You hear that sound? Somewhere in a Microsoft office, executives are shouting "GOAALLL!" as two of the most popular soccer franchises have just become Xbox 360 exclusives for the next 12 months. The deal does not seem to have any effect on the current-gen consoles, however.

At the Games Convention in Leipzig, Germany, Microsoft announced that FIFA 07 from Electronic Arts and Pro Evolution Soccer 6 from Konami "will be the only place where gamers can enjoy next generation soccer this year."

While the exclusivity arrangement might not seem that important in the U.S. where the majority of the general public barely pays attention to soccer, the sport is undeniably number one on a global basis. In Europe, South America, Asia and elsewhere the Xbox 360 could see a healthy sales bump thanks to the deal. Perhaps Xbox exec Peter Moore should now be boasting, "Xbox 360 is the only place you can play Halo 3, Gears of War, FIFA 07 and Pro Evo Soccer 6."

The biggest change to this year's FIFA, according to EA, is a new dynamic engine that gives each player a "soccer brain" and "delivers individuality of player movement, authentic athletic motion and an unprecedented level of responsiveness." EA says that it's "the single largest investment EA has ever made in the soccer business."

"The FIFA Soccer 07 engine unlocks ultra realistic player motion and delivers complete responsiveness due to its ability to branch animations and the real-time calculation of real human biomechanics. Essentially our software engineers are writing human decision-making code," explained Hugues Ricour, Producer for FIFA Soccer 07 on the Xbox 360.

As for Pro Evo, the game will feature improvements to player AI, the physics engine, a greater selection of shots and volleys, and more. "As we show the first Next Generation version of the game for Xbox 360, we are sure that visitors to the Konami stand will see that the future of the Pro Evolution Soccer series is very bright indeed," commented Martin Schneider, Sales and Marketing Director for Konami in Germany.

Both FIFA 07 and Pro Evolution Soccer 6 will be released this fall.