May 8, 2008 6:05 AM, PROMO Xtra, By Richard Tedesco

Jorge Campos is just one of a number of former soccer pros to appear in a Univision series embedded with Sprint and Nissan products

Univision has landed two branding deals for the launch of a soccer reality series, “El Juego Supremo” (The Ultimate Match) set for a fall debut.

The Vidal Partnership brokered deals with Nissan North America and Sprint to integrate their respective products into scenes in the series. The series will feature five former soccer pros from Mexico and five ex-pros from the Americas coaching two teams of 10 young rookie soccer players.

Jorge Campos, the flashy former goalkeeper of the Mexican national team, star Columbian striker Carlos Valderrama and Marcela Balboa, former midfielder for the U.S. national squad will be among the soccer legends coaching the kids.

The five one-hour episodes in the series will follow the teams as their star coaches winnow each side down to the best five players. The final episode will feature a climactic match between the two amateur youth squads in a U.S. soccer stadium.

The Nissan Titan truck and the new Nissan Rogue SUV will be showcased in the series transporting the teams. Coaches and players will be seen using Sprint’s Motorola 1335 Nextel walkie-talkie phone and the new Samsung Instinct. Both series sponsors will also have 30-second spots and billboards during each episode.

“Both Nissan and Sprint are making very specific efforts for the U.S. Hispanic market. They’re very committed to the market,” said Oswald Mendez, managing partner of The Vidal Partnership.

Nissan and Sprint also advertise in a variety of other Univision sports and entertainment programming.

Mendez said he’s hopeful that the new soccer reality show will become a fixture in Univision’s programming schedule beyond its initial run. The deal represents the first product integration of its kind that Univision has undertaken.

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