With so many people choosing to consume media online rather than through a cable subscription, it’s easy to see why sites like Netflix are so hugely popular. It’s pretty easy to watch great movies or shows online these days, but what’s not so easy is getting high quality sports streams.

The Premier League is broadcast in 220 territories around the world, with only 16% of global viewers actually in the UK. Many broadcasters around the world offer some kind of streaming service. NowTV from SkySports, for example, has HD streaming for all its UK subscribers, along with mobile apps etc.

The downside of this is that most broadcasters only allow you to stream live matches if you’re actually in the country where you have the subscription. For example, if you live half the year abroad, but still have a Sky Sports package at home in the UK, you can’t access live sports streams when you’re away.

In addition to this, the price for signing up to these services varies wildly, and Sky Sports is pretty expensive when compared to Denmark’s Viaplay, or New Zealand’s Premier League Pass. Do you want to know something that seems a little unfair? Ireland doesn’t get any broadcasting rights to the Premier league at all, while the USA broadcasts every single Premier League match live every season.

So what are the options if you want to watch the Premier League online?

Well you could always use illegal streaming sites that upload Sky Sports’ content live. The main problem with these sites is that they usually have low quality streams, unreliable connections, and often try to trick you into downloading files that could harm your computer or steal your data.

How to get around geo-restrictions:

There are actually two ways of making sites think you are actually in the country they want you to be in.

The first, and most widely known, is to use a VPN, which you can use to connect to a server in the country you need to be in, so the website thinks your computer is in that country. This is great in theory, but VPNs are often too slow to stream HD content live, so I recommend using a Smart DNS service.

Unlike a VPN, a SmartDNS does not slow down your internet at all, and simply redirects the geo-location request from the website. Basically making you appear to be in the correct country without sending all your other internet data through different countries. The SmartDNS doesn’t affect any part of your internet connection unless it gets a geo-locking request, in which case it gives a positive response, making the website think you’re in that country.

You can also use services like these to watch Match of the Day when you’re on vacation. Simply set up your Smart DNS service, which you can leave running in the background without any disturbance to your normal internet browsing, and go to the BBC iPlayer website and stream BBC One live.

Or you can use the Smart DNS service to access US sites such as NBC Sports Live Extra (for Premier League games), FOX Soccer 2Go (for FA Cup and Champions League) and fuboTV (for La Liga, Serie A and Ligue Un).

For the latest Premier League fixtures that are being shown on US television, visit our Premier League TV schedule page.

ONE World Sports will premiere A Bridge to Cuba, a documentary following NASL team New York Cosmos and their journey to Havana, Cuba, on Saturday, Nov. 7th.

Seamus O’Brien, founder and chairman of ONE World Sports, also owns the Cosmos.

The network traveled to Cuba alongside the team in order to telecast their friendly against the Cuban national team, capturing the first visit of a US professional sports team to Cuban soil since the US lifted its trade embargo in Dec. 2014.

SEE MORE: Ranking the top 20 cities for MLS, NASL and USL expansion.

Shortly after the trip, diplomatic relations were officially restored between the two countries for the first time since 1961.

“When we embarked on this trip to Cuba, we knew we were in a unique position to have an insider’s view of history being made,” said Joel Feld, ONE World Sports Executive Vice President, Programming & Production.

A Bridge to Cuba includes exclusive footage ofa number of high profile athletes who accompanied the Cosmos, including Pelé, current striker and former Real Madrid star Raúl and NASL team owner Carmelo Anthony.

The last time a soccer team played in Cuba was in 1978 when the now-defunct Chicago Sting visited, and despite winning 4-1, the Cosmos were met by a crowd who were excited for the match, sitting through pretty heavy rainfall the entire game.

SEE MORE: NASL pursuing litigation against US Soccer; Here’s how it might play out.

Alongs with a the 7 p.m. Eastern premier on ONE Sports One, the documentary will be made available on the Watch ONE World Sports app beginning Nov. 15.

The trailer for the documentary can be found here:

The NWSL postseason begins Sunday with four teams competing for the league’s title, with a doubleheader featured live on FOX Sports 1 beginning on Sunday the 13th at 1:30 p.m. EST.

This begins the completion of one of the NWSL’s most exciting seasons. The final four teams feature several women who played for their countries in the recent 2015 Women’s World Cup in Canada, including members of the world champions from the U.S. Women’s National Team.

The Chicago Red Stars, lead by U.S. internationals Christen Press and Julie Johnston, will be playing in their first playoff game, facing an FC Kansas City team whose lineup includes Americans Becky Sauerbrunn, Heather O’Reilly and Lauren Holiday.

Carrying over from FOX’s Women’s World Cup coverage, Jenn Hildreth will provide play-by-play analysis alongside Kyndra de St. Aubin and sideline reporter Julie Stewart-Binks. All three women will be broadcasting live from Toyota Park in Bridgeview, Illinois.

Immediately following the game in Illinois, Mark Rogondino, Aly Wagner, and Katie Witham will be live in Memorial Stadium’s Moda Pitch in Seattle, covering the Seattle Reign’s matchup against the Washington Spirit beginning at 9:30 p.m. EST.

The Reign finished runners up last season and are looking follow this year’s first-place regular season finish with a championship behind Megan Rapinoe, Hope Solo and Scotland international Kim Little. The Spirit, including Aly Krieger and Crystal Dunn (2015 NWSL Golden Boot honoree), are looking to make it to their first ever finals match.

SEE MORE: NWSL announces broadcast deal with FOX.

The Championship match will be played on Oct. 1st at 9:30 p.m. EST in Portland’s Providence Park. The game will also be broadcast live on Fox Sports 1.

All matches can be viewed on FOXSportsGO.com and on the FOX Sports GO app.

A Dutch documentary will debut tonight in the Netherlands, and it includes footage of Dirk Kuyt from earlier this year when he revealed the news to his children that he was joining Feyenoord again.

Kuyt gave each of his children a Feyenoord jersey of their own, and you have to sit back and watch what unfolds to see what it means to the former Liverpool attacker and his children.

Kuyt scored 71 goals in 101 appearances for the Dutch club between 2003-06 before moving to Liverpool where he scored 51 goals in 208 appearances and was part of the Liverpool team that won the League Cup in 2011-12.

Enjoy the video!

SEE MORE: Watch Feyenoord and the Eredivisie with a free 30-day trial to NGSN.

An incredibly talented artist, Nerea Palacios, has created concept jerseys for all current 20 MLS teams and included concept shirt designs for the two newest expansion teams — Miami and Atlanta as well. Palacios, a graphic artist based in Barcelona, combines minimalism and the team’s identities in a really interesting way that would not look out of place in a Nike showroom.

If MLS decided to change its league-wide contract from adidas to Nike in the future, would we see this level of creative designs from Nike?

Also, check out some of Palacios work here, where she creates uniforms for some of the most famous Game of Thrones houses, NFL teams as well as Star Wars.

SEE MORE: See all of the jerseys for the 20 Premier League clubs for the 2015/16 season.

Here are the jersey concepts:

Atlanta United FC

Chicago Fire

Colorado Rapids

Columbus Crew SC

FC Dallas

D.C. United

Houston Dynamo

Sporting Kansas City

L.A. Galaxy

Miami Beckham United

Montreal Impact

New England Revolution

New York City FC

Orlando City SC

Philadelphia Union

Portland Timbers

Real Salt Lake

New York Red Bulls

San Jose Quakes

Seattle Sounders FC

Toronto FC

Vancouver Whitecaps FC

In what is turning out to be a spectacular 2015 for U.S. Women’s National Team’s Megan Rapinoe, the midfielder announced her engagement to longtime girlfriend, Sera Cahoone, on her official Instagram account.

After winning the 2015 Women’s World Cup in Canada last month, Rapinoe returned to Seattle, Washington with Cahoone who is an extremely talented singer-songwriter, the two have been together for several years.

Rapinoe currently plays for Seattle Reign FC in the NWSL and scored two goals for the USWNT on their way to winning the team’s third World Cup.

US Soccer and Jill Ellis have agreed to a new multi-year contract extension for an undisclosed length.

Ellis was appointed head coach of the U.S. Women’s National Team in May 2014 and was given only five months to prepare for CONCACAF qualifications for the, then upcoming, 2015 Women’s World Cup in Canada. Drawn into the tournament’s “group of death” Ellis and her team seemed to struggle through the group stages of the tournament, but emerged first nonetheless.

After progressing through the knock-out rounds to the finals against Japan, Ellis’ USWNT won the FIFA Women’s World Cup 5-2 against the Nadeshiko giving the United States their third title. Ellis’ coaching record is 29-2-9, which includes her current stretch as head coach as well as her time as interim head coach in 2012.

“To watch our players achieve their dreams and continue to inspire fans across the country and the world was one of the most satisfying experiences of my coaching career,” said Ellis in the statement released announcing her head coach contract extension.

Ellis was the assistant coach at several American colleges before being appointed head coach of the Illinois women’s soccer team for two years, leaving to coach the UCLA Bruins for 11 years and earning the all-time collegiate coaching record with 248 wins, 63 losses and 14 draws.

Following her collegiate coaching career, Ellis served as coach for the women’s U-20, U-21, USSF Development Director, USWNT senior team assistant coach and interim head coach before taking over for Tom Sermanni last year.

U.S. Soccer President Sunil Gulati said in a statement, “When we hired Jill, we all knew the great challenge that was ahead of her and the team. She met that challenge with tremendous passion and knowledge to win what was perhaps the most difficult Women’s World Cup tournament in history.”

Currently the U.S. Women’s National Team is preparing for their 10-city victory tour across the United States to celebrate the organization’s third World Cup win with ticket sales already breaking records for women’s soccer matches in the United States.

As Chelsea and Arsenal prepare to face-off for the FA Community Shield on Sunday, watch this throwback video from October 14, 1935 presented by Gaumont British News. The game finished in a 1-1 draw in front of 82,905 fans, a record breaking crowd at the time, at Stamford Bridge in west London.

Joseph Bambrick for Chelsea scored first but Arsenal’s Jack Crayston found the equalizer late in the second half, much to the delight of the large crowd. Arsenal were the defending champions of the league, still called League Division One, and seemed to bring a favorable crowd with them to the blue side of London.

Arsenal legend Alex James was among the footballers who played that day in this post-Herbert Chapman side (Chapman’s last match in charge was in 1933).

The style of play might have changed in 80 years but both of the goals scored look like they would fit right into the current Premier League systems.

Video unavailable

A Manchester United fan stole the crowd’s attention at a Liverpool friendly in Bukit Jalil, Malaysia over the weekend.

Despite being surrounded by Liverpool supporters, this Manchester United fan broke it down in the middle of the Liverpool supporters section and seemed to be thoroughly enjoying himself before being shown his seat by a Liverpool fan.

Eventually the United supporter took his seat, and graciously wore the scarf handed to him by the Reds fan. The crowd was cheering him on and laughing but everyone seemed to be having a good time.

Liverpool went on to draw with Malaysian Selection, 1-1, as the game ended their pre-season tour of Asia and Australia.

SEE ALSO: Check out the schedule of preseason matches played across the globe this summer.

Mobile app users, watch the video here.

After acquiring the right to sign Didier Drogba, the Chicago Fire have traded the Ivorian national for allocation money to the Montreal Impact according to the team’s official website. Not officially a part of the roster just yet, Drogba must first obtain his International Transfer Certificate (ITC) as well as his Canadian work permit.

When Chicago first filed a “discovery claim” on Drogba after the striker expressed interest in playing within MLS, the Fire started to pursue his talents and expected him to sign a contract. However Drogba quickly stated that he preferred to play in Montreal, the other team who had expressed interest and the Fire worked out a deal with the Impact.

According to multiple sources, the current deal will be set at $3 million a year for 18-months and once all permits are obtained and the deal is signed, Drogba will become available for selection.

“It’s an honor to welcome Didier Drogba to the Impact,” said Impact President Joey Saputo in a statement released on the team website. Multiple leaders within the team’s front office expressed their excitement in the release, especially Technical Director Adam Braz, “He’s demonstrated his qualities as a striker at the highest level in Europe. His instinct in front of the goal, his experience and his leadership are all attributes that will help the team on the field.”

Drogba has twice won the Premier League’s Golden Boot award, once in the 2006-07 season as well as the 2009-10 season. The striker has won the Premier League title four times, FA cup four times, the UEFA Champions League once and is the fourth all time leading goal scorer for Chelsea with 163 goals throughout his 9 years with the London club.

After debuting with the Ivory Coast National team in 2002, Drogba scored the team’s first goal in a World Cup in 2006. He captained Les Éléphants during the 2010 and 2014 World Cups and was a part of the team that reached the African Cup of Nations finals in 2006 and 2012.

Montreal is currently sitting in 6th place and could use a leader like Drogba to help add to the goal tally as well as give them a push heading into the second half of the season. A player with a strong presence up front, like Drogba could help immensely as the team prepare for the playoffs.

Shaun Wright-Phillips has left the Premier League for New York Red Bulls, according to the team’s official website.

After 16 years in England, Wright-Phillips and his brother Bradley have joined the Red Bulls and will be available for selection on Saturday when New York faces Philadelphia Union at PPL Park.

First debuting for Manchester City in 1999, Wright-Phillips won two FA Cups, one Premier League championship, one League Cup and one Community Shield with four different teams including Chelsea and Queens Park Rangers. Over the course of his Premier League career he earned 299 appearances and scored 31 goals.

Red Bulls Head Coach Jesse Marsch said, “Shaun has performed at the highest levels of the game for his entire career, in the Premier League and on the international level, and brings a wealth of talent and experience.

Wright-Phillips made his national team debut for the U-21 team in 2001 before appearing for the senior team in 2004. After weaving in and out of selection, Wright-Phillips was chosen for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa where he appeared as a substitute in two of the team’s group games. The London native has accumulated 36 appearances for the England team and scored 6 goals.

Currently sitting in third place in MLS’s Eastern conference with 29 points, Wright-Phillips can make an immediate impact as the Red Bulls head into mid-season and look to continue their winning as the playoffs get closer.

For the first time in the game’s history, a woman will be featured on the cover of FIFA ’16.

EA Sports announced today that Alex Morgan will be on the cover alongside Lionel Messi for the game’s United States release this September.

Earlier in the year, Messi was announced as the global cover star meaning that Messi would be on all covers of the game worldwide with separate athletes on covers in different regions. The inclusion of Morgan on the cover in the US coincides with the game’s release of 12 women’s teams, the first time women’s soccer will be featured in the video game.

Morgan is easily one of the most recognizable faces of the women’s game today and received high praises from her cover-partner. “Alex and her team have accomplished something amazing for their country and the sport in the USA, and to share the cover with her is an honor,” said Messi.

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“I know people all over the world play this game and I’m really excited that ‘FIFA 16’ is putting such an important spotlight on women’s soccer,” said Morgan. “And now to share the cover with today’s greatest player is surreal.”

The Canadian cover of FIFA 16 will also feature Canadian National Team captain Christine Sinclair alongside Messi.

FIFA 16 is set to be released on September 22, 2015 in North America.

Sampdoria have released their new jerseys for the 2015-16 season and have included a small microchip in a limited number of jerseys, which plays soccer chants whenever the club crest is pressed.

“It is the first shirt to be technologically modified to encourage the fans when they need it,” explained shirt manufacturers Joma.

The chants were pre-recorded in the team’s home stadium, Stadio Luigi Ferraris, and are intended to help the supporters throughout trying moments of their day, as well as to remind players of the support that the fans are giving them.

“As the fans always encourage the supporters on every occasion, it’s only right that the team also encourages its fans in the most difficult moments,” said Joma.

A QR code will come with the purchase of the special jerseys, allowing fans to download exclusive content only available to the owners of the limited edition shirts. Previewing the release of the jerseys, Joma filmed a commercial detailing how the supportive message can help fans. Shown below, a fan is seen to be feeling self-conscious about his balding hair and when pressing on his jersey and hearing cheers of encouragement from his club, he begins to feel better.

Sampdoria have not announced the release date, but with the Serie A season beginning August 22, it is likely that we will see these jerseys released to the market soon.

During a successful summer of soccer in the United States when it comes to TV viewing figures, Univision and FOX Sports have been reporting favorable numbers for their coverage of this summer’s CONCACAF Gold Cup.

Some of the latest numbers include:

• 3.7 million watched the Mexico-Guatemala game on Univision,
• 2.8 million watched the Mexico-Trinidad and Tobago thriller on Univision and UniMas (combined numbers),
• 1.5 million people watched the USA-Panama game on FOX Sports 1

Univision is allowing fans to watch the group stages of the Gold Cup, free of charge without authenticating through a television subscription and is a likely cause for the big jump in numbers. According to a statement released from the network, live streaming gave TV viewership a 6% jump in ratings.

FOX Sports GO is also contributing to increased viewer numbers for the network, with over 2.1 million minutes of Gold Cup coverage streamed on the app, setting a new record for FOX Sports GO coverage.

Through 6 days and 12 matches of the 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup tournament, Univision Deportes has delivered over 2.0M live streams; 86% of all live streams have come from the Univision Deportes App.

Now that the group stage of the Gold Cup has ended, viewers will have to have a TV subscription to keep watching on Univision’s live stream. Univision has seen solid growth among English-language viewers through their coverage of the World Cup and now the Gold Cup as well. The network has been able to hit the coveted 18-49 market consistently through the tournament and are likely to see that market grow in the future.

On Wednesday in Washington D.C., the US Senate panel hearing took place into corruption in international soccer chaired by the Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety, Insurance, and Data Security.

Those in attendance were investigative journalist and filmmaker Andrew Jennings, Dan Flynn, CEO and secretary-general of the U.S. Soccer Federation, Michael Hershman, president and CEO of the Fairfax Group and Sunjeev Bery, advocacy director for the Middle East and North Africa at Amnesty International USA.

Some serious accusations were thrown around from the Senators in attendance and we have assembled some of the most eye-opening quotes from the hearing.

SEE MORE — Watch the US Senate Panel hearing into corruption in soccer.

US Senate panel hearing into soccer corruption

USSF CEO Dan Flynn

“I knew nothing about any corruption. I or anybody that I work with has not brought anything to my attention – cold hard facts regarding corruption within FIFA or CONCACAF.”

US Senator Richard Blumenthal:

“The silence is deafening, and sometimes inaction signals complicity. There will be a point where in effect U.S. Soccer is complicit in the ongoing lack of reform or action. You may have no direct control over it but I respectfully suggest that this may be something you want to consider more seriously.”

(Directed at USSF CEO Dan Flynn) “Begin to ask questions. Begin an inquiry. Begin to shine the light. Begin to blow the whistle. Begin essentially holding accountable officials who might be guilty — and we now know they are — of wire fraud, conspiracy, money laundering and bribery that directly impacted the quality and integrity of the sport that you are responsible for upholding.”

Investigative reporter Andrew Jennings:

“Where’s Sunil? Where is he?….It rather undermines the whole process I think.”

“U.S. Soccer had to know that Blazer and his fellow crook Jack Warner from Trinidad, fighting extradition now, with the approval of [FIFA president Sepp] Blatter were looting regional football and evading rightful taxes but they looked the other way. If American soccer leaders had taken action when they should have, Blazer and Warner would have been in jail, Blatter would be seeking asylum in Zimbabwe and the USA would be hosting the 2022 World Cup, not some graveyards in the gulf.”

“[The US] doesn’t have to go ask the rest of the world ‘Is it alright if we have an enquiry in America into our people?’ PLEASE. I find this very dispiriting about this view of America as being gutless because that’s what is being suggested. Get on and do it. Don’t ask permission of some other countries.”

“You (the United States) have got the sponsors. You’ve got the media. You’ve got the moral power of this huge country [to change international soccer and remove corruption].”

“Blatter’s FIFA ticks all the boxes defining an organized crime syndicate, seizing and holding power, massive stealing, running rackets, compromising and outwitting the public authorities and hiding behind the world’s most popular game. After 7 years of probing these sleaze-bags and putting up with their legal threats and their attacks on my computers.”

“FIFA never should have awarded the 2022 World Cup to Qatar and England never should have bid for the 2018 World Cup, knowing about rampant bribery on FIFA’s Executive Committee.”

“FIFA has got to be dissolved.”

Findings

The US Senate panel hearing into soccer corruption lasted about two hours, not including breaks, and was the beginning of a long process for U.S. Soccer. Neither Sepp Blatter or Sunil Gulati were in attendance but both men’s names were mentioned throughout the panel. Both Senators told the representatives that this is the first step in figuring out how to oust corruption from international soccer.

What does Sunil Gulati have to hide?

SEE ALSO:

What did MLS and US Soccer know about Traffic and CONCACAF’s improprieties?

USSF and MLS have serious questions to answer

Years of Blazer corruption raises serious questions for American soccer

On Sunday’s ‘Last Week Tonight,’ John Oliver spent close to 20 minutes breaking down what is wrong with the way stadiums are publicly-funded in the United States. He specifically pointing out how owners and teams regularly manipulate the cities they are in to gain financial rewards to build new stadiums, and then reap the profits while the surrounding communities see no increase in business.

Oliver is well-known for taking on corrupt organizations and practices and shining a light on what is wrong the systems. For example, he gave a dressing down to FIFA during several episodes of his hit HBO show.

Not only does Oliver break down how sports teams in cities are able to take money from the taxpayers, but he talks about how having a stadium and team might be detrimental to the city as a whole.

SEE MORE —

John Oliver interviewed by David Letterman on topic of English soccer.

Sit back and watch Oliver rant on a topic that has relevance to soccer in the United States (hello David Beckham in Miami):

Mobile app users, watch the video here.

A ticker tape parade through the streets of New York City to celebrate the U.S. Women’s National Team’s World Cup victory will feature floats from New York City FC and New York Red Bulls despite neither MLS team having any affiliation with the USWNT.

NASL club New York Cosmos were offered a spot on the parade but declined the offer in respect to the Women’s victory.

MLS is one of the sponsors of the parade, which is costing the city of New York up to $1.5 million to host. However, the inclusion of NYCFC and RBNY teams on floats is a poor decision. The impression is that the MLS teams are trying to piggyback off the success of the women’s team and are trying to steal away some of the limelight to focus on MLS instead of the national team.

The ticker-tape parade will be along the Canyon of Heroes, and will be the first parade in 30 years held for a team not based in New York City. This will also be the first parade held for a woman’s team in the Canyon. In the past, female athletes have been celebrated with a ticker-tape parade after winning Olympic medals.

The parade will be shown live on ESPN3. The broadcast will begin on Friday at 11 AM ET, and will feature a ceremony held in City Hall following the conclusion of the parade at 2pm ET.

The decision to organize a ticker tape parade was fueled by a change.org petition from Manhattan borough president Gale Brewer calling for Mayor Bill de Blasio to hold a ticker-tape parade to honor the USWNT on their third World Cup trophy. The petition went viral and gained thousands of signatures, a clear indication that the city wants to help celebrate the women’s achievements in Canada.

Surprisingly, FOX Sports won’t be televising the event. Instead, fans not in New York City can watch the parade live at ESPN 3 or at http://es.pn/USWNTParade as well as on ESPN’s official app, WATCH ESPN.

Univision Deportes will provide free streaming of all group matches in the 2015 Gold Cup without requiring authentication. As a part of its “TV Everywhere” campaign, anyone can download the Univision Deportes mobile app, available for Android and iOS devices, as well as watch games on UnivisionDeportes.com.

An authentication instructional video will play before all the group stage matches with the dedicated Gold Cup website, Futbol.Univision.com/copa-oro, providing how-to videos on the authentication process.

After the group stage ends, users will be required to authenticate using their TV subscriptions.

“Our goal is to constantly educate our audience about the benefits of their pay TV subscription and the ability to live stream a major event is a big one,” Jennifer Ball, executive vice president of Marketing and Content Partnerships, Univision Communications Inc.

SEE MORE — Get the Gold Cup TV schedule, bracket and team previews.

Providing free streaming of the Gold Cup is a unique and major step for Univision and television networks in general. Users who may not otherwise have been able to see the group stage matches have a chance to tune-in and might be swayed to increase their television packages to include Univision in order to continue watching the tournament through the knockout stages.

Univision’s message is bold but should fall on positive ears as most viewers in the United States recently finished watching the U.S. Women’s National Team just win their third World Cup and could capitalize on new fans of the game looking for more soccer action.

The Gold Cup kicked off last night with USA securing a 2-1 victory against Honduras as Group B gets ready to kick-off tonight at 8pm ET.

There was a lot to celebrate Sunday during the U.S. Women’s National Team’s 5-2 victory against Japan. Between Carli Lloyd achieving the fastest hat trick in any World Cup final to the team’s third title, fans took to social media to share their celebrations.

We’ve picked out some of our favorite videos and pictures, let us know if you think we missed some!

SEE MORE — 

Newspaper front covers herald USA Women’s World Cup triumph

Watch ‘Turn Down For What’ remix of US fans celebrating goal in World Cup 2014

The D.C. chapter of the American Outlaws finished their celebration by singing “We are the U.S.!” in front of the White House.

@AO_DC we have moved the party to the @WhiteHouse! #USA #USWNT pic.twitter.com/cb1rmFKRti

— AODC (@AO_DC) July 6, 2015

This fan was very excited to learn about Carli Lloyd’s third goal.

The Associated Press were in Chicago to document the fans who gathered at Lincoln Park to watch the final game.

In a celebration after the game, a fan lead a crowd of supporters in an updated version of “I Believe”, “I Believe We Have Three Stars!”

I #Believe we have ⭐️⭐️⭐️! pic.twitter.com/4wLBjIzK1T

— U.S. Soccer WNT (@ussoccer_wnt) July 7, 2015

Instagram user robynpix posted a picture from the fan rally at the LA Staples Center following the USWNT’s return to the United States.

This video was also posted from the fan celebration at the Staples Center, showing the crowd chanting “I Believe!”

Of course, Alex Morgan got a great video herself while on stage at the Staples Center of a very excited crowd.

Let us know if we missed your favorite celebration moments below!

Over 1.2 million viewers tuned in to Telemundo for the final game of the 2015 Women’s World Cup to watch the highly anticipated rematch between the U.S. Women’s National Team and Japan. Called by the legendary Andrés Cantor and Sammy Sadovnik, Telemundo’s ratings saw an increase of 97% from the 2011 final with a staggering 342% increase from the tournament average during the network’s digital stream.

Telemundo has been broadcasting the Women’s World Cup alongside FOX, utilizing their partnership of NBC UNIVERSO and NBCDeportes.com bringing all 52 games in the World Cup across the multiple platforms making it the most games broadcast from a Women’s World Cup for any networks in Spanish-Language media.

Cantor is often seen as one of the most enjoyable broadcasters in soccer today with his famous goal-celebration call being the main reason. The USWNT scored 5 goals on Sunday against Japan, who scored 2 goals themselves, which was likely the reason for a large viewer increase during the last half-hour of the match. Over 1.67 million people tuned in to see the final minutes of the game.

FOX had the rights to broadcast the tournament but Telemundo was often praised for their coverage throughout the games and these increased viewer numbers show a growing interest in the game among Spanish language Americans. 19,328 tuned into the network’s live stream, indicating a change in how people are watching.

A total of 1.5 million people tuned into beIN SPORTS for the exciting Copa America final between Chile and Argentina on Saturday, July 4.

The match, which finished 0-0 in regular time, was taken into extra time followed by penalty kicks and was eventually won by the host nation, Chile, for the first time in tournament history.

beIN SPORTS has reported good viewership numbers throughout the tournament, with close to 14 million viewers for the Group stage followed by 3.8 million for the quarter-finals.

The 1.5 million viewers can be divided up between the English-language channel and Spanish-language channel. Remaining consistent with the rest of the Copa America viewership, the Spanish language channel (beIN SPORTS en Espańol) pulled away with the bigger numbers. About 1 million of the viewers tuned in to the Spanish-language channel, while 464,000 watched the English-language channel.

SEE MORE — Listen to our interview with Phil Schoen about Copa America.

beIN SPORTS has not received much criticism for their coverage of the Copa but the majority of Americas with interest in the tournament seem to be more interested in watching the Spanish-language channel. One major concern entering the tournament was the lack of diversity amongst the broadcasters and play-by-play callers and perhaps this was a way viewers showed their preferences.

These numbers paint an interesting picture of the soccer viewership in the United States. All summer, the Women’s World Cup has received spectacular viewership including 25 million viewers for the final between the U.S. and Japan Sunday night. Combined with the fact that the game was shown on a national holiday, the beIN SPORTS viewership numbers for Copa America say a lot.

Overall, the numbers for the entire Copa America tournament were still fewer than the Women’s World Cup final, but the appearance of the United States in the final was the main reason for the spectacular World Cup numbers.

Following last night’s 5-2 victory against Japan, the United States Women’s National Team stole the headlines on today’s newspapers across the country.

Papers from all over the country featured pictures and headlines expressing the excitement felt after the United States captured their third World Cup trophy, the most in the history of the Women’s World Cup.

SEE MORE — 

Newspaper front covers ahead of Women’s World Cup final [PHOTOS]

Here are some of our favorite newspaper front covers from across the US today:

Arizona Republic

The Arizona Republic’s headline “WORLD CHAMPIONS” is front and center with a picture of locals watching the game as well as a group picture of the team hoisting the trophy.

LA Daily News

Opting for a great solo picture of Carli Lloyd, the Los Angeles Daily News features the Golden Ball trophy winner on the front page.

Miami Herald

The Miami Herald chose a great headline to accompany the team-trophy picture, “WITHOUT DOUBT, WORLD’S BEST”.

Chicago Tribune

“UNBELIEVABLE” is the appropriate headline used by the Chicago Tribune with a picture of the entire team with the World Cup trophy.

Rochester Democrat and Chronicle

Abby Wambach’s hometown paper, the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle, featured the captain holding an American flag after the game.

The Oregonian

Portland, a typical hotbed for soccer in the United States, selected a team picture holding up the World Cup trophy to take up half the front page. Accompanying the picture is a fantastic headline, “On top at the World”.

Houston Chronicle

The Houston Chronicle features a great team picture and a heartwarming article about a young fan wanting to see her favorite player Tobin Heath score a goal to help win the World Cup.

The Seattle Times

My personal favorite front page from today is the Seattle Times, which features a picture of the team running across the field with the headline, “Wonderful World”.

Between increased viewing numbers and the large amount of media coverage following the World Cup win, there’s no doubt that women’s soccer and soccer in general is growing in the United States.

Now that the final Women’s World Cup match is set, there is only one game left to decide the winner of the tournament. As a re-match of the 2011 World Cup final, this game will be a test of physicality as well as emotions from both teams. But who will win?

Vote in the poll below. Or if you need some convincing, read my breakdown of both team’s strengths.

United States of America

Heralded as one of the favorites before the tournament started, the U.S. Women’s National Team have only just begun to find themselves in Canada. Good timing, too, as their next game will prove to be the most challenging. Depth is something this team has that the other three do not — a deep and talented group of women who are able to come off the bench and make plays.

The goals have been coming from different parts of the team. Veteran Carli Lloyd scored the winning goal against China and newcomer Christen Press scored in the team’s opener.

The United States are being fueled by Abby Wambach, who has appeared to be a tad overcome by the gravitas of her final World Cup. Although she has issued plenty of complaints and her fair share of negative comments, don’t give up on the prolific goal scorer yet. Her passion may be what finishes this tournament off for the USWNT.

Japan

The defending Women’s World Cup champions have not had a single point taken off them this entire tournament and even though they are not the critics’ favorites, they do not care what you think. They are organized and efficient and plan on stifling teams until they take the trophy home for a second time in a row.

They are the only team to have won every game in the tournament and their precise defense and intricate offense seem capable of frustrating any team.

Nadeshiko might mean delicate pink flower, but do not let that fool you. These women might have a size disadvantage but they are powerful and are scarily accurate on the ball. They have the experience of winning one World Cup and seem determined to prove that it was not a fluke.

So tell us below, who do you think will win it all?

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FOX Sports has announced that John Strong will be the lead commentator for its coverage of the 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup.

So far, FOX has announced that Strong will be joined by co-commentators Brad Friedel (for the US’ opening game against Honduras) and Alexi Lalas (for the July 13 game versus Panama). Other co-commentators that will be covering the Gold Cup for FOX are Warren Barton, Brian Dunseth, Stu Holden, Cobi Jones and Janusz Michallik.

The rest of the commentators for the other matches of the Gold Cup includes Steve Cangialosi, Keith Costigan, Glenn Davis, JP Dellacamera and Mark Rogondino.

This will be the second major tournament for FOX this summer and is part of their “Summer of Soccer” series that features 200 games between Memorial Day and Labor Day. Overall, FOX’s coverage of the Women’s World Cup has been met with mixed praise with the graphics and visuals receiving the highest accolades.

SEE MORE — Check out the Gold Cup TV schedule for viewers in the USA.

Announcing Strong as lead play-by-play analyst is a smart call on FOX’s part as he’ll likely have a better grasp on most of the USMNT players given that he’s the lead voice for MLS with FOX.

The talent that will be working the Gold Cup for FOX gives a good indication of the number of people who cover the sport for FOX — given that the crew for the Women’s World Cup is almost completely different than the Gold Cup pool.

SEE MORE — Univision Deportes announce plans to stream Gold Cup tournament live.

Univision Deportes has announced plans to include live streaming as part of the networks coverage of this summer’s Gold Cup tournament. Each match in the tournament will be available to stream live on the network’s app and website, and will include full coverage with commentary, stats and social media integration.

Univision is also launching a separate Gold Cup specific website at www.univisiondeportes.com/copaoro. The website will feature original Gold Cup content, interviews, schedules, match scores, highlights and player stats.

In addition to live streaming every Gold Cup match, Univision will be televising the tournament in Spanish-language on Univision Deportes Network and UniMas.

“We are pleased to offer our fans live stream access to the Gold Cup on any device, no matter where they are,” said Juan Carlos Rodriguez, president of Univision Deportes.

The network is also going to have dedicated social media journalists covering the tournament and will release specific videos, in-game coverage, fan reactions and behind the scenes features with players.

As the tournament gets set to kick-off in less than a week, it is refreshing to see a network embrace technology and the ever changing audience that watches their content. With more fans getting their sports news from social media, Univision is ready to fulfill that need with specific journalists on-site at games who are ready to share valuable information.

The Gold Cup is set to kick-off on July 7 at 7:00 PM EST with Panama vs. Haiti followed by United States vs. Honduras afterwards.

Check out our complete Gold Cup schedule.

beIN SPORTS reported that the network’s coverage of the 2015 Copa America quarterfinals reached 3.8 million according to the most recent Nielsen Rating. Coverage of the Argentina v. Colombia on beIN SPORTS en Español was the highest rating sports broadcast in cable for that day (June 26).

This news comes after beIN SPORTS released their viewing numbers for the Copa America Group stage, which reached almost 14 million viewers. The network’s en Español channel has been receiving larger viewing audiences throughout the tournament and these most recent figures appear to stick with that trend.

beIN SPORTS can likely look forward to large viewing numbers for the final game with the host nation, Chile, facing off against Argentina. The third-place match, between Peru and Paraguay, should also draw large numbers considering the popularity of the quarterfinal games.

Although some viewers were quick to point out a lack of diversity for the Copa America coverage, the network has done a good job of bringing fair and balanced coverage to the tournament.

Programming note: In the United States, beIN SPORTS has the exclusive English-language and Spanish-language rights to the tournament. If your cable or satellite provider doesn’t offer beIN SPORTS, or you want to watch the games on your computer, mobile phone, tablet or Roku, sign up for a free trial to fuboTV to watch the games. And if you like what you see, fuboTV is just $6.99 per month. It’s completely legal and features HD-quality streams, but is only available to soccer fans in the United States.

SEE MORE — Get the Copa America TV schedule, bracket and more.

On the heels of a successful run by the US Women’s National Team in the 2015 Women’s World Cup, FOX Sports has announced that a deal that includes broadcast rights to 10 games from the National Women’s Soccer League. The deal includes three regular season matches, all three games from the NWSL playoffs, two semi-final games and the final Championship game on October 1.

Four regular season matches will also be streamed live on the network’s app FOX Sports GO starting Wednesday July 22. The first match scheduled to be shown is a live online stream that will allow fans to watch Megan Rapinoe’s Seattle Reign FC face off against league rivals Portland Thorns led by Alex Morgan.

This is exciting news for the women’s professional league in the United States, which is often overlooked for MLS, and likely comes from the increased ratings from the 2015 Women’s World Cup, which FOX has been covering since the tournament began earlier this month.

Many women currently playing in the 2015 Women’s World Cup come from NWSL teams, including every player on the USWNT with the exception of Abby Wambach. There were 160 total appearances from players in this World Cup who play for NWSL teams with 127 starts and 33 substitutions according to NWSLsoccer.com.

“We are extremely thrilled to once again partner with FOX Sports to broadcast the National Women’s Soccer League to a national audience,” said NWSL Commissioner Jeff Plush.

Although not all 9 teams in the NWSL will be featured on television, it is a positive step in the right direction for the league. This Women’s World Cup has been the most watched in the history of the game and the inclusion of women’s rosters in the upcoming release of FIFA 16 shows that the women’s game is progressing into mainstream consciousness.

The growth for soccer in the United States has been slow and that growth for the women’s game has been even slower, but other countries have begun to pay attention to their respective women’s national teams and broadcasting the games to a national audience will encourage casual fans to tune in.

FOX also released the schedule of games they plan to show, all times listed below are in Eastern Standard Time.

Wednesday 22 July
10:00 PM – Portland Thorns v. Seattle Reign FC (FOXSportsGO app and FOXSportsGO.com)

Wednesday July 29
8:30 PM – Houston Dash v. FC Kansas City (FOXSportsGo app and FOXSportsGO.com)

Wednesday August 5
10:00 PM – Portland Thorns FC v. Boston Breakers (FOXSportsGo app and FOXSportsGO.com)

Friday August 2
8:30 PM – Houston Dash v. Sky Blue FC (FOXSportsGo app and FOXSportsGO.com)

Sunday August 9
9:30 PM – Portland Thorns FC v. Chicago Red Stars (FOXSports 1)

Friday August 21
8:00 PM – Houston Dash v. Seattle Reign FC (FOXSports 1)

Sunday August 30
9:30 PM – Portland Thorns v. Washington Spirit (FOXSports 1)

Sunday September 13
TBD – SemiFinal 1 (FOXSports 1)
TBD – SemiFinal 2 (FOXSports 1)

Thursday October 1
TBD – FINAL (FOXSports 1)

With four teams remaining in the 2015 Women’s World Cup, we’re quickly coming close to the end of the tournament. Looking back over the past several weeks, there have been quite a number of spectacular goals throughout the tournament.

We compiled our list of the 10 best goals from throughout the tournament. Let us know if you think we missed one!

SEE MORE —

Get your Women’s World Cup TV schedule and bracket.

5.7 million watched USA-China Women’s World Cup game on FOX.

10. Christen Press (USA).

Christen Press’ World Cup debut could not have gone better. She gave the United States their go-ahead-goal against Australia in the team’s first Group match in Canada.

9. Fran Kirby (England)

England’s Fran Kirby scored a great goal in the Three Lions’ Group game against Mexico. After beating several defenders in the box, Kirby was able to slot the ball in the back of the net, going past three defenders as well as the goalkeeper.

8. Dzsenifer Marozsán (Germany)

Germany have scored some amazing goals through the World Cup but Dzsenifer Marozsán’s sliding kick to give Germany their 4th goal in their Group match against Sweden was pretty spectacular. Germany took a short corner kick and Marozsán slid to catch up with the ball, kicking it in the process and finishing with a goal.

7. Eugénie Le Sommer (France)

Although France had a disappointing ending to their World Cup, Eugénie Le Sommer was one of the tournament’s best. After stealing the ball from England near the box, Le Sommer was able to take a quick strike from outside the box and send it into the back of the net.

6. Ashley Lawrence (Canada)

Canada’s goal against the Netherlands shows their tenacity and their “never say die” attitude that they’ve had throughout their tournament run. Ashley Lawrence chased down the ball after a deflection off a Netherlands’ defender.

5. Lieke Martens (Netherlands)

Despite the Netherlands disappointing finish to their World Cup, this young team shows promise for the future. Lieke Martens’s outside the box strike was the first scored in the country’s history at a World Cup.

4. Trine Rønning (Norway)

Norway’s Trine Rønning scored this fantastic goal off a set piece when Norway was fouled during their match against Thailand, missing the defensive wall and going through the goalkeeper’s gloves.

3. Amandine Henry (France)

Amandine Henry’s wonder strike against Mexico gave the French a 5-0 lead and a memorable goal to finish up the game.

2. Vicky Losada (Spain)

Vicky Losada’s goal for Spain was the country’s first in a Women’s World Cup and showed Losada’s great ball control. After bringing the ball down with her chest, she only takes one touch and sends the ball into the back of the net following a great long ball.

1. Lucy Bronze (England)

Lucy Bronze’s goal for England in the team’s game against Norway gave the Lionesses the lead after falling 1-0 early in the second half. The goal propelled the English through the game and past the Norwegians.

Mobile app users, visit the desktop version of the website to see all of the videos.

I guess it was only a matter of time before Hollywood decided to make a movie based on all the FIFA scandals that happened during the past month. Warner Bros. have purchased the rights to Ken Bensinger’s upcoming book Houses of Deceit and have appointed Ben Affleck and Matt Damon as producers with Warrior’s Gavin O’Connor set to direct the movie based on Chuck Blazer, the former FIFA and CONCACAF executive turned FBI whistleblower,  according to The Hollywood Reporter.

After going back and forth with other entertainment companies, Warner Bros. purchased the rights to Bensinger’s upcoming book, which is seen as the “definitive account” of Blazer’s role within the largest scandal in sports history and how the corrupt executive turned inside source for the United States’ case against FIFA and CONCACAF.

Bensinger is a Pulitzer Prize Award winning journalist who worked at the Los Angeles Times before leaving for BuzzFeed and published a memorable article within the soccer community entitled Mr. Ten Percent: The Man Who Built – And Bilked – American Soccer.

The article is being turned into a book, the rights to which were won by publisher Simon & Schuster, with a deal being finalized just last week. It is not uncommon for a Hollywood studio to purchase the rights to a book that has not been published yet and due to recent attention surrounding FIFA, Warner Bros. likely wanted to move quickly to cement the rights.

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Affleck received praise and multiple awards for his political thriller Argo, which he wrote, starred in and directed himself so FIFA haters and soccer fans should feel safe with Affleck behind the wheel of this film. He has proven to be more than a pretty face when it comes to his work in Hollywood over the last few years and is a talented screenplay writer as well as actor.

Blazer played a large role in the Department of Justice’s investigation into FIFA. Several organizations, including the Swiss police, have been working to bring down the organization for the last few years. The investigation came to a head in May when several members of FIFA were arrested during a meeting in Switzerland and a 168-page indictment detailing the charges being brought against the Swiss organization was released following the executive’s arrests.

There are no release dates for Bensinger’s book, so we are likely a long time away from the movie adaptation but Hollywood is going to want to move quickly while Americans are paying attention. With Sepp Blatter set to step-down as FIFA president after the next FIFA Congress, there’s going to be more drama ahead.

Now that the Group Stage of the 2015 Copa America is done, beIN SPORTS has announced that close to 14 million people in the United States tuned in to watch the 44th Copa tournament. Ten million people tuned into beIN en Espańol coverage with close to 4 million watching the English coverage, according to the latest Nielsen Media Research.

beIN SPORTS also broke down their most popular matches:

– Brazil vs. Colombia on June 17 – 1.4 million viewers
– Mexico vs. Chile on June 15 – 1.4 million viewers
– Argentina vs. Uruguay on June 16 – 1.1 million viewers

“We are thrilled with the viewership and passion shown by fans for the group stage matches of Copa America 2015,” said Antonio Briceno, Deputy Managing Director of beIN SPORTS.

As the tournament progresses into the quarterfinals these numbers will most certainly grow, especially for the Spanish language coverage that is immensely more popular than the English language stations.

Overall beIN SPORTS’ coverage of the tournament has been met with positive feedback, and they have provided extensive coverage throughout the games. The in-game analysis and studio talent have done a good job so far bringing fair and balanced coverage to a very diverse tournament.

Programming note: In the United States, beIN SPORTS has the exclusive English-language and Spanish-language rights to the tournament. If your cable or satellite provider doesn’t offer beIN SPORTS, or you want to watch the games on your computer, mobile phone, tablet or Roku, sign up for a free trial to fuboTV to watch the games. And if you like what you see, fuboTV is just $6.99 per month. It’s completely legal and features HD-quality streams, but is only available to soccer fans in the United States.

FOX Sports has released the line-up of broadcasters that will be calling the quarterfinal matches of the 2015 Women’s World Cup.

JP Dellacamera, Tony DiCicco and Cat Whitehill will continue to call the U.S. Women’s National team matches for the tournament when the USWNT take on China in a rematch of the 1999 World Cup final that gave the United States their second World Cup title.

Before the USA vs. China kick off, Germany takes on France which will be covered by Justin Kutcher and Aly Wagner.

Saturday’s double header will be covered by Jenn Hildreth and Kyndra de St. Aubin for Australia vs. Japan followed by coverage from John Strong and Danielle Slaton for the game between host nation Canada and England.

So far, FOX’s coverage of the Women’s World Cup has received mixed reviews. However the numbers watching the USWNT matches have been outstanding with 4.5 million tuning in for the USA-Sweden game.

The broadcasters for the semi-finals and third place match will be announced later next week. The decisions will likely be based upon who makes it through to the next rounds.

Overall, the in-studio talent has been solid. With a spectacular use of graphics and set-design, the network has spared no expense to bring viewers the best looking Women’s World Cup to date. As the competition gets more intense in these last few matches, it will be interesting to see how the broadcasters react in the final moments of the competition.

The 13th CONCACAF Gold Cup is set to kick off on July 7 and will conclude on July 26 with the winner granted a spot in the Confederation’s Cup in 2017, the summer before the next World Cup.

This year’s tournament features 12 teams from across CONCACAF and are split into three groups of four.

Group A Haiti, Honduras, Panama, United States
Group B Canada, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Jamaica
Group C Cuba, Guatemala, Mexico, Trinidad & Tobago

In addition to games being shown across television in the United States, the Gold Cup matches will be available via live streaming at FOX Soccer 2GO and FOX Sports Go.

All times are listed as Eastern Standard Time

GROUP STAGE

Tuesday 07 July
Toyota Stadium – Frisco, Texas

Group A

5:00 PM – Panama v. Haiti (FOX Sports 2, Univision Deportes, UDN Live, FOX Soccer 2GO and FOX Sports GO)
7:00 PM – United States v. Honduras (FOX Sports 1, UniMás, Univision Deportes, UDN Live, FOX Soccer 2GO and FOX Sports GO)

Wednesday 08 July
StubHub Center – Carson, California

Group B

8:00 PM – Costa Rica v. Jamaica (FOX Sports 2, UniMás, Univision Deportes, UDN Live, FOX Soccer 2GO and FOX Sports GO)
10:30 PM – El Salvador v. Canada (FOX Sports 2, UniMás, Univision Deportes, UDN Live, FOX Soccer 2GO and FOX Sports GO)
Soldier Field – Chicago, Illinois

Thursday 09 July

Group C

7:00 PM – Trinidad & Tobago v. Guatemala (FOX Sports 2, Univision Deportes, UDN Live, FOX Soccer 2GO and FOX Sports GO)
9:30 PM – Mexico v. Cuba (FOX Sports 1, UniMás, Univision Deportes, UDN Live, FOX Soccer 2GO and FOX Sports GO)

Friday 10 July
Gillette Stadium – Foxborough, Massachusetts

Group A

6:00 PM – Honduras v. Panama (FOX Sports 2, UniMás, Univision Deportes, UDN Live, FOX Soccer 2GO and FOX Sports GO)
8:30 PM – United States v. Haiti (FOX Sports 1, UniMás, Univision Deportes, UDN Live, FOX Soccer 2GO and FOX Sports GO)

Saturday 11 July
BBVA Compass Stadium – Houston, Texas

Group B

6:30 PM – Jamaica v. Canada (FOX Sports 2, UniMás, Univision Deportes, UDN Live, FOX Soccer 2GO and FOX Sports GO)
9:00 PM – Costa Rica v. El Salvador (FOX Sports 2, UniMás, Univision Deportes, UDN Live, FOX Soccer 2GO and FOX Sports GO)

Sunday 12 July
University of Phoenix Stadium – Glendale, Arizona

Group C

6:30 PM – Trinidad & Tobago v. Cuba (FOX Sports 2, Univision Deportes, UDN Live, FOX Soccer 2GO and FOX Sports GO)
9:00 PM – Guatemala v. Mexico (FOX Sports 2, Univision, Univision Deportes, UDN Live, FOX Soccer 2GO and FOX Sports GO)

Monday 13 July
Sporting Park – Kansas City, Kansas

Group A

7:00 PM – Haiti v. Honduras (Fox Sports 1, UniMás, Univision Deportes, UDN Live, FOX Soccer 2GO and FOX Sports GO)
9:30 PM – Panama v. United States (Fox Sports 1, UniMás, Univision Deportes, UDN Live, FOX Soccer 2GO and FOX Sports GO)

Tuesday 14 July
BMO Field – Toronto, Ontario

Group B

6:00 PM – Jamaica v. El Salvador (Fox Sports 1, UniMás, Univision Deportes, UDN Live, FOX Soccer 2GO and FOX Sports GO)
8:30 PM – Canada v. Costa Rica (Fox Sports 1, UniMás, Univision Deportes, UDN Live, FOX Soccer 2GO and FOX Sports GO)

Wednesday 15 July
Bank of America Stadium – Charlotte, North Carolina

Group C

6:00 PM – Cuba v. Guatemala (Fox Sports 2, UniMás, Univision Deportes, UDN Live, FOX Soccer 2GO and FOX Sports GO)
8:30 PM – Mexico v. Trinidad & Tobago (Fox Sports 2, UniMás, Univision Deportes, UDN Live, FOX Soccer 2GO and FOX Sports GO)

SEE MORE — Learning some things from Jurgen Klinsmann’s final US Gold Cup roster.

QUARTER-FINALS

Saturday 18 July
M&T Bank Stadium – Baltimore, Maryland

5:00 PM – USA vs Cuba (Fox, Univision, Univision Deportes, UDN Live, FOX Soccer 2GO and FOX Sports GO)
8:00 PM – Haiti vs Jamaica (Fox Sports 2, Univision, Univision Deportes, UDN Live, FOX Soccer 2GO and FOX Sports GO)

Game order subject to change – based upon U.S. placement finish

Sunday 19 July
MetLife Stadium – East Rutherford, New Jersey

4:30 PM – Panama vs Jamaica (Fox Sports 1, Univision, Univision Deportes, UDN Live, FOX Soccer 2GO and FOX Sports GO)
7:30 PM – Mexico vs Costa Rica (Fox Sports 1, Univision, Univision Deportes, UDN Live, FOX Soccer 2GO and FOX Sports GO)

SEMI-FINALS

Wednesday 22 July
Georgia Dome – Atlanta, Georgia

6:00 PM – USA v. Jamaica (Fox Sports 1, UniMás, UDN Live, FOX Soccer 2GO and FOX Sports GO)
9:00 PM – Mexico v. Panama (Fox Sports 2, UniMás, Univision Deportes, UDN Live, FOX Soccer 2GO and FOX Sports GO)

THIRD PLACE GAME

Saturday 25 July
PPL Park – Chester, Pennsylvania

4:00 PM – Panama v. USA (Fox Sports 2, Univision, Univision Deportes, UDN Live, FOX Soccer 2GO and FOX Sports GO)

FINALS

Sunday 26 July
Lincoln Financial Field – Lincoln, Pennsylvania

7:30 PM – Mexico v. Jamaica (Fox Sports 1, Univision, Univision Deportes, UDN Live, FOX Soccer 2GO and FOX Sports GO)

Sony recently announced at the E3 Electronic Entertainment Expo conference that they will be introducing FOX Soccer Plus to their Internet TV streaming service, the PlayStation Vue, for $14.99 a month or $12.99 if you’re a PlayStationPlus member. The FOX Soccer Plus service is offered a-la-carte on top of the $49-69 monthly subscription services Playstation Vue charges.

Streaming services for the PlayStation Vue are currently available in only a handful of cities including New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, Los Angeles and San Francisco but Sony plans to expand in the future with the focus on large cities first.

The PlayStation Vue began beta testing in November of 2014 and became available in March of this year, providing an option to Playstation 3 and 4 owners who are interested in ditching their traditional cable services.

FOX Soccer Plus launched in 2010 and is a channel dedicated to soccer and rugby throughout the year. Specifically FOX owns the rights to the UEFA Champions League, England’s FA Cup, UEFA Europa League, Scottish Premier League and the Australia A-League as well as the 2015 Women’s World Cup.

Implementing FOX Soccer Plus into the PlayStation Vue service could earn Sony a different section of the PlayStation audience that might not have been inclined to switch from traditional TV providers to the Vue. The FIFA video game series is hugely popular in the United States and combining soccer coverage with their large catalog of channels and on-demand TV could influence some of the video game players to switch.

Although the streaming service is only available in certain cities, the popularity of streaming services continues to grow with the younger generation entering the work force who are reluctant to sign up for a TV subscription through a cable or satellite provider.

However, FOX Soccer Plus as a service offers very little value unless you’re a fan of watching rugby. Despite its name, FOX Soccer Plus doesn’t offer enough convincing reasons to subscribe to the network for soccer coverage alone. Plus, on top of that, the $15 monthly rate on top of the $49-69 PlayStation Vue subscription cost makes this an even more unappealing offering.

The defending Women’s World Cup champions take on the Netherlands tonight for the chance to advance to the quarter-finals.

Although Japan dominated Group C with three wins, they are still not viewed as a tournament favorite and are most likely hoping to change that with a clear and concise victory over a Netherlands team in their first World Cup.

Here’s the TV schedule for tonight’s game:

Japan v. Netherlands
10 PM ET – FOX Sports 1, FOX Sports GO and FOX Soccer 2GO
BC Place Stadium – Vancouver

Despite going undefeated thus far in the Women’s World Cup, Japan has struggled throughout their games in a relatively easy Group C. Between injuries and off-field drama, Japan has struggled to show any real glimpses of their former championship team. They will need to step up and use their experience to their advantage tonight against an unexperienced Netherlands side.

Miedema has shown flashes of the brilliance she was billed for before entering the tournament and the Dutch will need all the offense they have in order to score on this Japanese side.

Both teams have had at least a week off with the Netherlands having 8 days, so rust might be an issue at the start. Not to mention it is a relatively late start in Vancouver, a slow start might benefit one side if they are able to take advantage and net a goal early.

Before, during or after today’s matches, join the conversation in the comments section below with fellow soccer fans from around the world.

Today’s games see the United States Women’s National Team against Colombia as well as Norway vs. England. These are two of the toughest games in the Round of 16 and should be very entertaining to watch. Be sure to check out our combined schedule for the Copa America and Women’s World Cup to keep track of all the games this summer.

Norway v. England
5 PM – FOX Sports 1
Lansdowne Stadium – Ottawa

With an impressive end to Norway’s Group Stage, they enter this knockout round game with some momentum.

England won the final two games of the Group Stage. They might not have been big impressive wins but they should not feel like underdogs entering into this knockout round.

England’s defense is going to have to stay focused for a full 90 minutes in order to keep the score lines close. Goalkeeper Karen Bardsley allowed two goals in stoppage time during their Group Stage and will need a solid defense in front of her throughout the match.

Norway did not make it out of the Group Stage four years ago and are looking for their second World Cup title in Canada this summer. If they want to progress to the quarter-finals, they are going to have to use their midfield to keep the pressure on England and force Bardsley to make saves.

Before, during or after today’s matches, join the conversation in the comments section below with fellow soccer fans from around the world.

Now that the Group stages are done, we move on to the Knockout rounds of the 2015 Women’s World Cup and the first match-up is between tournament favorites Germany facing off against Sweden followed by China PR taking on Cameroon.

Today’s match-ups are shown back to back on FOX Sports 1.

If you haven’t done so already, be sure to check out our combined Women’s World Cup and Copa America TV schedules.

Germany v. Sweden
4:00 PM – FOX Sports 1
Lansdowne Stadium – Ottawa

Narrowly escaping the tournament’s “Group of Death,” Sweden emerged from Group D in third place despite being favorites to win the Group before heading to Canada. Now Pia Sundhage’s team must face a powerful German side who recently hit their stride. Celia Sasic finished up Group play with four goals and showed no signs of slowing down.

In order to steal a win from Germany, Sweden is going to have to be powerful on the counter-attack and hit more shots on target. The Swedish midfield needs to keep possession and not allow the Germans to get into dangerous areas with the ball.

China PR v. Cameroon
7:30 PM – FOX Sports 1
Commonwealth Stadium – Edmonton

There’s a big difference in how these two teams like to play with China preferring to hold possession, while Cameroon prefers to do the opposite, using a wide open offensive style. Both teams will want to keep the majority of the ball in this game and although there may not be a ton of goals, the way these two teams face off should be very interesting.

Cameroon is fast and athletic and should exploit that in order to gain the edge over 90 minutes. China is going to have to play strong in the midfield to keep Cameroon from running over them.

Before, during or after today’s matches, join the conversation in the comments section below with fellow soccer fans from around the world.

TED Talks are well known for bringing us engaging lessons and incredible insight into some of the most inspirational people influencing our world today. From Steve Jobs to Bill Nye the Science Guy, many different people have taught us a wide variety of subjects. As well as inviting people on stage to talk in front of crowds, TED has created a platform that anyone can use to teach lessons, which is how we were shown how Roberto Carlos made his impossible goal in 1997.

Erez Garty breaks down the physics behind Carlos’ kick in Brazil’s game against France where Carlos lined up to take a free kick and sent the ball around France’s defensive wall and straight into the goal using the Magnus Effect or a “banana kick”.

Utilizing wind speed and the placement of his foot, Carlos was able to score the goal, around a wall, from 38 yards. Garty explains the movement of the ball, and also explains just how difficult this was as well as going into detail on how the Magnus Effect can be used in other sports like baseball or golf.

Kicks like Carlos’ are attempted all the time, but this one found the back of the net, and is one of the most famous free kicks in soccer history.

So take a look at the video and see for yourself just how impressive Carlos’ goal really was.

Mobile app users, watch the video here.

Premiering at the Kicking and Screening Soccer Film Festival at New York City’s Tribeca in late June is the Swansea City documentary titled “Jack to a King: The Swansea Story”. The showing is scheduled for June 23, the same day as the DVD and iTunes download will be available for the first time in the United States.

“Jack to a King” tells the story of Swansea City‘s journey from £4 million in debt to a Championship Playoff Final and into the promised land of the Premier League. Following the sale of the club for £1 to a group of teachers, construction workers and travel agents, “Jack to a King” chronicles the story behind the struggle to keep the doors open and how this group of first-time soccer owners found themselves in the Royal Box of Wembley Stadium watching Swansea in the Play Off Final for the £90 million game 10 years later.

Currently “Jack to a King” is the UK’s highest grossing soccer documentary and has received numerous amounts of praise. FILM3SIXTY magazine stated, “Truly incredible, touching and uplifting… Whether you’re a fan of the beautiful game or not.”

“The film is like UNDER MILKWOOD meets GLADIATOR. The scale is enormous because at the end it’s Wembley with 90,000 supporters and you’re in the tunnel going out into battle. But it starts with all these local people talking very funnily and passionately about their club and why they did what they did at the time,” said executive producer Mal Pope.

This documentary follows the ups and downs of Swansea City and tells the story of corruption, management changes as well as ownership changes and more. Included in the film is the story of how one man took out £20,000, put it in a Tesco shopping bag and tried to buy a soccer club. Finishing the journey, we see Brendan Rodgers lead Swansea to the Championship Playoff Final and how the four men who purchased the club all those years ago felt not only that day but in the years prior.

The team behind this film include director Marc Evans, Academy Award winning associate producer James Marsh, as well as Mal Pope and Edward Thomas as executive producers.

Following the New York premiere, the ‘Swansea Party’ will head to Washington for a special screening at the British Embassy.

Download a copy of the Copa America bracket and TV schedule for yourself and your coworkers to help keep track of all the games in the 2015 Copa America beginning on June 11th in Chile.

World Soccer Talk has created one bracket that lists all games as well as game times, to see the channels the games will be played on go HERE.

Print it out, share it with your friends, start your own bracket challenge or just use it to help keep track of your favorite team throughout the entire Copa America tournament.

Download HERE Copa America Bracket

SEE MORE —

• Copa America 2015 preview.

• Copa America TV schedule for U.S. viewers.

Kicking off the latest round of UEFA Euro 2016 qualifiers and various international friendlies this weekend, ESPN will be showing 15 games between June 11-14 on their various platforms.

While some of the games appear to be less attractive, some have the promise to be very exciting. For example, Russia vs. Austria gives us a chance to see the 2018 World Cup host nation as they begin to build the team that will be on the world stage in three years.

Coverage kicks off Thursday June 11 with an international friendly between Spain vs. Costa Rica at 3:55 PM ET.

Below are listed TV times for viewers in the United Stats with all times listed in EST.

Thursday June 11
3:55 PM – International Friendly – Spain vs. Costa Rica (ESPN Deportes TV, ESPN3, ESPN Deportes Radio)

Friday June 12
2:30 PM – UEFA Euro 2016 Qualifiers- Croatia vs. Italy (ESPN2, ESPN Deportes TV, WatchESPN)
2:35 PM – UEFA Euro 2016 Qualifiers- Wales vs. Belgium (ESPN3, ESPN Deportes +)
2:35 PM – UEFA Euro 2016 Qualifiers- Bosnia – Herzegovina vs. Israel (ESPN3, ESPN Deportes +)
2:35 PM – UEFA Euro 2016 Qualifiers- Norway vs. Azerbaijan – (ESPN3, ESPN Deportes +)
2:35 PM – UEFA Euro 2016 Qualifiers- Malta vs. Bulgaria (ESPN3, ESPN Deportes +)

Saturday June 13
11:50 AM – UEFA Euro 2016 Qualifiers- Armenia vs. Portugal (ESPN, ESPN Deportes TV, ESPN Deportes Radio)
11:50 AM – International Friendly- Albania vs. France (ESPN3, ESPN Deportes +)
11:50 AM – UEFA Euro 2016 Qualifiers- Poland vs. Georgia (ESPN3, ESPN Deportes +)
Noon PM – UEFA Euro 2016 Qualifiers- Scotland vs. Ireland (FOX Sports 2)
2:30 PM – UEFA Euro 2016 Qualifiers- Denmark vs. Serbia (ESPN Deportes TV, ESPN3, ESPN Deportes Radio)
2:35 PM – UEFA Euro 2016 Qualifiers- Faroe Islands vs. Greece (ESPN3, ESPN Deportes +)
2:45 PM – UEFA Euro 2016 Qualifiers- Gilbraltar vs Germany (FOX Sports 2, FOX Deportes and FOX Sports Go)

Sunday June 14
11:50 AM – UEFA Euro 2016 Qualifiers- Slovenia vs. England (ESPN, ESPN Deportes TV, ESPN Deportes Radio)
11:50 AM – UEFA Euro 2016 Qualifiers- Russia vs. Austria (ESPN3, ESPN Deportes +)
11:50 AM – UEFA Euro 2016 Qualifiers- Estonia vs. San Marino (ESPN3, ESPN Deportes +)
2:30 PM – UEFA Euro 2016 Qualifiers- Lithuania vs. Switzerland (ESPN Deportes TV, ESPN3, ESPN Deportes Radio)

After an unexpected comeback against the Netherlands last week, the U.S. Men’s National Team continue their pre-Gold Cup preparation with a trip to Germany to face the #1 FIFA ranked team and recent winners of the 2014 World Cup.

You can read our full preview of the match HERE.

For viewers in the United States, here’s the TV listings:

USA vs Germany, 2:45pm ET, FOX Sports 1, UniMas, UDN, FOX Sports GO and FOX Soccer 2GO.

John Strong handles play-by-play duties for the match, alongside recently-retired former USMNT goalkeeper Brad Friedel.

The 30-minute pregame show originates live from FOX Sports’ Women’s World Cup 2015 studio in Vancouver. Rob Stone hosts alongside former USMNT stars Alexi Lalas, Stuart Holden, Eric Wynalda and former German Women’s National Team stalwart and current FOX Sports Women’s World Cup analyst Ariane Hingst.

Joining the analysts and making his FOX Sports debut is Arne Friedrich, a former German Men’s National Team defender who represented his country 82 times and also played for Major League Soccer’s Chicago Fire.

So tell us, what chances do you think the United States has? Or will Die Mannschaft steamroll the Americans? Stop by anytime today and talk with fellow soccer fans in the comments section below.

Between the 2015 Women’s World Cup that kicked off on June 6 and the Copa America that launches on June 11, there’s a ton of soccer games to keep up with, so we’ve compiled a TV schedule that combines the Copa America and Women’s World Cup into one to help you see which games overlap and when you’ll need to use your DVR (or watch live via two TVs).

Here’s the TV schedule for now through July 5 for viewers in the United States:

All times listed below are listed in EST

Tuesday 09 June
1:00 PM – WWC: France v. England (Group F, Moncton Stadium – Moncton) – FOX
4:00 PM – WWC: Spain v. Costa Rica (Group E, Olympic Stadium -Montreal) – FOX
4:00 PM – WWC: Colombia v. Mexico (Group F, Moncton Stadium – Moncton) – FOX Sports 1
7:00 PM – WWC: Brazil v. Korea Republic (Group E, Olympic Stadium -Montreal) – FOX Sports 1

Thursday 11 June
4:00 PM – WWC: Germany v. Norway (Group B, Lansdowne Stadium – Ottawa) – FOX Sports 1
6:00 PM – WWC: China PR v. Netherlands (Group A, Commonwealth Stadium – Edmonton) – FOX Sports 2
7:00 PM – WWC: Côte d’Ivoire v. Thailand (Group B, Lansdowne Stadium – Ottawa) – FOX Sports 1
7:30 PM – Copa America: Chile v. Ecuador (Group A, Santiago de Chile), beIN SPORTS, beIN SPORTS Espańol and fuboTV
9:00 PM – WWC: Canada v. New Zealand (Group A, Commonwealth Stadium – Edmonton) – FOX Sports 1

Friday 12 June
5:00 PM – WWC: Australia v. Nigeria (Group D, Winnipeg Stadium – Winnipeg) – FOX Sports 1
7:00 PM – WWC: Switzerland v. Ecuador (Group C, BC Place Stadium – Vancouver) – FOX Sports 1
7:30 PM – Copa America: Mexico v. Bolivia (Group A, Viña del Mar), beIN SPORTS, beIN SPORTS Espańol and fuboTV
8:00 PM – WWC: USA v. Sweden (Group D, Winnipeg Stadium – Winnipeg) – FOX
10:00 PM – WWC: Japan v. Cameroon (Group C, BC Place Stadium – Vancouver) – FOX Sports 1

Saturday 13 June
1:00 PM – WWC: France v. Colombia (Group F, Moncton Stadium – Moncton) – FOX
3:00 PM – Copa America: Uruguay v. Jamaica (Group B, Antofagasta), beIN SPORTS, beIN SPORTS Espańol and fuboTV
4:00 PM – WWC: Brazil v. Spain (Group E, Olympic Stadium – Montreal) – FOX Sports 1
4:00 PM – WWC: England v. Mexico (Group F, Moncton Stadium – Moncton) – FOX
5:30 PM – Copa America: Argentina v. Paraguay (Group B, La Serena), beIN SPORTS, beIN SPORTS Espańol and fuboTV
7:00 PM – WWC: Korea Republic v. Costa Rica (Group E, Olympic Stadium – Montreal) – FOX Sports 2

Sunday 14 June
3:00 PM – Copa America: Colombia v. Venezuela (Group C, Rancagua), beIN SPORTS, beIN SPORTS Espańol and fuboTV
5:30 PM – Copa America: Brazil v. Peru (Group C, Temuco), beIN SPORTS, beIN SPORTS Espańol and fuboTV

Monday 15 June
4:00 PM – WWC: Thailand v. Germany (Group B, Winnipeg Stadium – Winnipeg) – FOX
4:00 PM – WWC: Côte d’Ivoire v. Norway (Group B, Moncton Stadium – Moncton) – FOX Sports 1
5:00 PM – Copa America: Ecuador v. Bolivia (Group A, Valparaíso), beIN SPORTS, beIN SPORTS Espańol and fuboTV
7:30 PM – WWC: Netherlands v. Canada (Group A, Olympic Stadium – Montreal) – FOX Sports 1
7:30 PM – WWC: China PR v. New Zealand (Group A, Winnipeg Stadium – Winnipeg) – FOX Sports 2
7:30 PM – Copa America: Chile v. Mexico (Group A, Santiago de Chile), beIN SPORTS, beIN SPORTS Espańol and fuboTV

Tuesday 16 June
5:00 PM – WWC: Ecuador vs Japan (Group C, Winnipeg Stadium – Winnipeg) – FOX Sports 1
5:00 PM – WWC: Switzerland vs Cameroon (Group C, Commonwealth Stadium – Edmonton) – FOX Sports 2
5:00 PM – Copa America: Paraguay v. Jamaica (Group B, Antofagasta), beIN SPORTS, beIN SPORTS Espańol and fuboTV
7:30 PM – Copa America: Argentina v. Uruguay (Group B, La Serena), beIN SPORTS, beIN SPORTS Espańol and fuboTV
8:00 PM – WWC: Nigeria v. USA (Group D, BC Place Stadium – Vancouver) – FOX
8:00 PM – WWC: Australia vs Sweden (Group D, Commonwealth Stadium – Edmonton) – FOX Sports 1

Wednesday 17 June
4:00 PM – WWC: Mexico v. France (Group F, Lansdowne Stadium – Ottawa) – FOX
4:00 PM – WWC: England v. Colombia (Group F, Olympic Stadium – Montreal) – FOX Sports 1
7:00 PM – WWC: Costa Rica v. Brazil (Group E, Moncton Stadium – Moncton) – FOX Sports 1
7:00 PM – WWC: Korea Republic v. Spain (Group E, Lansdowne Stadium – Ottawa) – FOX Sports 2
8:00 PM – Copa America: Brazil v. Colombia (Group C, Santiago de Chile), beIN SPORTS, beIN SPORTS Espańol and fuboTV

Thursday 18 June
7:30 PM – Copa America: Peru v. Venezuela (Group C, Valparaíso), beIN SPORTS, beIN SPORTS Espańol and fuboTV

Friday 19 June
5:00 PM – WWC: Mexico v. Ecuador (Group A, Rancagua), beIN SPORTS, beIN SPORTS Espańol and fuboTV
7:30 PM – Copa America: Chile v. Bolivia (Group A, Santiago de Chile), beIN SPORTS, beIN SPORTS Espańol and fuboTV

Saturday 20 June
3:00 PM – Copa America: Uruguay v. Paraguay (Group B, La Serena), beIN SPORTS, beIN SPORTS Espańol and fuboTV
4:00 PM – WWC: Germany v. Sweden (Lansdowne Stadium – Ottawa) – FOX Sports 1
5:30 PM – Copa America: Argentina v. Jamaica (Group B, Viña del Mar), beIN SPORTS, beIN SPORTS Espańol and fuboTV
7:30 PM – WWC: China v. Cameroon (Commonwealth Stadium – Edmonton) – FOX Sports 1

Sunday 21 June
1:00 PM – WWC: Brazil v. Australia (Commonwealth Stadium – Edmonton) – FOX Sports 1
3:00 PM – Copa America: Colombia v. Peru (Group C, Temuco), beIN SPORTS, beIN SPORTS Espańol and fuboTV
4:00 PM – WWC: France v. Korea (Olympic Stadium – Montreal) – FOX Sports 1
5:30 PM – Copa America: Brazil v. Venezuela (Group C, Santiago de Chile), beIN SPORTS, beIN SPORTS Espańol and fuboTV
7:30 PM – WWC: Canada v. Switzerland (BC Place Stadium – Vancouver) – FOX Sports 1

Monday 22 June
5:00 PM – WWC: Norway v. England (Lansdowne Stadium – Ottawa) – FOX Sports 1
8:00 PM – WWC: USA v. Colombia (Commonwealth Stadium – Edmonton) – FOX Sports 1

Tuesday 23 June
10:00 PM – WWC: Japan v. Netherlands (BC Place Stadium – Vancouver) – FOX Sports 1

Wednesday 24 June
7:30 PM – Copa America quarter-final: Chile v. Uruguay (Santiago de Chile), beIN SPORTS, beIN SPORTS Espańol and fuboTV

Thursday 25 June
7:30 PM – Copa America quarter-final: Bolivia v. Peru (Temuco), beIN SPORTS, beIN SPORTS Espańol and fuboTV

Friday 26 June
4:00 PM – WWC quarter-final: Germany v. France (Olympic Stadium – Montreal) – FOX
7:30 PM – WWC quarter-final: China v. USA (Lansdowne Stadium – Ottawa) – FOX
7:30 PM – Copa America quarter-final: Colombia v. Argentina (Viña del Mar), beIN SPORTS, beIN SPORTS Espańol and fuboTV

Saturday 27 June
4:00 PM – WWC quarter-final: Australia v. Japan (Commonwealth Stadium – Edmonton) – FOX Sports 1
5:30 PM – Copa America quarter-final: Brazil v. Paraguay (Concepción), beIN SPORTS, beIN SPORTS Espańol and fuboTV
7:30 PM – WWC quarter-final: England v. Canada (BC Place Stadium – Vancouver) – FOX Sports 1

Monday 29 June
7:30 PM – Copa America semi-final: Chile v. Peru (Santiago de Chile), beIN SPORTS, beIN SPORTS Espańol and fuboTV

Tuesday 30 June
7:00 PM – WWC semi-final: USA v. Germany (Olympic Stadium – Montreal) – FOX
7:30 PM – Copa America semi-final: Argentina v. Paraguay (Concepción), beIN SPORTS, beIN SPORTS Espańol and fuboTV

Wednesday 1 July
7:00 PM – WWC semi-final: England v. Japan (Commonwealth Stadium – Edmonton) – FOX Sports 1

Friday 3 July
7:30 PM – Copa America third place: Peru v. Paraguay (Concepción), beIN SPORTS, beIN SPORTS Espańol and fuboTV

Saturday 4 July
4:00 PM – WWC third place: Germany v. England (Commonwealth Stadium – Edmonton) – FOX
4:00 PM – Copa America final: Argentina v. Chile (Santiago de Chile), beIN SPORTS, beIN SPORTS Espańol and fuboTV

Sunday 5 July
7:00 PM – WWC final: USA v. Japan (BC Place Stadium – Vancouver) – FOX

Several United States Men’s National Team players have been tweeting good luck photos to the members of the women’s national team who share their jersey numbers.

It seems that every member of the men’s senior team with a Twitter account has sent out a corresponding tweet to their “number twin” ahead of the USWNT debut game against Australia later today.

Similar to the men’s team last year in Brazil, the women’s team has been placed in the tournament’s “group of death” and support has been flooding in from all sections of U.S. Soccer. Head Coach Jurgen Klinsmann also sent a video to the women’s team.

The corresponding numbers are interesting to see, goalkeeper Brad Guzan shares a number with midfielder/forward Lauren Holiday.

Two of the most dynamic midfielders in the United States happen to share a number, Megan Rapinoe and Kyle Beckerman.

Fabian Johnson and Christen Press share more than a number. They also happen to share the same birth month of December.

Alejandro Bedoya and Ali Krieger might occupy different parts of the field but they share the #11 shirt number.

Goalkeeper Nick Rimando shares his number, 22, with midfielder Meghan Klingenberg.

Two of the fastest players on both teams share the number 2 — Sydney Leroux and DeAndre Yedlin.

Graham Zusi and Julie Johnston might not share positions but they do share number 19.

Number five is shared by Kelley O’Hara and Matt Besler.

Sharing number 13 and recent injuries are Alex Morgan and Jermaine Jones.

Experience meets youth at number 16 with Julian Green and Lori Chalupny.

Midfielders Carli Lloyd and Mix Diskerud share a position as well as number 10.

Lastly at number 17 we see Jozy Altidore and Tobin Heath.

As the 2015 Women’s World Cup gets ready to kick-off, FOX has released the lineup of broadcasters who will be covering the games live in Canada throughout the Group Stage.

JP Dellacamera, Tony DiCicco and Cat Whitehill will be calling the opening game, Canada vs. China PR, on June 6th with kick-off set for 6 PM EST on FOX Sports 1 while Julie Stewart-Binks will be the sideline reporter.

As a native Canadian, Stewart-Binks is going to be at 11 different games in four different cities throughout the World Cup providing on the ground coverage for the network.

The team of Dellacamera, DiCicco and Whitehill will also cover the U.S. Women’s National Team throughout the Group Stage with Jenny Taft helping with coverage on the sidelines. Taft will be providing insight into the USWNT including in-depth reports, breaking news and special features while working closely with the United States.

SEE MORE — Women’s World Cup TV schedule for viewers in US.

Covering the remaining games will be Glenn Davis and Christine Latham; Jenn Hildreth
and Kyndra de St. Aubin; Justin Kutcher and Aly Wagner; and John Strong and
Danielle Slaton.

Announcers for knock-out rounds and beyond will decided at a later date.

Here’s the complete lineup of Women’s World Cup commentator assignments for the Group Stage.

It’s always a challenging task to make predictions given the unpredictability of the sport of soccer. One mistake or one piece of brilliance can be the difference between losing and winning. But make predictions we must, and we’ve assembled an all-star crew of World Soccer Talk writers to share their predictions with you.

Plus, we urge you to share your won predictions in the comments section below so we can see how well you did against the experts. Just let us know who will win it and who your dark horse (surprise pick) is.

Matt Jones; World Soccer Talk writer

The US Women’s National Team are going to come up short again.

While they have the finest squad in the tournament, the core of this group will still be scarred by the near-misses of tournaments gone by.

Players like Christie Rampone, Heather O’Reilly and Abby Wambach are all fine footballers, but I think the loss in Germany to Japan four years ago really left a mark on them mentally.

Winners: Even though they have some injury problems, I think Germany are going to do it. Ever since failing on home soil in 2011, they’ve made major strides. They’ve looked brilliant in qualifying and there’s a renewed sense of belief about the group.

Dark horse: England (obviously, as an Englishman!). Mark Sampson’s team have a tough group, but some excellent flair players in attack. There’s been a lot of tinkering in the build-up to the finals. But if the likes of Eniola Aluko, Jodie Taylor and Fran Kirby are afforded freedom up front, they can cause teams major problems. Keeping it tight at the back will be their biggest test.

Earl Reed; World Soccer Talk writer

This will most certainly be Abby Wambach’s last chance to add a World Cup victory to her final list of career accomplishments. Derailed by drama and bad luck in past installments, will this confluence of the old guard (Wambach, Lloyd, Boxx, Solo) and young guns (Morgan, Press, LeRoux, Brian) make the push to final glory?

My prediction: After some early Group Stage uneasiness, the US uses their near-home turf advantage to hoist the trophy.

Dark horse: Brazil (if you can consider them a dark horse).

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Caitlin O’Connell; World Soccer Talk writer and managing editor

I think four years is plenty of time to wipe away any lingering doubts the USWNT may have about their performance in Germany and this is the team that’s going to win it all. Despite some troubles they’ve had running up to Canada, these women are ready to go and the energy surrounding them is palpable.

Prediction: Although Alex Morgan is taking it easy with the injury, she has the luxury of coming back when she’s 100% and Abby Wambach will want to make a big mark on her last World Cup. If this team can stay motivated throughout the tournament they’re only going to improve as a team the more time they play together.

Dark horse: France.

Jacquelyn Brazzale; World Soccer Talk writer

I believed that 2011 was the best chance for the U.S. to win the World Cup. I enter the 2015 with more uncertainty then I did four years ago, but I have never doubted the fact that the U.S. plays their best games when the lights are the brightest.

Even with lingering questions heading into this tournament, the U.S. always finds a way to win. Always.

Prediction: I think the U.S. will take second in the group stage. From there, they will be propelled though a difficult knockout round, likely facing Brazil in the quarterfinals, Japan in the semifinals and my guess would be Canada in the semifinals. In the finals against Germany, I have the U.S. winning it all and capturing a third title.

Dark horse: Canada. The Canadian side have been preparing for this tournament since they were announced as host in 2011. Home field advantage will play a huge factor in this team’s performance and the players will be feeding off the energy of their 12th man.

No longer does the performance of this team fall on the shoulders of Christine Sinclair. Her supporting cast is better then ever, giving us a well-rounded team that we have never seen before. Canada is a skilled and hungry team. Talent may get this team far into the tournament but determination and passion might help get them a title.

Kartik Krishnaiyer; World Soccer Talk Senior Writer

Prediction: I believe the USWNT have a deep midfield that can compete with and beat anyone in the game. However, question marks at the back and about fitness up top have me believing the US will not win the group (Sweden will) and might be fortunate to make the semifinals. Alex Morgan’s injury and Abby Wambach’s lack of match sharpness will force goals from midfield, something the US can provide but cannot count on.

Dark horse: I think the Dutch could surprise. Certainly they were fortunate to qualify in some regards, coming behind Norway in their qualifying group and have a relatively young team that should begin to peak in the next few years. This tournament could be the start of that.

Robert Hay; World Soccer Talk writer

Prediction: In the largest women’s World Cup ever, the U.S. will face their most challenging test. Despite a glut of talent, the world is catching up to us and the American women will have to fight harder than ever to advance. Despite a tough group, Abby Wambach and co. will finish first in the group and dispatch Mexico (3F), Switzerland (2C), and probably France before being upset in the final game, most likely to the host nation.

Dark horse: Sweden.

Christopher Harris; World Soccer Talk founder and publisher

Prediction: Last but not least, I’m giving my vote and prediction to France to win this tournament. They’ve gained considerable confidence in their 2-0 win against the USA in February, and I believe that their style of play which thrives on attacks down the wings and perfectly aimed crosses will pay dividends for this team that’s exciting to watch.

Dark horse: Australia. Despite injury problems, I’m predicting them to go far in this tournament.

Download a copy of the Women’s World Cup bracket for yourself and your coworkers to help keep track of all the action in Canada beginning Saturday June 6th.

World Soccer Talk has created one bracket that lists all games as well as game times and the channels they will be shown on.

Print it out, share it with your friends, start your own bracket challenge or just use it to help keep track of your favorite team throughout the World Cup.

Download the Women’s World Cup bracket today

SEE MORE —

• Women’s World Cup TV schedule for viewers in US.

• US Women’s National Team preview: High hopes for Women’s World Cup.

This U.S. Women’s National Team has been through a lot since the Women’s World Cup in Germany of 2011. Between player arrests, turf vs. grass debates and a coaching change, there have been a lot of distractions surrounding the team, not to mention being placed in one of the most difficult groups in the tournament.

Despite all of that this team is focused under Head Coach Jill Ellis who took over last year. Plus the US has the confidence knowing that they powered through the CONCACAF women’s championship combining for a score of 21-0 through their five games.

Sweden poses the biggest threat in the Group D that consists of the USWNT, Sweden, Australia and Nigeria. With the first two games being the most difficult, USWNT v. Australia (June 8th 7:30 pm ET – FOX Sports 1) followed by USWNT v. Sweden (June 12th 8 pm ET – FOX) then finishing up the group stages against Nigeria (June 16th 8 pm ET – FOX), a second place finish is likely which would force them to face a first place team in the first round of knock-outs. However this is a deep roster that contains some of the best players to ever step on a field for the United States including Megan Rapinoe, Alex Morgan and Abby Wambach who is currently the all-time international scoring leader.

Having said that, Alex Morgan is injured and will miss the beginning of the tournament, so it’ll be important to see her bounce back quickly to add strength to this team.

The likely set-up is a 4-4-2 with a fair amount of defenders and midfielders being brought to Canada as well as plenty of experience throughout the roster. With a staggering 2,488 total appearances between the 23 players, Ellis will be leaning heavily on her veteran players to help get through the high-pressure situations that only a World Cup can bring. Depth will play a big part in the games as the playing surface is turf, despite heavy criticism, and substitutes will need to be made for fresh legs.

SEE MORE — Meet the 23 players on the US squad at Women’s World Cup (videos).

Squad

Goalkeepers: Ashlyn Harris (Washington Spirit), Alyssa Naeher (Boston Breakers), Hope Solo (Seattle Reign FC)

Defenders: Lori Chalupny (Chicago Red Stars), Whitney Engen (Western NY Flash), Julie Johnston (Chicago Red Stars), Meghan Klingenberg (Houston Dash), Ali Krieger (Washington Spirit), Kelley O’Hara (Sky Blue FC), Christie Rampone (Sky Blue FC), Becky Sauerbrunn (FC Kansas City)

Midfielders: Shannon Boxx (Chicago Red Stars), Morgan Brian (Houston Dash), Tobin Heath (Portland Thorns FC), Lauren Holiday (FC Kansas City), Carli Lloyd (Houston Dash), Heather O’Reilly (FC Kansas City), Megan Rapinoe (Seattle Reign FC)

Forwards: Sydney Leroux (Western NY Flash), Alex Morgan (Portland Thorns FC), Christen Press (Chicago Red Stars), Amy Rodriguez (FC Kansas City), Abby Wambach (unattached)

If the United States can get points from their first two games and beat Nigeria, they should be in a good position going into the knockouts, finishing second will likely face them against Brazil then Japan but this team has the energy and enthusiasm to go the distance in Canada.

Can the US women’s team go the distance and win the tournament knowing that the expectations are that they will win gold? We shall see.

Before we busy ourselves with watching all the action in Canada, let’s take some time to meet the 23 women who will be representing the United States for the 2015 Women’s World Cup in U.S. Soccer’s “One Nation. One Team. 23 Stories”. This unique group of women sit down in front of the camera to tell us where they come from, how they got to the National Team and some even show us their game faces.

SEE ALSO

— US TV schedule for 2015 Women’s World Cup on FOX Sports.

— FOX Sports announces FIFA Women’s World Cup broadcast team.

Abby Wambach
Abby Wambach was the youngest of seven children from Rochester, New York and shares the crushing defeat she suffered her senior year of high school and how it shaped her into the fierce competitor she is today.

Megan Rapinoe
As a twin and expert crawdad fisher, Megan Rapinoe shares the easiest way to catch crawdads as well as how she looks for her mom in big crowded games.

Morgan Brian
Morgan Brian is the youngest member of the USWNT and shares the story of being cut from the Olympic Development Program team.

Carli Lloyd
A native New Jerseyan, Carli Lloyd talks about growing up in a small town and how, despite traveling the world, New Jersey will always be her home.

Heather O’Reilly
Heather O’Reilly talks about her famous “game face”, it’s origins and the state of mind she enters when playing a big game.

Lauren Holiday
After going through open-heart surgery, Lauren Holiday became a determined and fierce competitor thanks in part to her brother. Beginning her national career at 17, Holiday has grown up with the team and looks forward to being a leader.

Hope Solo
Despite knowing early in her life that she wanted to be a professional soccer player, Hope Solo had no idea that she would become the legendary goal-keeper she is today and shares the struggles she went through to accept her role between the posts.

Sydney Leroux
After making a bet with her mom at the age of 14 for a tattoo if she scored 10 goals, Sydney Leroux shares her story of scoring 13 goals and earning her first tattoo.

Christie Rampone
The longtime captain and member of the USWNT, Christie Rampone shares what it was like to receive the unlikely Captain’s armband and how rising to the challenge made her a better player and leader.

Becky Sauerbrunn
A member of the USWNT’s “Nerd Squad” Becky Sauderbrunn shares stories of traveling with her teammates and how educated drives her.

Kelley O’Hara
A true Southerner growing up in Georgia, Kelley O’Hara shares how difficult it was for her to leave home, but how grateful she is that she had the unique experience of being on the USWNT youth teams.

Whitney Engen
Whitney Engen shares stories from her fun and entertaining childhood and how her competitive family shaped her into the player she is today.

Shannon Boxx
Getting ready to play in her fourth World Cup, Shannon Boxx shares how living with a serious autoimmune disease like Lupus has made her a better and stronger person.

Amy Rodriguez
Despite having her first child, and then being traded to a new club, Amy Rodriguez is ready to play and shares how these experiences motivated her even more to get back to the USWNT.

Lori Chalupny
Lori Chalupny might be shy, but she talks about traveling with the youth USWNT and how leaving St. Louis forced her out of her comfort zone and helped mold her into the competitor she is today.

Tobin Heath
A “free spirit”, Tobin Heath talks about how her personality shapes her game and how she feels she’s exactly where she’s supposed to be.

Meghan Klingenberg
“Kling” might be small but she is tough, with a third-degree blackbelt in taekwondo Kling is as comfortable with nunchucks as she is with a soccer ball.

Christen Press
Christen Press had a difficult journey as a professional soccer player, but she never let that take her away from her dreams – to play with the U.S. Women’s National Team.

Alex Morgan
Going from the youngest player on the 2011 World Cup roster to an experienced and confident player, Alex Morgan is ready to share her experiences and help add another star to the USWNT crest.

Ali Krieger
Overcoming multiple blood clots and a near death experience in college, Ali Krieger shares her tumultuous story and how it led her to a spot on the USWNT.

Alyssa Naeher
Alyssa Naeher shares the story of playing with her twin sister and how playing together helped shaped her as a competitor.

Julie Johnston
Growing up in Arizona, Julie Johnston talks about how her sister motivated her to become a not only a soccer player; but the best soccer player she could be.

Ashlyn Harris
Ashlyn Harris shares her story of how her tough childhood made her a tough player and never afraid to stand up for herself.

Programming note: While Copa America 2015 has ended, you can still watch Colombia, Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, Peru and other CONMEBOL countries on beIN SPORTS in the USA. If your cable or satellite provider doesn’t offer beIN SPORTS, or you want to watch the games on your computer, mobile phone, tablet or Roku, sign up for a free trial to fuboTV to watch the games. And if you like what you see, fuboTV is just $6.99 per month. It’s completely legal and features HD-quality streams, but is only available to soccer fans in the United States.

The 2015 Copa America begins Thursday, June 11 in Chile, and every game will be shown live on US television and Internet.

Featuring 12 teams from all across the Americas, Copa America will feature Brazil, Colombia, Argentina, Uruguay, Mexico, Chile, Ecuador, Bolivia, Paraguay, Peru, Jamaica and Venezuela.

Programming note: In the United States, beIN SPORTS has the exclusive English-language and Spanish-language rights to the tournament. If your cable or satellite provider doesn’t offer beIN SPORTS, or you want to watch the games on your computer, mobile phone, tablet or Roku, sign up for a free trial to fuboTV to watch the games. And if you like what you see, fuboTV is just $6.99 per month. It’s completely legal and features HD-quality streams, but is only available to soccer fans in the United States.

To make sure you don’t miss a single game, World Soccer Talk has compiled a schedule with kick-off times to help you keep track of all the action.

All listings are in Eastern United States time zone.

GROUP STAGE

Thursday, June 11
7:30 PM – Chile v. Ecuador (Group A, Santiago de Chile), beIN SPORTS, beIN SPORTS Espańol and fuboTV

Friday, June 12
7:30 PM – Mexico v. Bolivia (Group A, Viña del Mar), beIN SPORTS, beIN SPORTS Espańol and fuboTV

Saturday, June 13
3:00 PM – Uruguay v. Jamaica (Group B,  Antofagasta), beIN SPORTS, beIN SPORTS Espańol and fuboTV
5:30 PM – Argentina v. Paraguay (Group B, La Serena), beIN SPORTS, beIN SPORTS Espańol and fuboTV

Sunday, June 14
3:00 PM – Colombia v. Venezuela (Group C, Rancagua), beIN SPORTS, beIN SPORTS Espańol and fuboTV
5:30 PM – Brazil v. Peru (Group C, Temuco), beIN SPORTS, beIN SPORTS Espańol and fuboTV

Monday. June 15
5:00 PM – Ecuador v. Bolivia (Group A, Valparaíso), beIN SPORTS, beIN SPORTS Espańol and fuboTV
7:30 PM – Chile v. Mexico (Group A, Santiago de Chile), beIN SPORTS, beIN SPORTS Espańol and fuboTV

Tuesday, June 16
5:00 PM – Paraguay v. Jamaica (Group B,  Antofagasta), beIN SPORTS, beIN SPORTS Espańol and fuboTV
7:30 PM – Argentina v. Uruguay (Group B, La Serena), beIN SPORTS, beIN SPORTS Espańol and fuboTV

Wednesday, June 17
8:00 PM – Brazil v. Colombia (Group C, Santiago de Chile), beIN SPORTS, beIN SPORTS Espańol and fuboTV

Thursday, June 18
7:30 PM – Peru v. Venezuela (Group C, Valparaíso), beIN SPORTS, beIN SPORTS Espańol and fuboTV

Friday, June 19
5:00 PM – Mexico v. Ecuador (Group A, Rancagua), beIN SPORTS, beIN SPORTS Espańol and fuboTV
7:30 PM – Chile v. Bolivia (Group A, Santiago de Chile), beIN SPORTS, beIN SPORTS Espańol and fuboTV

Saturday, June 20
3:00 PM – Uruguay v. Paraguay (Group B, La Serena), beIN SPORTS, beIN SPORTS Espańol and fuboTV
5:30 PM – Argentina v. Jamaica (Group B, Viña del Mar), beIN SPORTS, beIN SPORTS Espańol and fuboTV

Sunday, June 21
3:00 PM – Colombia v. Peru (Group C,  Temuco), beIN SPORTS, beIN SPORTS Espańol and fuboTV
5:30 PM – Brazil v. Venezuela (Group C, Santiago de Chile), beIN SPORTS, beIN SPORTS Espańol and fuboTV

QUARTER-FINALS

Wednesday, June 24
7:30 PM Chile v. Uruguay (Santiago de Chile), beIN SPORTS, beIN SPORTS Espańol and fuboTV

Thursday, June 25
7:30 PM Bolivia v. Peru (Temuco), beIN SPORTS, beIN SPORTS Espańol and fuboTV

Friday, June 26
7:30 PM Colombia v. Argentina (Viña del Mar), beIN SPORTS, beIN SPORTS Espańol and fuboTV

Saturday, June 27
5:30 PM Brazil v. Paraguay (Concepción), beIN SPORTS, beIN SPORTS Espańol and fuboTV

SEMI-FINALS

Monday, June 29
7:30 PM Chile v. Peru (Santiago de Chile), beIN SPORTS, beIN SPORTS Espańol and fuboTV

Tuesday, June 30
7:30 PM Argentina v. Paraguay (Concepción), beIN SPORTS, beIN SPORTS Espańol and fuboTV

THIRD-PLACE FINAL

Friday, July 3
7:30 PM Peru v. Paraguay (Concepción), beIN SPORTS, beIN SPORTS Espańol and fuboTV

FINAL

Saturday, July 4
4:00 PM Argentina v. Chile (Santiago de Chile), beIN SPORTS, beIN SPORTS Espańol and fuboTV

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Bob Ley has signed a long-term extension deal to remain with ESPN, as announced by the company this afternoon. Ley has been with the network since September 1979, and is the longest working broadcaster within ESPN since joining SportsCenter on the show’s third day.

“I am thrilled that Bob Ley will continue at ESPN — for the past 35 years he has set the standard for sports journalism and we and fans have been the beneficiary,” said ESPN President John Skipper.

Alongside the occasional SportsCenter specials Ley hosts the Emmy Award winning series Outside the Lines, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. He recently hosted ESPN’s 2014 World Cup coverage in Brazil and will continue his duties as one of ESPN’s major soccer pundits. Under this new deal he will become the primary host of ESPN’s future soccer coverage which includes Euro qualifiers, Euros 2016, World Cup coverage and certain U.S. Men’s National Team games.

“I’m very fortunate, each day, to continue to find the challenge in the stories and issues in our sporting culture, and equally lucky to have the time and the space to examine them, working with the most creative and dedicated staff in the business,” Ley said.

This news comes days after Ley was praised by large sections of the soccer community for his coverage on the FIFA inditement and re-election of former president Sepp Blatter. Ley has recently been featured on many different sections of ESPN’s programming when speaking about Blatter and the FIFA scandals, and received wide-spread attention when be became uncharacteristically emotional and upset after Blatter’s reelection.

“Between our reporting and analysis on Outside the Lines, and the opportunities with our soccer coverage across the planet, I’m looking forward to our best work yet,” said Ley.

While the news was unexpected the content of the news was not, in the last month Ley has played a crucial part in ESPN’s coverage of the various FIFA scandals beginning with the release of Outside the Line’s extensive reporting on the inner-workings of FIFA and exploring the bribes and illegal activities that went on before awarding Russia and Qatar the 2018 and 2022 World Cup bids respectively.

Since the Department of Justice indictment of various high ranking FIFA officials was released, Ley has appeared on various network segments talking about how FIFA operates and has been working hard to describe the depth of collusion happening within the sport’s world’s largest body of government.

He is well respected throughout almost every sports community, a title that not many sports anchors share and has won admiration from a tough and largely picky group, American soccer fans.

Despite not retaining the broadcasting rights for any of the World Cups through 2026, the signing of Ley almost guarantees the network a viewing audience during the global tournaments as many soccer fans in the United States have been outspoken about their uncertainty around FOX Sports’ soccer coverage. ESPN has gained favor with a large part of the soccer community in recent events, and keeping Ley helps cement that role.