The program is a part of the US Men’s National Soccer Team’s “Fan Appreciation Day” with head coach Jurgen Klinsmann and the 23 USMNT players who will compete in the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil appearing on the ESPN FC Special.
The one-hour special will focus solely on the US Men’s National Team – a program that will compete in its seventh straight World Cup this summer in Brazil.
The special from Times Square will be the second live remote telecast for ESPN FC since its launch in August 2013 – having aired live on Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2013, from Columbus, Ohio, with a 90-minute pregame show before the US Men’s National Team earned its 2014 World Cup berth with a 2-0 win over the Mexican National Team.
Highlights ESPN FC in Times Square:
· SportsCenter anchor Max Bretos will host, joined by analysts Alexi Lalas and Taylor Twellman;
· Special appearances by Ian Darke, and Grantland’s “Men In Blazers” podcast co-host and ESPNFC.com senior writer Roger Bennett;
· US Men’s National Team head coach Jurgen Klinsmann will discuss the team heading into Brazil 2014; and
· ESPN World Cup reporter Julie Foudy, a FIFA Women’s World Cup champion in 1991 and 1999 and former captain of the US Women’s National Team, will conduct interviews with key US players on a demo area in Times Square
· Leading up to the live show, SportsCenter will feature a live segment from Times Square with Bretos and Lalas, joined by US Men’s National Team goalkeeper Tim Howard, at 2:40 p.m. ET
ESPN Films’ “Inside: US Soccer’s March to Brazil”
ESPN is expanding its documentary series on the U.S. Men’s National Team an extra 30 minutes. The documentary, “Inside: U.S. Soccer’s March to Brazil,” focusing on the U.S. Men’s National Soccer Team as they prepare for the upcoming 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, was originally scheduled as a six-part series. The already scheduled Episode 3 has been moved up to start at 7 p.m. on Thursday, May 29, immediately followed by the presentation of the new Episode 4 at 7:30 p.m.
The series, produced by Jonathan Hock and Roger Bennett, provides a never-before-seen perspective from inside the training camp of the Men’s National Team as the group prepares for the most anticipated sporting event in the world. In this week’s back-to-back episodes, ESPN Films crew captured some of the players’ reactions to the final 23-man roster for Brazil 2014. All episodes re-air multiple times on ESPN2 and will also air on ESPN Deportes. ABC will broadcast some episodes following their ESPN premieres.
Upcoming episodes of the series from ESPN Films, the production group behind 30 for 30, (all times ET):
Pre-World Cup International Matches
ESPN networks will continue coverage of international friendly matches with teams in the 32-team FIFA World Cup tournament through Saturday, June 7.
Highlights include the two remaining U.S. Men’s National Team send-off matches (June 1: vs. Turkey; and June 7: vs. Nigeria), and four pre-World Cup matches for the Mexican National Team beginning today (May 28: vs. Israel; May 31: vs. Ecuador; June 3: vs. Bosnia-Herzegovina; and June 6: vs. Portugal). Schedule:
