FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, May 23rd, 2012
THREE SOCCER GAMES – INCLUDING USA FRIENDLY AGAINST SCOTLAND – HIGHLIGHT THIS WEEKEND’S COVERAGE ON NBC SPORTS NETWORK
NEW YORK – May 23, 2012 – NBC Sports Network’s soccer coverage will expand this weekend to include coverage of the U.S. Men’s National Team against Scotland in a ‘friendly,’ live game from EverBank Field in Jacksonville, Fla., on Saturday at 8 p.m. ET. The game will be seen as a litmus test for each team’s overall performance as the countdown to the World Cup Qualifiers inch closer.
Additionally, two MLS games will air this weekend beginning Saturday with a 2011 MLS Cup rematch between Houston and 2011 MLS Champions LA Galaxy at 2:30 p.m. ET, followed by Sunday’s game in Kansas City as Sporting KC host the San Jose Earthquakes at 4:30 p.m. ET.
COMMENTATORS: The NBC Sports Group’s lead soccer commentary team of Arlo White (@arlowhite, play-by-play), and Kyle Martino (@kylemartino, “Between the Benches” analyst) will call the game in Jacksonville. Veteran soccer commentator JP Dellacamera (play-by-play) and former MLS player Brian Dunseth (analyst) will call the MLS coverage with Ivan Carter, from Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic, joining them on Sunday to host pre-game, halftime and post-game segments live from LIVESTRONG Sporting Park in Kansas City, Kan.
Steve Busfield The Guardian sports blogger on Arlo White: “Arlo is fantastic. My Seattle friends all miss him, but you can’t blame NBC for picking him up.”
WHITE ON THE USA TEAM: “This is a tremendous thrill for us. We can’t wait to show the U.S. National team as they prepare for the start of qualifying for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. Head Coach Jürgen Klinsmann has some star names to call upon against Scotland. Clint Dempsey has become a massive star in the English Premier League, Landon Donovan is an MLS Champion with LA, and Tim Howard is regarded as one of the top goalkeepers in the world. Then there are the young players like Terrence Boyd and Juan Agudelo who are desperate to make an impact and launch their international careers. The battle for international caps is intense. These guys take massive pride in representing their country. I think Scotland will feel the full force of that in Jacksonville on Saturday.”
MARTINO ON THE MATCH: “It’s business time. Only three games left for the United States before World Cup Qualifying begins. Scotland will prove to be a great test for Klinsmann and his side as they make their final preparations.”
UPCOMING MLS GAMES ON NBC SPORTS NETWORK: (All Times ET, Home Team Listed First)
Sun., June 17, Chicago vs. New York, 5 p.m.
Sun., June 24, New York vs. D.C, 7 p.m.
Fri., June 29, Kansas City vs. Chicago, 8 p.m.
For the full NBC Sports Group 2012 MLS Schedule visit www.NBCSports.com.
ProSoccerTalk on NBCSports.com: Steve Davis (@SteveDavis90), a respected soccer journalist for more than two decades, is the featured writer for ProSoccerTalk on NBCSports.com. Davis, who has covered Major League Soccer, since its inception in 1996 contributes regular posts and will provide video reports to NBCSports.com, and is expected to be an occasional guest on NBC SportsTalk, the daily hour-long news and information show the new NBC Sports Network.
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Last August, Major League Soccer (MLS) and the NBC Sports Group announced a three-year media rights agreement that calls for 46 MLS games and four U.S. National Team contests to be televised live across both NBC and NBC Sports Network each season. This agreement was the first rights deal for the new NBC Sports Network. All telecasts on NBC and NBC Sports Network will consist of pre-game and post-game coverage.
