NEW YORK (Monday, December 6, 1999) - Major League Soccer and Aquafina have entered into a multi-year marketing relationship that makes Aquafina an "Official Sponsor" of MLS through the 2003 season, MLS Chief Marketing Officer Randy Bernstein announced today. Aquafina, the most popular bottled water brand among national stores, also becomes the "Official Bottled Water" of MLS and its 12 teams.

"MLS could not have asked for a better partner than Aquafina in this very important official sponsor and supplier category," said Bernstein. "We look forward to immediately incorporating an ample supply of the Aquafina product to our athletes as they prepare for the 2000 season."

"Aquafina has been involved with soccer for several years, so joining forces with MLS is a natural fit for us," said Katie Lacey, director of sports marketing for Pepsi-Cola Company. "We'll do the most we can to maximize our sideline presence, which is key for a water brand."

During the MLS season, Aquafina will have sideline presence on team benches with coolers, towels and bottled water, and will explore retail opportunities in MLS markets.

As an official sponsor of MLS, Aquafina will also be entitled to the various rights and privileges of being a member of the MLS corporate family, including exposure on ABC, ESPN and ESPN2, field boards, title nights, uniform sponsorship, advertisements in special event game programs, tickets and player appearances.

Aquafina joins an MLS corporate family of official sponsors who are dedicated to professional soccer in the United States including: AT&T, BIC, Budweiser, Honda, MasterCard, Pepsi, Snickers and Yahoo!. MLS commercial affiliates include: Official Suppliers - adidas, Kappa, Nike and Umbro; Corporate Partners - Best Foods, Kellogg's, LEGO, Mitre, Old Navy, and priceline.com; and Suppliers - Allsport Photography, Kwik Goal and Official Sports International.

Aquafina is a product of the Pepsi-Cola Company, headquartered in Purchase, N.Y., which is the global beverage division of PepsiCo, Inc. In addition to Aquafina, Its brands in the United States include Pepsi, Diet Pepsi, Pepsi ONE, Mountain Dew, Mug, Slice, Storm, and All Sport. The company also makes and markets ready-to-drink iced teas and coffees, respectively, via joint ventures with Lipton and Starbucks.

Celebrating its fifth season in 2000, Major League Soccer features many top stars from the United States and around the world, and is America's only Division I outdoor professional soccer league. The 12 teams that comprise MLS are: the Chicago Fire, Colorado Rapids, Columbus Crew, Dallas Burn, D.C. United, Kansas City Wizards, Los Angeles Galaxy, MetroStars, Miami Fusion, New England Revolution, San Jose Earthquakes and the Tampa Bay Mutiny.