We’ve written a guide to FOX’s World Cup commentators who will be gracing television sets across June and July at this summer’s World Cup.
Not all of them will be in Russia this summer. In fact, only two out of FOX’s six lead commentators have traveled to the World Cup. But their TV executive says it’s no big deal.
In addition to FOX’s World Cup commentators, we’ve also included the presenters and studio analysts that will be bringing the 2018 World Cup to you.
SEE MORE: Schedule of FOX commentators for Round of 16 games
Guide to FOX’s World Cup commentators:
Presenters:
ROB STONE:
Rob Stone is the lead studio host of World Cup Today, airing from Red Square in Moscow during FOX Sports’ coverage of the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia. He joined FOX Sports in 2012 as the lead studio host for FOX Sports’ soccer, and has anchored coverage of Major League Soccer, the U.S. Men’s and Women’s National Teams, Copa America, Gold Cup, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League and England’s FA Cup and hosted the Women’s World Cup during 2015 in Canada.
For FOX’s coverage of the 2018 World Cup, Stone has promised that “We will over-deliver.” Let’s hope so.
Listen to our exclusive interview with Rob Stone from 2016.
KATE ABDO:
Before officially joining FOX Sports in a full-time capacity, Kate Abdo worked for FOX Sports as a guest host during the network’s coverage of the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
For many, Abdo is best known for her role with Sky Sports from 2014 to 2016 as well as hosting the Ballon D’Or award ceremony from 2014-2016. During her time with FOX Sports in the summer of 2015, she hosted the FS1 nightly wrap-up show, FIFA Women’s World Cup Tonight. She also hosted FS1’s coverage of the Algarve Cup. Throughout the Women’s World Cup year, she served as studio host for various women’s international friendlies.
Abdo began her sports broadcasting career at DW-TV, a German TV channel, before joining CNN in 2009. At CNN, Kate was based in London from where she covered the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa among other top soccer events and leagues. Abdo made her mark at Sky Deutschland as lead anchor and face of the channel’s Sky Sports News program before moving to Sky Sports in the UK in 2014. Throughout her career she has conducted notable interviews with some of international football’s all-time greats, including Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Pep Guardiola and Manuel Neuer.
FERNANDO FIORE:
Nicknamed El Presidente, Fernando Fiore co-hosts and contributes to the network’s expanding portfolio of elite, world-class soccer events, including the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia and 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup coverage. During this summer’s World Cup, Fiore hosts nightly recap show World Cup Tonight.
Fiore, who had previously spent his distinguished career working exclusively on Spanish-language television for Univision, made his English-language debut with FOX Sports in 2016 during Copa America Centenario.
In our review of FOX Sports’ coverage of the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup, here’s what we wrote about Fiore‘s work on television covering the tournament: “Fiore hasn’t added much except for forced clownish behavior and obvious analysis on the set. Fiore is an expert on the sport and a colorful character but it seems his act is at times over-the-top and he isn’t being relied on to give the type of analysis he has for years on Spanish language television and radio.”
IAN JOY:
Recruited from beIN SPORTS where he established himself as a familiar analyst, Ian Joy works as a FOX Soccer studio host and analyst. He hosts FOX Soccer’s Bundesliga coverage, and serves as a studio analyst for UEFA Champions League and Europa League coverage. In addition, he works as an analyst on the Yes Network for the New York City Football Club matches.
Joy began his TV and radio career doing color commentary for FC Dallas and Real Salt Lake after this retirement from professional soccer in 2011.
Despite career threatening injuries, Joy enjoyed a long professional career as a defender, playing more than 250 league matches for five different teams in England, Scotland, Germany, and in MLS. Joy’s 14-year pro career started with Scottish side Montrose FC during the 2000-01 season, then he went to play for England’s Kidderminster Harriers (2001-03) and Germany’s Hamburger SV (2003-05), before landing with German Bundesliga club FC St. Pauli, where he played for four seasons from 2004-08 and helped the club earn a promotion.
Listen to our exclusive interview with Ian Joy.
READ MORE:
• Cord cutter’s guide to World Cup 2018
• World Cup shirts for all 32 teams
• FAQ on World Cup TV coverage in USA
• Schedule of soccer friendlies in USA this summer
Commentators (based in Russia):
JOHN STRONG:
Named as the fourth best soccer commentator in the business by World Soccer Talk in 2016, John Strong joined the FOX Soccer Channel in August 2012, while still calling the Portland Timbers and working soccer broadcasts at NBC. In 2015, Strong went full-time with FOX Sports as a play-by-play announcer for its coverage of Major League Soccer (MLS), the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup, Copa America, World Cup Qualifiers and other international soccer events.
STUART HOLDEN:
Stuart Holden, a former team member of 2010 USA World Cup squad and footballer for Bolton Wanderers, is a game and studio analyst for FOX Sports’ extensive soccer coverage.
Holden has worked on the network’s marquee soccer properties including Major League Soccer, U.S. Men’s National Team World Cup Qualifiers, and the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Canada. Holden has also contributed to the network’s coverage of European soccer including the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League and England’s FA Cup.
Holden has grown into his role as an analyst and co-commentator for FOX Sports, and continues to improve in his role.
JP DELLACAMERA:
Named as the eighth best soccer commentator in the business by World Soccer Talk in 2016, JP Dellacamera is one of the pioneering voices of American soccer. With FOX Sports, he calls matches for Major League Soccer, the U.S. Women’s National Team and previously games from the CONCACAF Champions League and UEFA Europa League. He served as a play-by-play announcer for FOX Sports’ coverage of the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup, Copa America in 2016, and the SheBelieves Cup in 2017.
Listen to our exclusive interview with JP Dellacamera from 2015.
TONY MEOLA:
Tony Meola serves as a FOX Soccer analyst and will be paired with play-by-play announcer JP Dellacamera calling the 2018 FIFA World Cup matches in Russia. He has been a part of FOX Sports since 2015, working on the Gold Cup 2015, MLS, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, Bundesliga, U.S. Men’s National Team and numerous youth qualifying and tournament broadcasts. He is also currently a radio host with Brian Dunseth for the Counter Attack soccer show on SiriusXM FC.
Meola is a former American goalkeeper who represented the United States National Team at the 1990, 1994, and 2002 World Cups. He was captain of the 1994 squad. From 1996 to 2006, he played in Major League Soccer, where he obtained multiple honors. In 2012, he was inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame.
Commentators (based in Los Angeles studio):
DEREK RAE:
Named as the number one soccer commentator in the business by World Soccer Talk in 2016, Derek Rae will commentate World Cup games for FOX Sports alongside co-commentator Aly Wagner.
A familiar voice to soccer viewers around the world, this will be Rae’s eighth FIFA World Cup, having worked most recently for ESPN’s presentation of Brazil 2014.
While currently living in the United States, he makes frequent trips to Germany to cover the Bundesliga for the league’s international feed. In addition, he’s served as the NFL play-by-play announcer for Amazon Prime’s Thursday Night Football series, and hosts international rugby for NBCSN.
Listen to our exclusive interview with Derek Rae from 2016.
ALY WAGNER:
Aly Wagner, former U.S. Women’s National Team player, two-time Olympic gold medalist and two-time FIFA Women’s World Cup veteran, will be in a Los Angeles studio to commentate World Cup games alongside Derek Rae. Previously, she was a featured member of the FOX Sports 2015 Women’s FIFA World Cup broadcast team. Playing for the U.S. Women’s National Team from 1999 to 2008, she scored 21 goals and recorded 42 assists in 131 international matches.
In 2017 before a decision had been reached about who would be the commentators for Russia 2018, World Soccer Talk offered this analysis about her commentary work in the FIFA Confederations Cup: “Wagner, in particular, has given sharp analysis and seems unafraid to be critical when warranted. If this is an audition for her to be on a commentary team next summer, she [has] passed.”
World Soccer Talk also raved about her commentary work in the article entitled FOX Sports needs to select Aly Wagner to co-commentate World Cup 2018 games.
GLENN DAVIS:
At the start of FOX Sports World (now deunct), he was a regular, calling twice weekly Serie A games from Italy. Davis has also called CONCACAF Champions League, CONCACAF Gold Cup and various tournaments internationally.
Davis works as a FOX Soccer play-by-play announcer and serves as the lead play-by-play announcer for the Houston Dynamo’s local TV broadcasts.
Davis will be commentating World Cup games alongside co-commentator Cobi Jones.
COBI JONES:
Cobi Jones is a FOX Sports’ soccer analyst. He began working with FOX Sports in 2010 as part of the World Cup Draw coverage. Since then, he has been a regular on FOX Sports’ coverage of Major League Soccer, the U.S. Men’s National Team, FIFA Youth Tournaments, the Guinness Cup, CONCACAF Champions League, the Gold Cup, Bundesliga and other tournaments and leagues.
Jones has a long and storied professional career, playing in three FIFA World Cups for the U.S. Men’s National Team (1994, 1998, 2002), spending 12 seasons with the LA Galaxy, as well playing in the English Premier League for Coventry City and as the first American to play in Brazil with Vasco d Gama. He was inducted into the US Soccer Hall of Fame in 2011.
Read our exclusive interview with Cobi Jones from 2011.
JORGE PÉREZ-NAVARRO:
Jorge Pérez-Navarro brings vast experience, knowledge and versatility having covered a wide variety of sports events including four FIFA World Cups, five Copa América championships, nine Copa MX tournaments and several CONCACAF qualifiers. He has also covered 10 MLS seasons, and friendlies and international qualifiers for Team USA’s, men and women’s division, which earned him the title of “The Spanish Voice of Soccer of the United States.”
MARIANO TRUJILLO:
Mariano Trujillo is a FOX Sports soccer analyst working the 2018 FIFA World Cup. He is a former Mexican footballer who works as a soccer analyst for FOX Deportes, as well as on FOX Sports’ coverage of numerous international soccer tournaments.
Trujillo began his broadcasting career with FOX Sports, serving as a studio analyst on FS1 for the 2013 Gold Cup. He then expanded his duties as a soccer analyst on FOX Deportes, and continues to work with FOX Sports for select tournaments.
MARK FOLLOWILL:
Out of all of the announcers that FOX Sports has hired for this summer’s World Cup, Mark Followill is the least-experienced soccer commentator. He has called games for FOX Sports’ coverage of the Copa America Centenario, CONCACAF Gold Cup, UEFA Europa League, Bundesliga, MLS, FIFA U-17 World Cup and the FIFA U-20 World Cup.
He’ll be paired with co-commentator Warren Barton.
WARREN BARTON:
Warren Barton will be the co-commentator alongside commentator Mark Followill during Russia 2018.
Normally, Barton serves as a soccer studio analyst for FOX Sports including UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League programming. The London native first made an impressive name for himself on the pitch as he quickly rose through the English professional ranks, and now brings his knowledge and passion for the sport to FOX Sports’ soccer commentator desk. In May 2012, he called the first-ever all German UEFA Champions League Final, live from Wembley Stadium.
Studio analysts::
HERNAN CRESPO:
Hernan Crespo, the legendary Argentine striker, serves as a FOX Sports studio analyst for World Cup Today and World Cup Tonight.
Crespo’s illustrious professional and international career spans nearly two decades, and he remains third on the list of all-time goal scorers for Argentina, for whom he played in three FIFA World Cups. Crespo in 2004 was named among the FIFA 10, Pelé’s list of the world’s greatest living players. His club career includes championships in both England and Italy, where in 2000 he was the world’s most expensive player when he moved from Parma to Lazio.
GUUS HIDDINK:
Guus Hiddink, a Dutch football manager and former player, serves as a FOX Sports soccer analyst. Hiddink has one of the most impressive coaching pedigrees in the soccer world, taking three nations to a FIFA World Cup, including South Korea’s legendary run to the semifinals in 2002.
In addition to managing elite club teams including Real Madrid and Chelsea, Hiddink is a former manager of the national team of 2018 FIFA World Cups hosts Russia, where he remains a sporting celebrity to this day. He returns to FOX Sports, where he was part of coverage of the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup.
ALEXI LALAS:
Alexi Lalas, a member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame and one of the sport’s most recognizable personalities, joined FOX Sports in January 2015 to serve its family of channels as a studio and game analyst.
Prior to joining FOX Sports, he was an analyst for ESPN for World Cup 2014, World Cup 2010 and World Cup 2006.
Listen to our exclusive interview with Alexi Lalas.
DR. JOE MACHNIK:
Longtime FIFA and CONCACAF Match Commissioner and National Hall of Famer, Dr. Joe Machnik lends insight and expertise, interpreting rules and dissecting officiating decisions for FOX Sports’ soccer coverage. He contributes to the brand’s elite portfolio of soccer properties such as the U.S. Men’s National Team and No. 1 FIFA-ranked U.S. Women’s National Team, Major League Soccer, UEFA Champions and Europa Leagues, CONCACAF Gold Cups, Copa America, FIFA Confederation Cups, and the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Canada.
LOTHAR MATTHÄUS:
A Ballon d’Or recipient, Lothar Matthäus captained Germany’s World Cup winning team in 1990, holds the record for most appearances with the German national team, and is the only outfield player to have played in five World Cups.
Matthäus is also remembered for this tirade against Al Jazeera that was caught on videotape (NSFW).
MOISES MUÑOZ:
Moises Munoz, a Mexican national team goalkeeper, serves as a FOX Sports soccer analyst. An active player in his 20th professional season, he is the starting keeper for Puebla of Liga MX. He has 19 international caps for Mexico, was a member of multiple FIFA World Cup qualifying cycles, and served as the starting goalkeeper for Mexico’s 3-2 win over the United States in the 2015 CONCACAF Cup playoff match that sent El Tri to the 2017 Confederations Cup.
KELLY SMITH:
Kelly Smith, a retired English star forward, serves as a FOX Sports soccer analyst. She recorded over 100 caps for the England women’s national football team and is England’s record goal scorer with 46 goals. In college in the United States, Smith broke records with Seton Hall University, then played professionally in various women’s pro leagues in both the United States and England, where she starred for Arsenal. She worked for FOX Sport’s 2015 Women’s FIFA World Cup studio coverage and is a television analyst in her native United Kingdom.
IAN WRIGHT:
Well known by soccer fans as one of the legends of Arsenal Football Club, Ian Wright’s role as a studio analyst has been very mixed. He had an embarrassing day in his co-commentary in a Manchester United-Chelsea FA Cup game in 2013, and he wasn’t helped by being teamed up with former soccer commentator Gus Johnson.
Still, when he’s focused on his job and shares his honest opinions, he can be exciting to watch.
In addition to working for FOX Sports, he’ll also be providing analysis in Russia for British broadcaster ITV.
Reporters::
MARIA KOMANDNAYA:
Russian journalist Maria Komandnaya serves as a FOX Sports reporter for the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia. Komandnaya previously worked for FOX Sports during the network’s coverage of the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup.
She co-hosted the 2018 FIFA World Cup Draw live from State Kremlin Palace in Moscow in December 2017 and is esteemed for her work with Moscow FM and Match TV.
GEOFF SHREEVES:
Geoff Shreeves will be one of two embedded reporters with the England national team in Russia, where he’ll be providing daily contributions to FOX Sports.
JENNY TAFT:
Jenny Taft has been focusing on increasing her reps in soccer by being a sideline reporter during MLS and the Women’s World Cup games.
SERGEY GORDEEV:
Reporter Sergey Gordeev will provide a daily contribution from National Geographic in his features from across Russia.
RACHEL BONNETTA:
In 2015, World Soccer Talk named her a rising star before she was snapped up by FOX Sports after turning down an offer from ESPN.
Bonnetta joined FOX Sports in 2016 and showcases her creativity in digital media roles across a range of major FOX Sports events and properties. During FOX’s 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia coverage, Bonnetta will host a 30-minute live show on Twitter from Moscow’s Red Square, providing match action previews, recaps, Twitter reaction and original segments.
Listen to our exclusive interview with Rachel Bonnetta when she worked for MLS.
RODOLFO LANDEROS:
FOX Sports Executive Producer David Neal describes Rodolfo Landeros as “the Jay Glazer of Mexican football.” He’ll be embedded with the Mexico national team, and will appear on studio shows during the tournament.
Have any questions about our guide to FOX’s World Cup commentators, let us know in the comments section below.
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Smokey Bacon
July 14, 2018 at 2:24 pm
How can anybody rate JP Dellacamera? “Big shot. Punched away. And it went in”. The guy hasn’t got a clue with his robotic gibberish. He sounds like an American Alan Partridge. Completely out of his depth.
Its got nothing to do with accents. It’s about authenticity and good instincts in the key moments. JP has neither.
Roger
July 14, 2018 at 12:00 pm
Think Drew is correct about the commentators for the WC Final…..just watched 3rd place and Dellacamera did a good job of the play by play commentary at least we didn’t have to listen to the drivel from the “muppets”.
Not looking forward to the final with the “muppets”
Roger
July 10, 2018 at 4:18 pm
If I have to listen to Stone informing everybody that France has the 2nd youngest team in world cup history …..I will go crazy if he has said it once he has said it 50 times today. With Lalas giving out total drivel the pre and post game comments are absolutely terrible. Stone and Holden once again giving us stat sheets information instead of real time commentary it was an awful semi final WC. Fox obviously have a couldn’t care less attitude with hiring these “muppets”. I can only hope the WC Final will not have Stone and Holden trying to commentate.
Drew
July 11, 2018 at 5:38 am
Holden and Strong are doing the final.
pdxhz
July 11, 2018 at 11:47 am
I suppose that’s the forte of US-based commentary, worthless statistics! If announcer is devoid of substance and contextual background, flood the audience with baseball-style stats. You know, sports is sports, right? What a travesty, and how I miss the ESPN’s commentary of 2010 WC!
IHATEALYWAGNER
July 7, 2018 at 11:38 am
Aly Wagner sucks as a commentator, both guys who do the Mexican games suck, pretty much everyone FOX hired this year sucks. Aly Wagner is by far the most annoying and always states the obvious.
Mike colling
June 30, 2018 at 6:10 pm
Did you know that Paul Pogba speaks three languages fluently, which is three more than Warren Barton?
THunt
June 30, 2018 at 11:50 am
Alec Baldwin doing his Trump impression might be good for five minutes.
Fox has told us 14 times if they lose go home, win continue on. Is that why they call it the “knockout” stage? Huh.
Alex S.
June 29, 2018 at 1:19 pm
Interesting to read some of the comments here, from international viewers (I’m in Canada), and from the more knowledgable US viewers.
World-feed commentators (who we get here in Canada on TSN, even though TSN only identify them in half the games (and don’t bother to run a title caption telling viewers who they’re listening to) are v.strong: among them Peter Drury, Paul Dempsey, Daniel Mann, Kevin Keatings, John Helm, Mark Tompkins and Ian Darke (used to be ABC/ESPN lead guy, often paired w. the exceedingly arrogant and clearly hard-to-work-wth Steve “Of course he is!” Of course it is!” McNanaman), etc.
We are lucky here in Canada; TSN’s weak in-house panel of experts in Toronto are easy to ignore, as I’m sure a lot of US viewers find it easy to ignore the Fox Sports halftime panel(s).
But I’m constantly amazed — constantly — by what a hash the big US broadcasters, with all their money, big audience shares, a huge market to play with and a bottomless supply of advertisers with deep pockets make of big-league soccer, including World Cups.
The Peter Drury’s and Kevin Keatings’ of the world set a very high standard, and I’m amazed — appalled, even — that big-money players like NBC go with the likes of Arlo White (the radio man! Seattle Sounders!) , while BeIN USA go with the likes of Phil Schoen, whose vocabulary is so limited he should really be calling NASCAR.
I feel your pain, US viewers. The real problem with being exposed to the Peter Drury’s, Jon Champion’s and Daniel Mann’s of the world is one is constantly reminded who you’re missing whenever you turn on one of the US channels..
It’s a little bit like telling a devoted, knowledgable NFL fan that he/she will get to see the Super Bowl — but that the commentators will be Martin Tyler and John Motson. Or turning to Planet Earth and instead of getting David Attenborough you get Alec Baldwin instead.
myrtle
June 27, 2018 at 4:08 am
Mark followill is probably one of the best play by play commentators, He knows the players names of each country with great pronunciation and his low pitch voice makes the games exciting, I loved his commentary of Spain-iran match.
jorge perez-navarro is probably the worst commentator, he is very hard to understand, he sounds like he is speaking spanish when he is actually speaking english, also when a team scores, instead of calling a goal, he calls it Fire. really? fire? Also he tries to be humorous but completely gets off the topic
Ray
June 26, 2018 at 3:17 pm
So true
Christina Wilson
June 26, 2018 at 2:44 pm
We are recording the matches so we can watch them in the order they are played. Now, two matches are played at the same time and the commentators keep giving updates of the other match. Please STOP doing this. We don’t want to know what happens in the matches until we watch them. It’s ruining our World Cup experience. I’m sure many others are with me on this. Thank you!
R.O
June 27, 2018 at 3:24 pm
Not going to happen during simultaneous group play. Even Telemundo is showing updates. All over the world people watching one game and want to know score of the other game. People want to know in live time effect on group standings. FIFA went to simultaneous group play format after ’78 & ’82 WC debacle. Have no problem with updates during simultaneous group games and I’m sure most people around the world want to know results as they happen too. For the 2026 World Cup the simultaneous game format will go away anyway.
CW
June 28, 2018 at 8:01 pm
I think people could keep up with live scores online very easily. Oh.. 2026 will be much better to watch for me then 🙂 Is it due to the expansion of team numbers?
Drew
June 26, 2018 at 12:08 am
I recommend if you all get a chance, from the rest of the tournament, to watch or record the official FIFA World Cup Highlight and FIFA World Cup Preview Show.
The quality is basically done like the Premier League Preview and Review Show.
Oscar
June 25, 2018 at 5:22 pm
Will someone please tell these commentators NOT to report the scores in other games going on at the same time. Some of us are stacking these to watch – one live, one delayed, and we do NOT want our viewing spoiled by some big mouth telling us Spain have equalized in the other game just as Iran have scored against Portugal. Anyone interested in the other game score can easily get that info, those of us trying to avoid knowing have a much tougher time. Derek Rae…I am looking at you mister!
Drew
June 26, 2018 at 12:06 am
That’s unrealistic and something that ESPN and EVERY BROADCASTER EVER has done when the Group finale games (the third matches) happen simultaneously.
Oscar
June 26, 2018 at 10:14 am
Not so — unless your experience is entirely US-centric. Further, whatever happened in the past is hardly a basis for modern viewing over multiple outlets, timezones, and working lives with ability to record and view on demand.
jtm371
June 24, 2018 at 11:19 am
Unmitigated disaster pre and post match unwatchable. The clowns calling the matches are hideous. Now if they can bring in Gus Johnson for the final it will be complete hope he still has his Chelsea scarf.
THunt
June 23, 2018 at 3:45 pm
I wish the other sports channel was doing the WC. The English crew that does the Premier League is excellent.
Jorge Narvaez
June 23, 2018 at 2:26 pm
Navarro and Trujillo are about as pleasant as a cockroach burrowing into your ear canal and laying eggs. Given the choice I’ll take the latter. Thank God for Telemundo.
IP
June 23, 2018 at 12:48 pm
Fox – the coverage rate for S. Korea – Mexico is minus F. These two clowns should not be allowed to comment on any game televised outside Mexico. Built the Wall.
Kihyun Moon
June 24, 2018 at 3:10 am
I second this comment. Is World Cup a joke? Do you let anyone commentate for the World Cup? The guy who commentated for S. Korea vs Mexico was very unprofessional and immature commentator ruined the game. I would be extremely disappointed if he ever commentates for another game again. Fox shame on you.
Tom Ridge
June 28, 2018 at 5:18 pm
What are you guys talking about? He’s easily the best commentator I’ve heard for any sport. Maybe the NFL wouldn’t have declining interest if it could hire someone so entertaining.
Glyn
June 23, 2018 at 11:56 am
As an Englishman watching the Mexico v Korea game on Fox I have been greatly amused by Jorge whatever his name is ! I can honestly say I have never heard any commentators count down a free kick or corner before. I also wish I had a quid for every time this really annoying bloke said ” A.K.A” during the first half, when describing his obviously beloved Mexican players. My American friends tell me that this clown has even been known to join in with the crowd chants ( can’t wait to hear that gem) . I’ll never complain about our British commentators again ,
Geoff Plumb
June 23, 2018 at 12:04 pm
Yup, the guy is a complete idiot and unfortunately along with most of the other fox staff be fired as of now … shame spoiling a good WC
Rebecca
June 23, 2018 at 11:25 am
Can barely watch this game between Mexico and South Korea because the announcers are so biased it’s making me ill. Who wants to hear it. Amazing how announcers can ruin watching the World Cup.
Geoff Plumb
June 23, 2018 at 12:03 pm
agree these two so called commentators are complete clowns …
Brendan
June 22, 2018 at 11:21 pm
She shouts too much .needs to be calm & effective in her vocalabury. . She is trying in a mans world at least
burnsey
June 24, 2018 at 10:14 pm
“Initiative on the flank”…really
Mario Almeida
June 22, 2018 at 11:49 am
I was skeptical of Aly Wagner, but was pleasantly surprised. She gives some good commentary and her voice is not annoying like some of the other female announcers. She also talks about the right amount, not too little, not too much.
Howard M
June 22, 2018 at 12:07 pm
Her voice and comments have the appeal of a dentist drill.
Emmett
June 22, 2018 at 12:58 pm
Her commentary is actually pretty good, I agree. But whenever she finishes sentences, it seems like she is never finished the thought or says thoughts like it’s a question – she has an unsure or question-like accent at the end of her thoughts where it seems like she has something else to say, but then Derek (the GOAT) just takes over.
ChrisAnn
June 25, 2018 at 4:54 pm
To me, Aly babbles too much. Ends every statement with a question – very insecure. But talented at making exciting games dull. I switch to exciting Spanish channels when she’s on
Sam R
June 27, 2018 at 2:08 pm
Amen, as good as any I’ve heard. Why isn’t she doing more European club matches? Much smarter about the game.
Dawn
June 22, 2018 at 7:48 am
Is Rachel a “she” or a “he”? You might want to fix your pronouns. I hate typos especially when you have paid editors.
In 2015, World Soccer Talk named her a rising star before he was snapped up by FOX Sports after turning down an offer from ESPN.
John Doll
June 20, 2018 at 5:33 pm
Seems like some of us have a few problems with the Fox crew. Poor Rob Stone, trying to be cute when O’neil uses a good vocabulary word ‘mesmeric,’ and won’t give it up even after being schooled by the other guy. Mesmeric means “leave someone in a mesmerized state.” As I listen to Stone, his ridiculousness is mesmeric.
Hannah Gittings-Hamilton
June 19, 2018 at 10:13 am
I’m starting to go from profoundly tired to actively angry after hearing the way that the South Korean team and the Japanese team were spoken about during/after their matches. And I’m sure they won’t be the only ones. Why is it that certain groups of people (specifically people who are not from incredibly popular, already well recognized World Cup winning teams, with representatives amongst many commentators) are given tons of respect? While others are given none? I just watched Japan beat Colombia, and the fact is…they BEAT Colombia! And the only thing the commentators had to say was “Oh, I guess they played OK, but this still have a lot ahead of them and they’re gonna have to work really hard,” and then they went on to praise Colombia as if THEY had won the match! This sort of “not so subtle” racism/favoritism is really unacceptable. And while not super surprising from Fox, I had hoped for more coming from the World Cup! If I had ANY other options for viewing this, I would be using them! Unfortunately, I don’t even have access to Telemundo or that’s what I’d be using.
I appreciate that it’s hard to do this job from afar, but this really is just the worst. I miss ESPN.
Roger
June 18, 2018 at 12:37 pm
Strong and Holden are terrible, I am sick and tired of listening to their drivel I want to hear a commentary of the game, not useless stats and blank silence. They are easily the worst so called commentators on the Fox staff, if they are getting paid by Fox then Fox needs to ask for their money back.
Howard M
June 17, 2018 at 6:17 pm
The other day a Fox ad promoting the upcoming Uruguay match hilariously pronounced it
“Urrg gway” (absolutely no lie).
I’m in China for a few days and their announcers are so much better than Fox even though I haven’t got a clue what they’re saying.
Jen
June 17, 2018 at 11:29 am
Germany vs Mexico game. German player’s name is Ozil. Not Ozeal. He’s in the EPL, so you should know how to pronounce his name. Thanks.
Jack S.
June 17, 2018 at 3:14 pm
LOL, I heard that and just chuckled. He made it sound like the guy was from Ireland – “O’ Seal”.
There’s really no excuse for a professional broadcast announcer making a repeated blunder like this. He had to have known he would be calling the play-by-play of this match months in advance and the proper pronunciation of the players’ names. Wonder if Lalas will correct him and he’ll pronounce Ozil’s name correctly in future matches? I’ve never liked JP Dellacamera’s delivery. He has a weird staccato style of announcing that I thought had died with the bygone era of ABC College Football’s Keith Jackson.
If FOX gets the broadcast rights to the next World Cup, I’m going to enroll in a Conversational Spanish Language class at the local Community College a year prior so that I can enjoy the matches on a south of the border network.
Jag
June 17, 2018 at 10:00 am
Dear Fox World Cup Team,
Please, please, please show the game with stadium sound only, as I am unable to tolerate the nonsense commentary. The only exception has been JP and Derek Rae.
Did you seriously thought the providing American sport terminology (such as restart and turnover), would actually qualify as doing a good job, well here’s the news – no where close. Just shut the commentary off and provide stadium sound.
Jack S.
June 16, 2018 at 8:47 pm
As long as we’re at it, that FOX super studio in Red Square could have been built in an LA sound stage as well. It’s not like they have player/manager interviews or WC fans from Moscow there in the studio with them (maybe they do in later coverage – I’ve just watched the studio post-match analysis).
Something else that bugs me is that the studio desk is oddly shaped so that the two FOX analysts in the middle appear to be 10 yards away from Rob Stone and Lalas. Those two in the back seem like they are about 4 ft. tall while Lalas (reportedly a tall man) seems like the Jolly Red Giant. I’m just waiting for him to bang his fist on the desk and exclaim “Fee-Fi-Fo-Fum, watch me say something dumb!”
Howard M
June 16, 2018 at 4:18 pm
This Stuart Holden sounds like he’s twelve and his voice hasn’t broken yet. He also cannot read the game and is tactically naive sprinkling his comments by copying the Premier League announcers. And somebody PLEASE pay Lalas to go home and take his cocky attitude with him. He so desperately wants to be the star when in fact he’s nothing more than an empty suit.
James Webster
June 16, 2018 at 3:09 pm
Absolutely terrible commentary across the board, but the Peru Denmark is a new low.
Unbearable.
Geoff Plumb
June 23, 2018 at 12:09 pm
AGREE, since when is a “handball’ the new term for a throw in ….????
Juan Maggi
June 16, 2018 at 2:58 pm
As usual FOX … out of touch!
Juan Maggi
June 16, 2018 at 2:55 pm
The Peru – Denmark commentator may be good for a Cock fight or a LUCHA LIBRE
Not for FUTBOL!
Where did you FOX get these 2?
Speedy Gonzalez
June 16, 2018 at 1:49 pm
I am Hispanic and it’s very hard to listen to these commentators who can hardly speak English. Please get someone in there that can speak the language.
Jos Devi
June 16, 2018 at 1:21 pm
What an embarrasingly biased pair of clowns Navarro and Trujillo are.
Half of their words are incoherent. The other half are simply confusing. Shouting does not make their statements correct.
What happened to employing real experts of football who speak clear English and actually played the game at the top level and who understand and able to explain the intricacies of the game and provide informative and accurate translation of the game as it plays out on the field.
Navarro does not know it yet that he is not on radio? Someone tell him quickly that he is broadcasting (trying to?) a game on TV. His constant unintelligible stream of screaming forces us to watch the game with the TV set to mute.
What a idiotic selection of staff! Who the hell are these dudes?
Jack S.
June 16, 2018 at 1:50 pm
These two make me believe that somewhere in Tijuana a weekend chicken fight is missing its play-by-play announcers.
Apparently a lot of viewers love them though if you believe the tweets mentioned in the following article: https://ftw.usatoday.com/2018/06/fox-world-cup-commentator-jorge-perez-navarro-makes-gus-johnson-sound-calm
Note to self: Find a VPN this weekend.
Scott Smith
June 16, 2018 at 12:08 pm
John Strong would rather give us player biographies and useless facts than to comment about the game and strategies being used.
The studio show is worthless as it gives little to no serious analysis or breakdowns of the match-ups.
On the bright side, it makes me appreciate NBC’s Premier League coverage even more.
Al
June 26, 2018 at 3:32 pm
Take a breath. World Cup coverage is tailored for a wider US audience that are less sophisticated than the Premier League audience. The role of analying strategies/tactics and technical aspects of the game lies mainly on the analyst who usually had higher level playing experience and not play-by-play men like Strong.
Larry Kern
June 14, 2018 at 4:54 pm
If I hear one more US sports analogy from Tony Meola, I’m gonna scream. Mediocre goalkeeper…sub par announcer. Where are the Brits…somebody knowledgeable! Do they train at all to pronounce the player’s names properly? Stop the stupid comparisons to the MLS…there is no comparison!!
Al
June 26, 2018 at 2:52 pm
Good Sports commentating is about the audience. Fox’s audience are Americans so they do it with that in mind. Nobody wants to hear foreign accents and terminologies. If you don’t like it go back to UK or watch BBC broadcast.?
Jack S.
June 14, 2018 at 2:15 pm
Looks like the FOX broadcast was in 720P and the stream I got from YouTube.TV of the Telemundo broadcast was 1080P. Another reason to watch the Telemundo broadcast over FOX, I suppose.
Dan regan
June 14, 2018 at 12:12 pm
Oh noooooooooooooooooooooooooo
The first half Americans commentators sounded like they were commentating on a funeral. Absolute rubbish – I’m watching it on telemundo, even though I don’t speak a word of Spanish. They just don’t get it….
David
June 14, 2018 at 1:09 pm
I was watching the 4K feed. Weird there wasn’t any commentary but I guess that’s better than what Fox offers.
Bruce
June 2, 2018 at 9:15 pm
Weak crew, especially the old US jocks, who feel like they have to fill every second with babble. Thankfully, anyone who knows anything and has watched the game can tune out the half-time recap, but thoughtful commentary during game play is going to be lacking with the majority of this crew.
The Real PHR
May 30, 2018 at 8:03 am
What did the USA do to be saddled with Ian Wright, Warren Barton and Alexi Lalas. I’m sure Ian Wright is also doing BBC or ITV commentary isn’t he?
I’m in Canada and we got the World Feed commentators who are very good and seem impartial. Pre-game, half time and post game is done with Canadian based analysts.
For US viewers close to the border about 1/3 of the games are on an over the air channel, CTV, which may be available on cable or via aerial close to the border (Seattle? Detroit? Buffalo? etc).
David
May 29, 2018 at 1:21 pm
I don’t get what Fox is doing here. They should be sending Derek Rae to Russia instead of Meola. Fox should pair Rae with John Strong, not Aly Wagner. Either way, I’m looking forward to hearing how many names Meola butchers while calling games.
Al
June 26, 2018 at 2:45 pm
Rae and Strong are both commentators and they are paired with analysts such as Wagner and Meola to call a game. You don’t pair two commentators together. It shows your ignorance about sports broadcasting.
Richard Drayton
May 27, 2018 at 6:45 pm
Ugh. There is so little depth of soccer knowledge above I really don’t even know where to begin. Not going to. I will wish them all well. Ignorance is bliss, but do we have to listen to it? I will root for them to exceed my expectations, but I’m used to it here in America by now. And you wonder why the game continues to struggle here? They can’t get much worse.
Neil
July 6, 2018 at 4:00 pm
Alexis Lalas even thinks Neymar’s diving is absolutely fine. He is a moron as are all the US commentators/analysts. Shame we can’t have people with real football knowledge in the US.
Lorraine
July 7, 2018 at 1:14 pm
Alexi lalas who told him he could be a cimtator he is useless get him off. Worthless comments that he has to read off each time
Get him off
Lorraine
July 7, 2018 at 1:31 pm
Yes why is he even allowed to be on
He is totally worthless who gives a crap what they think they did not even qualify
John
May 27, 2018 at 6:15 pm
Any idea who will be commentating the world feed in this World Cup? I know the 2014 world cup, the main commentators were Peter Drury and John Helm.
Christopher Harris
May 27, 2018 at 8:19 pm
The world-feed will feature the following commentators: Ian Darke, Peter Drury, Paul Dempsey, Kevin Keatings, Daniel Mann, John Helm, Mark Tompkins and John Roder.
If you live in the United States, you won’t be able to hear the world-feed. You will in Canada though.
cnl. onions
May 29, 2018 at 3:34 pm
vpn needed lol
cm asia
May 29, 2018 at 6:02 pm
Ohhhhh, Christopher. You’re killing us.
That list of world feed commentators just makes our coming misery even worse!
You could add Moe, Larry, Curly, and even Shemp to the world feed list, and it’s still better than what we’re stuck with.
Cheers,
cmasia
PS: I watched Fox Sports Go for the Liverpool v Real Madrid final.
They had a bonus streaming feed called “360” which featured natural sound from Kyiv with no commentary. Should we keep our fingers crossed it may be available for the World Cup?
Sam R
June 27, 2018 at 2:03 pm
I disagree, I think Aly Walker can hold her own with any of these guys. Best analyst for US WC feed.
Miso Drei
July 7, 2018 at 11:30 am
Aly Wagner* is the WORST commentator I have ever heard. Honestly, she has no idea what she is talking about and ruins the game for me. One minute into the game she claimed the possession numbers were a good indicator of how he game would go. One minute in… what a brick. Feel free to have her commentate on the Women’s World Cup but please don’t ruin the real beautiful game for me and stop talking.
Alex S.
June 29, 2018 at 12:58 pm
Thank you so much for clarifying. A English friend who divides his time between LA and France just asked me (I’m based in Canada) and our host broadcaster TSN is so useless they don’tg even bother to tell you where the coms are from, or even who they are half the time. So thank you. You’ve been a big help.
Lorraine
July 7, 2018 at 1:25 pm
Hope that Lexi is not he is not worth anything