macoumba Kandji (Houston Dynamo), Kenny Cooper (New York Red Bulls), Landon Donovan (LA Galaxy), Calen Carr (Houston Dynamo) and Ryan Johnson (Toronto FC). Of these players, Landon Donovan will play in this week's AT&T All-Star Game.

Rank	Player	Position	Team	Minutes	Points
1	Macoumba Kandji	Forward	Houston Dynamo	90	1615
2	Kenny Cooper	Forward	New York Red Bulls	90	1507
3	Landon Donovan	Forward	LA Galaxy	90	1429
4	Calen Carr	Forward	Houston Dynamo	90	1283
5	Ryan Johnson	Forward	Toronto FC	90	1282

Topping the list of powerhouse forwards is Houston's Macoumba Kandji who played nearly a flawless game in Saturday's victory (3-0) over Montreal with two goals. While most forwards turnover the ball quite often, Kandji finished off with only two wrong passes, giving him headway over Cooper, Donovan and Carr.

Kenny Cooper of the New York Red Bulls earns the no. 2 spot on this week's Castrol Index with the highest credit in terms of shooting and scoring. Of five goal attempts, Cooper scored two goals and turned three on-target shots, only falling short to Kandji due to a few turnover passes during New York's win (2-0) over Philadelphia.

This week's no. 3 ranked player is LA Galaxy's Landon Donovan followed by Houston Dynamo's Calen Carr at no. 4, both scoring two goals last week. Despite these goals, Donovan and Carr find themselves behind Kandji because of shooting quality and poor passing activity, respectively.

Taking the no. 5 spot is Toronto FC's Ryan Johnson whose strong scoring, shooting and defensive activity statistically placed him ahead of Kandji and Donovan; however, his turnover passes around and within the opposition box brought down his points in comparison to the others.

The MLS All-Stars face Chelsea FC, the European champions, on July 25 at PPL Park in Philadelphia. Ben Olsen, coach of D.C. United, will lead the team.

Castrol Index—a proprietary technology that objectively ranks a player's performance—analyzes and tracks every player's move on the field, providing statistical data and insightful analysis for fans, players and coaches. On the heels of a successful inaugural year with MLS, Castrol announced in April it would be updating the Index rankings on a weekly basis—rather than monthly—to ensure that fans have the most updated statistics to enhance their engagement with the game.

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™ - 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 17th season kicks off March 10 and will feature 19 clubs each playing 34 regular season matches. Those clubs include Chicago Fire; Chivas USA; Colorado Rapids; Columbus Crew; D.C. United; FC Dallas; Houston Dynamo; 2011 MLS Cup champion LA Galaxy; New York Red Bulls; New England Revolution; Philadelphia Union; Portland Timbers; Real Salt Lake; San Jose Earthquakes; Seattle Sounders FC; Sporting Kansas City; Toronto FC; Vancouver Whitecaps FC; and, in their inaugural season, Montreal Impact. For more information about MLS, log on to the League's official website at www.MLSsoccer.com.

SOURCE Castrol