By Paul Kennedy
The U.S. national team makes its debut on FOX Saturday when it faces Cuba in its second game at Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy, Utah.Coverage begins at 3:00 p.m. ET.
No national English-language network has ever broadcast the Gold Cup. FOX will also air one quarterfinal on July 21 from Baltimore and the final July 28from Chicago’s Soldier Field. Gus Johnson and Cobi Jones will call the action for the three FOX games.
For the first time ever, FOX Sports Media Group is airing all 25 matches from the Gold Cup — the rest air on FOX Soccer — and offering extensive on-site pregame, halftime and postgame coveragewith host Rob Stone and analysts Eric Wynalda and Warren Barton.
The tournament is the last major non-Champions League soccer event FOX holds the rights to until it takes over from ESPN as the FIFA rights-holder in 2015, so the Gold Cup is an important test for itson-air talent and production staff.
Sports Illustrated reporter Grant Wahl is covering the U.S. national team, while FOX Deportes’Francisco X. Rivera is filing reports on the Mexican national team. Dr. Joe Machnik, who headed by MLS’s refereesdepartment for many years, is providing in-game analysis of controversial calls.
NWSL COVERAGE BEGINS SUNDAY. Coverage of the new National Women’sSoccer League on FOX Soccer begins Sunday with the first of six regular-season matches.
The match features the Seattle Reign FC with Hope Solo andMegan Rapinoe against the Washington Spirit. The teams are seventh and eighth in the eight-team league, but the Reign is unbeaten in all five games sinceRapinoe arrived from France.
Play-by-play announcer Steve Cangialosi will call the match alongside Ohio State women’s head coach
Among the other announcersscheduled to work games are play-by-play men Glenn Davis and Dave Johnson, plus analysts Kynda de St Aubin, Kate Markgraf, Angela Hucles and Tony DiCicco,the former women’s national team coach.
TSG AIR TO USL EVENTS. Tourbeau Sports Group will provide live, exclusive video coverage of every match at the2013 W-League Championship, Super-20 League Championship and W-20 Championship at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla.
More than 40 games from the three championships will be available viaon-demand video and live stream, beginning with the Super-20 League Championship that kicks off Thursday.
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