Heineken among four new major-league backers

It will be the first game for their respective new teams the Orlando City Soccer Club and New York City Football Club.

This weekend’s game is the latest indication that soccer seen for years as a niche sport in the United States is gaining a steady audience alongside a growing core of sponsors.

Last year, Heineken used Foursquare check-ins and Twitter to promote its brand during the European championship tournament, and it recently launched a bigger digital campaign leading up to this year’s finals overseas in June.

Foursquare was not compatible with Heineken’s new strategy, which emphasizes long-term engagement with fans on platforms like Twitter, not short-term check-in promotions, according to the company.

“There’s obviously such a focus on the data around World Cup, but if you also look at the viewing of the Champions League, the Premier League and the Spanish league, with the coverage from the networks, they’re all seeing huge growth,” said Will Tidey, global sports manager at Bleacher Report.

Both new MLS teams, Orlando City SC and New York City FC, are looking to piggyback on the recent rise in soccer interest outside the World Cup.

And in New York a city already full of hardcore sports fans the New York City FC is finding a new group of fans.

So far, the team has sold more than 14,000 season tickets, 60 percent to people who have never previously purchased season tickets for a sports team.

“What we’ve certainly seen is that there are a lot of people in New York who are big sports fans but for various reasons haven’t had a team to call their own they’re finding that now with us.”