Copa Nissan Sudamericana returns to Fox Sports en Español.

Fox Sports en Español announced the return of the Copa Nissan Sudamericana to its lineup of exclusive live soccer action. The tournament kicks off tonight at 8:00pm ET/5:00pm PT on the leading Hispanic sports cable network with a matchup between Uruguay’s River Plate and Chile’s Universidad Católica.

For the second year in a row, the 2008 Copa Nissan Sudamericana will pit teams from different countries against each other in the early qualifying rounds, including Mexican teams Chivas de Guadalajara and San Luis. Teams from all over South America will face off during the competition, including clubs from Uruguay, Chile, Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay and Venezuela.

Last year’s defending champions, Arsenal de Sarandí of Argentina, won their first major title by defeating Club América of Mexico, 3-2 at the historic Estadio Azteca.

“The Copa Nissan Sudamericana continues to be one of soccer’s premier international club tournaments,” said David Sternberg, General Manager and Executive Vice President of Fox Sports International. “We anticipate that the participation of Chivas and San Luis will draw big audiences and further strengthen the popularity of the Copa Nissan Sudamericana stateside, particularly among the Mexican soccer fans that make up the majority of the U.S. Spanish-language television universe.”

The tournament returns to Fox Sports en Español with an extensive roster of over 20 advertisers, including title sponsor Nissan, whose sponsorship of the event encompasses both broadcast and online platforms.

“We are very proud of the integrated sponsorships we have created with our clients,” stated Tom Maney, Senior Vice President of Ad Sales. “With our extensive content rights and distribution platforms, we have created a multitude of innovative advertising opportunities that demonstrate the extent of our digital creativity.”

The network has expanded its reach to attract new advertisers across a plethora of industries — from mobile to aviation — including Texaco, Southwest Airlines, Darden Restaurants (Olive Garden), Johnson & Johnson and Burger King. Among those advertisers continuing to support the network are McDonald’s, Anheuser-Busch, U.S. Marines, Wendy’s, State Farm, Tecate, Home Depot, Wrigley’s, T-Mobile and Allstate.