It applied for the suffix through Soccer United Marketing. It faces competition for the new suffix with 3 other companies. http://newgtlds.icann.org/en/program-status/application-results/strings-1200utc-13jun12-en (The list is in alphabetical order. Scroll down to find the info for .soccer) Major League Soccer did not apply for the .mls suffix, but the real estate company did. Read a general story about new suffix applications here, if you don't know what is going on: http://www.washingtonpost.com/busin...le-to-zappos/2012/06/13/gJQAPSjoZV_story.html
mls.soccer sjearthquakes.soccer lagalaxy.soccer newyorkredbulls.soccer etc. That would work as well or better than the mls domain.
major.league.soccer I assume the league will be applying for the major prefix once this suffix application is approved.
For what it's worth, the three other companies all kinda look like squatters (to one extent or another). Not that I know this, or what the procedure is for picking.
My guess is that it is a matter of who writes the biggest check. I would also note that it is SUM that is making the bid and not MLS. While MLS will probably benefit from SUM winning the bid, I doubt SUM plans on only having MLS on the .soccer suffix and will be looking to sell the .soccer domains much like the squatters plan on doing.
I think (but am not sure) that ICANN doesn't really work that way (ie like a for-profit business). I suspect it's either first-come, first-served, or else random draw. But I know these domains were designed not to attract squatters, so that may figure in the decision, too.
Not sure if that will involve writing checks to pay-off the other applicants to the same domain name, but how else would the multiple applications "be resolved between applicants?" and for what it's worth,
Not all that different than SUM's business name and goal anyway of being a Soccer United Marketing/Marketer.
Pretty much. They go into a smoke filled back room and perform the business equivalent of Thunderdome and either someone blinks and pulls out on their own accord, one of the applicants starts piling blocks of $100 bills in front of the other applicants and when the pile of cash reaches an acceptable size, the other applicants fill their empty briefcases and walk out of the room, or an agreement is not made and then it goes to an auction.
