2007 MLS Cup on ABC HD Sunday

Week-Long Coverage across ESPN Media Platforms

November 14, 2007 -- ABC, the broadcast television home of Major League Soccer and FIFA World Cup events, will present the Adidas MLS Cup 2007 live Sunday, Nov. 18 at 12 p.m. ET from RFK Stadium in Washington, DC. The broadcast, presented in high definition, will feature the Houston Dynamo and the New England Revolution in a rematch of the 2006 MLS Cup won by Houston and will conclude ABC’s 12th season of coverage of Major League Soccer – the premier professional soccer league in the United States.

ESPN and ABC lead soccer play-by-play commentator Dave O’Brien will call the match with soccer Hall of Famers Eric Wynalda and former U.S. Women’s National Team captain Julie Foudy as analysts and Allen Hopkins reporting from the sidelines. Rob Stone and Foudy will pair as host. Other highlights:

Planned highlights of the match telecast:

* 21 cameras, including Skycam, super slo-mo cameras and robotic goal cams;
* On-site studio set located inside RFK Stadium with host Stone and studio analyst Foudy, who will also pair with O’Brien and Wynalda in a three-person booth; and
* A full complement of production enhancements introduced this year on ESPN’s MLS Primetime Thursday series, such as the Kick Trax, the virtual replay device that graphically displays the trajectory and placement of free-, direct- and indirect-kicks; and the Offside Line, which displays a virtual line affixed to the last defender to show the viewer whether the referee’s offside decision is accurate on replays.

Other 2007 MLS Cup programming from ESPN, Inc.:

* ESPNEWS, the nation’s only 24-hour television sports news network, will present the exclusive announcement of the league’s 2007 Most Valuable Player Thursday during its weekday program Hotlist (3-6 p.m. ET). In addition, the network will preview the Cup with live interviews with players and coaches from 2007 MLS Cup teams during the week. Additionally, ESPN news and information programming will feature 2007 MLS Cup news and highlights on SportsCenter and ESPN Deportes SportsCenter featuring daily reports and news updates from Washington, D.C., beginning Friday with reporter Jamie Motta.
* ESPN2’s weekday live, morning program First Take (10 a.m. – 12 noon) will preview the 2007 MLS Cup with interviews with MLS personalities. New England Revolution striker Taylor Twellman, whose spectacular bicycle kick goal in the 2007 Eastern Conference Championship against Chicago Fire last Thursday punched Revolution’s ticket to the MLS Cup, will be a guest on Friday’s edition of the show.
* ESPN International will televise the 2007 MLS Cup in 102 countries via ESPN Dos, ESPN Atlantic, ESPN Latin Carribean and ESPN Pac-Rim networks. In addition, the Adidas MLS Cup 2007 will be carried by 15 international broadcasters reaching 47 countries (25 in Europe, 20 in the Middle East and two in Asia).
* ESPNSoccernet.com, the leading English-language soccer news and information site in the world, will publish 2007 MLS Cup-themed analysis and features through Monday.
* ESPN Classic: On Friday, Nov. 16, ESPN Classic will feature special presentation of the 1997 MLS Cup between the Colorado Rapids and DC United – one of the classic MLS title matches played at RFK Stadium.

ABC’S 2007 MLS CUP COMMENTATORS:

* Play-by-play commentator Dave O’Brien is the lead voice for marquee soccer events on ESPN and ABC. He called the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany – leading the teams that delivered ESPN and ABC’s Emmy-nominated series and most-watched FIFA World Cup not hosted in the United States.
* Soccer Hall of Famer Eric Wynalda is completing his third season as the lead analyst for MLS telecasts on ESPN and ABC. One of the nation’s most prolific goal scorers, Wynalda received critical acclaim for his hard-hitting opinions as a studio analyst for ESPN and ABC’s coverage of the World Cup from Germany. He represented the U.S. in the 1990, 1994 and 1998 FIFA World Cups.
* Soccer Hall of Famer Julie Foudy is a studio analyst for ESPN’s MLS telecasts, having returned to ESPN last year to join the FIFA World Cup studio team. She also serves as an ESPN news and information correspondent providing features for SportsCenter, Sunday NFL Countdown, Outside the Lines, et al. Having debuted on ESPN in June 1998 as a World Cup studio analyst, she is the studio and match analyst for ESPN coverage of women’s soccer including the FIFA Women’s World Cup.
* Allen Hopkins made his ESPN debut in the studio as a soccer insider during the World Cup, handling breaking news and updates. He is completing his first year as a sideline reporter ESPN’s MLS Primetime Thursday series and U.S. Men’s National Team telecasts.
* Rob Stone has served as host of MLS Cup on ABC since 1998. He served as a play-by-play commentator and a reporter for ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC’s coverage of the 2006 FIFA World Cup. Stone’s experience includes serving as host for ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC’s coverage of 2007 FIFA World Cup, a FIFA World Cup reporter during France ’98 and host of nightly World Cup 2Night in 2002.

Source: ESPN

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