Fox Sports unveils its World Cup commentating team as Landon Donovan returns to network

Former USMNT forward Landon Donovan is among the 23-strong group. Katharine Lotze / Getty Images Share articleFox Sports has unveiled its English-language commentating and reporting lineup for the summer’s World Cup. Match analysts include former USMNT players Landon Donovan and Cobi Jones, former Manchester United midfielder Owen Hargreaves, Major League Soccer analyst Maurice Edu and former England goalkeeper Rob Green. Darren Fletcher will be joined as a play-by-play announcer by six others, including Jacqui Oatley, Derek Rae and Ian Darke. Ex-referee Mark Clattenburg will return to Fox as a rules analyst after occupying the same role in the previous iteration of the tournament. The broadcaster will also have six reporters, including Katie Shanahan and Tom Rinaldi, the latter operating in an ‘at-large’ role. Fox Sports is set to air a record 70 World Cup games on network television, including the final on July 19 and all three USMNT group-stage games, doubling the 35 aired during the 2022 Qatar edition. The remaining of the 104 matches will be shown on FS1, such as Brazil vs. Morocco on June 13. By senior soccer writer Felipe Cardenas Stu Holden and John Strong will be the main voices for U.S. national team games this summer as. For longtime American soccer observers, the pair have become household names. Strong is an even-keeled commentator who brings hours of research and storytelling to the broadcast. Holden, on the other hand, is among the sport’s top American analysts and somebody who, of late, has been more critical of the U.S. side. Also worth noting is that former U.S. striker Donovan will return to FOX’s broadcast booth for another World Cup. He’ll sit alongside veteran Darke, as he did at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. Darke’s voice and his commentary style are easy on the ears. He also called one of the most memorable U.S. goals in World Cup history when Donovan scored a last-gasp winner against Algeria in 2010. Viewers will hope that Donovan, typically monotone and indifferent, can increase his energy when calling games during the tournament. Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms