The Fox talent lineup for their soccer coverage will be one of the most intriguing stories of the end of 2014 and into 2015. Of course, headlines were made when Gus Johnson stepped down from his post as the lead play by play man for Fox soccer. And with Fox snatching the World Cup away from ESPN, you can guarantee there will be some new additions made to the roster to strengthen the lineup.
And with all the prospective additions coming, there may be another spot opening up in the Fox soccer team sheet. Three sources tell Awful Announcing that former Fulham and USMNT striker Brian McBride will leave Fox Sports at the end of the year. Fox Sports confirmed the news to AA this morning, adding “we want to thank Brian for all of his contributions and commitment to our soccer coverage and wish him the very best in his future endeavors.” One source did not expect McBride to remain in television.
McBride scored 30 goals in almost 100 appearances for the USMNT during his playing days. Since joining Fox Sports, he has been an integral part of the network’s coverage of world soccer in the studio and in the broadcast booth for the Champions League, Europa League, and more.
So who might fill this open slot? Already, we’ve reported that Fox Sports has had discussions with ESPN’s Alexi Lalas about joining the network. Brad Friedel’s name has also been mentioned as a possibilty to join Fox full-time as well. On the flip side, Taylor Twellman is staying at ESPN after signing an 8 year contract extension. There’s still plenty of options out there on the horizons, both in television veterans and new faces. It’ll certainly be interesting to see which new faces Fox looks to in the build to the 2015 Women’s World Cup.
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