"We have to remember, this is Germany" [followed by sly, sycophantic smile] - Kyle "The Hair" Martino (June 6, 2026). Yeah, so what? That lineup today didn't exactly scream Beckenbauer or Klinsmann. They've been dumped out of the group stage the last 2 WCs. The timing on this rant probably isn't great going into a WC, but c'mon, this isn't 1990, can we ditch the "we should just be happy to be here" mentality? Is it too much to ask for some real analysis? Is it possible to call out a "star" player (i.e. one who's been in a TV commercial) for having a poor game? Can we have former player pundits or beat writers who don't think their primary job is to be a cheerleader? This is where the entitlement comes from! And people wonder why there's a lack of accountability in US Soccer? Everyone's running around trying to kiss the nearest arse for access or a post-playing career paycheck. The entire internet seems devoted to analyzing the NFL Draft and off-seasson. Every NFL team is scrutinized and criticized top to bottom ad nauseum and the team that represents the entire country gets Kyle Martino and Alexi Lalas? Don't give me the nonsense that no one cares or we're trying to grow the sport. If you analyze, they will come. They will learn. They will understand. But say something meaningful once in a while instead of "Oh, well, we got show more heart, more energy, more intensity." That's not analysis, that's drivel. Can we at least get a coach to speak up? There must be some grizzled soccer Belichick or Nick Saban out there who'll speak his mind. (C'mon, Bruce ... DO IT!) Last, but not least, NO MORE LAME EXCUSES!!!
How did they never mention that Nene Brown could have played for the USMNT? Did they not do homework? Did he have family in the crowd? Has he ever been in the US before? I got the feeling they had no idea.
Melissa Ortiz does full-blown color commentary from behind the bench after coming up with things to talk about while scrolling on her office. Kyle Martino rarely says anything unless it’s to agree with a ref’s call that went against us. The Englishman in the booth seems to be the only one who had any affection for the sport or this team. It’s just a really bad production.
Both guys and the woman on the field are absolutely horrible. As usual, all we get are personal stories all game long. If you looked away for a moment and a goal was building up you'd never know. Great example was when that woman decided to butt in again in the first half and the US had some good moves and got into the box, looking dangerous. She just kept rambling on with her stupid f'ing story. This is 2006 Dave O' Brien levels of bad. The English guy might be ok if he was alone, but he still provides too much useless information.
Who cares? I wish they wouldn't do research on any player. They research the living f$#k out of the game (ok, maybe they missed this one) and it absolutely ruins listening to the game.
The thing Im looking forward to is the World Cup production staff who understand how to produce and present soccer matches. TNT shoots soccer through a microscope. When it comes to the talent scattered over multiple networks, this summer soccer will have a lot of eyes on it, probably quadruple more than the normal audiences for things like analysis. All of our podcasters and non fox network people will be fighting for air time. Some will be outlandish and look for hooks of some kind to attract. Some will actually provide us with good insight and analysis. I prefer, Call it what you want, Futbol Americas, and MIB over any analysis that Fox will provide this summer. TNT analysis was on a mission, to make the audience believe that whatever game they were showing was of the utmost importance. TNT is not the best but with no other entertainment resources to soccer other than the game itself and the studio you get an early American soccer coverage vibe where people with a lot to say and a limited time to say it. So more salesmanship than analysis.
Can't wait for John Strong to bring up random irrelevant facts about all the players every time they're on the ball. What's the over/under on the number of times he'll mention that Alex Freeman is "the son of a former Super Bowl winner"?
Well, I’d put the over/under on how many matches we’ll play at 4.5. So…4.5 if you’re an optimist, 9.5 if you’re a pessimist.
Regardless, it's more about the fact that they just seem to be rolling in on the day of the game without doing much prep.
I didn't see anybody mention this but it cracked me up that the play-by-play commentator highlighted the rumors over the past 24 hours that Berhalter was heading to Derby County. (To be clear, this came from an anonymous twitter account with almost no followers, who had already acknowledged prior to the match that they made up the rumor for a laugh.)
Fox Soccer studio team for the World Cup Hosts: Rob Stone, Rebecca Lowe, Jules Breach, Pien Meulensteen Analysts: Thierry Henry, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Alexi Lalas, Carli Lloyd, Clarence Seedorf, Landon Donovan, Clint Dempsey, Javier Hernandez, Peter Schmeichel, Juan Pablo Angel, John Obi Mikel, Thiago Alcantara https://www.foxsports.com/stories/s...tar-studio-team-anchoring-fifa-world-cup-2026 Commentary teams: John Strong – Stu Holden Ian Darke – Landon Donovan Darren Fletcher – Owen Hargreaves Derek Rae – Rob Green Ian Crocker – Danny Higginbotham Jacqui Oatley – Warren Barton JP Dellacamera – Lori Lindsey Mark Scott – Cobi Jones Tyler Terens – Maurice Edu Reporters: Tom Rinaldi, Alex Aljoe, Geoff Shreeves, Jenny Taft, Katie Shanahan, Natalie Gedra Rules Analysts: Joe Machnik, Mark Clattenburg https://www.foxsports.com/stories/s...n-darke-landon-donovan-maurice-edu-cobi-jones
Since I'm treating this as the "complain/talk about US TV coverage during the World Cup" thread, here are some articles with the Telemundo/Peacock coverage teams too: I count at least 8 commentator teams in here, though I might have missed one: Andrés Cantor, Omar Zerón José Luis López Salido, Jorge Calvo Alejandro Figueredo, Jaime Macias Luis Omar Tapia, Diego Balado Jose Hernandez, Darío Daicz Copán Álvarez, José “Pepe” del Bosque Rames Sandoval, Walter Roque Jose Bauz, Pablo Mariño https://www.nbcsports.com/pressbox/...-assignments-for-fifa-world-cup-2026-coverage I don't think this is a complete list, but the in-studio commentary includes Jozy Altidore and Alejandro Bedoya: The lineup now also includes several newly announced global soccer icons, including Argentine striker Gabriel Batistuta, widely regarded as one of the greatest forwards of his generation; former U.S. Men’s National Team standout Jozy Altidore; Portuguese national team star Nuno Gomes; Argentine midfielder Maxi Rodríguez, remembered for his iconic World Cup goal against Mexico in 2006; and Honduran legend Carlos Pavón, the national team’s all-time leading scorer. From Europe, Guti—best known for his time at Real Madrid—adds the perspective of a player recognized for creativity and control in midfield. He’s joined by Iván Zamorano, the Chilean forward known as “Bam Bam,” who became one of La Liga’s top scorers during his time in Spain. Several players bring a defensive lens. Diego Lugano, Uruguay’s former captain, led his country to a World Cup semifinal in 2010, while Iván Ramiro Córdoba anchored Colombia’s back line for years and won multiple titles with Inter Milan, including the Champions League. Antonio Valencia, who captained Manchester United and Ecuador, also adds experience from both club and international play. The group also includes Carlos Salcido, a key figure for Mexico across multiple World Cups, and Julio César Dely Valdés, one of Panama’s most influential strikers, who later managed the national team. From the United States, Alejandro Bedoya brings a more recent perspective, with years of leadership at both the international level and in Major League Soccer. Rounding out the group is José Pékerman, the Argentine coach known for leading both Argentina and Colombia on the World Cup stage and for developing generations of players. https://www.nbcuniversal.com/articl...up-coverage-announcers-who-will-define-summer
I thought he was good at desk commentary on NBCSN in the early days of the EPL coverage. He doesn’t add anything to the TNT broadcast
Isn't this TNT Sports we're bitching about?? After the 'friendly' against Germany, the footy audience doesn't have to tolerate them any more...at least not for quite a while. Relax!
A bit off-topic from the original rant (apologies to Lance90)... Has anyone Stateside watched the documentary "Summer of '94"?? Fox Sports has been running it as part of their WC build-up. As someone who used to edit & produce documentaries, I thought this work by Dave LaMattina and co. is excellent. Effective editing of interviews and archival video to bring back great memories from the journey of the USMNT to the 1994 WC opening round. I got chills and am a bit more stoked for the coming tournament! Even got a lump in my throat listening to M. Balboa talk about his ACL recovery and his selection as a starter vs Switzerland. Check it out, especially if you're old enough to have lived it all...
The English journalists are awfully pessimistic about this World Cup. They’ve gotten the shaft the last four WCs only to be told that exploiting markets and oil money is more important than tradition. I doubt the nations frustration's is a commonality that drives unity. They bitch about everything including having to play games in the middle of the day in Florida in June to be on prime time for a friendly that their FA decided would be a smart idea. So exploitation in many capacities is universal. Not just saved for their driven someone else and not us narrative.
Fox already knows that the diehard soccer fans are going to tune into their coverage of the World Cup no matter how campy or bad their coverage is perceived. Fox is more concerned about attracting as broad an audience as possible to the World Cup.
Damn that Telemundo lineup is stacked. I haven't willingly watched the English coverage since 2010 and that's going to continue. I just hate how Fox goes about it. Yeah maybe it leaned a little too much on British commentators before on ESPN but at least it wasn't grating. I feel the EPL draws a much broader audience on NBC than expected without trying to pander too hard to Americanisms, so I don't know why Fox doesn't take any notes from that.
Plus...................people complain endlessly about the commentators for MLB, NFL, etc. etc. Its part of the deal. There are commentators that drive people up the wall. And for each person, its a different commentator that they can't stand. Some people like Alexi Lalas. I find him insufferable. And that's OK........................... Some people like Kyle Martino and some don't. It's a very rare commentator that's loved by all.
What's ironic in the media debate is that Lalas has been a part of World Cup coverage since 2010. He worked for ESPN before jumping over to Fox when they won the broadcast rights to the World Cup after Brazil 2014. ESPN's WC coverage is considered the gold standard.......
The video component should be greatly enhanced as the plan is the have . https://www.svgeurope.org/blog/head...ion-plans-camera-innovations-and-ibc-updates/ As for new podcast commentary, Goal launched one with Chad Johnson, which is on all streaming podcast platforms and https://www.youtube.com/@thelaterunshow While Tubi launched The Other Football with Gronk and Jameis Winston.