FOX Sports Expands Studio Programming for USA-Ecuador Copa America Quarterfinal

Los Angeles – FOX Sports today announces its quarterfinals broadcast teams and expanded studio programming for the USA-Ecuador quarterfinal of the 2016 COPA AMERICA CENTENARIO: CHAMPIONSHIP OF THE AMERICAS, originating live inside CenturyLink Field in Seattle.

The quarterfinals kick off Thursday, June 16, as a surging United States team battles Ecuador live on FS1. Renowned play-by-play announcer JP Dellacamera calls the action,with U.S. Men’s National Team all-time leading scorer Landon Donovan providing analysis and Jenny Taft reporting.

FS1 kicks off the night with an expanded 90-minute pregame show airing live from Seattle, with coverage beginning at 8:00 PM ET on FS1.

Rob Stone hosts pre-match, halftime and post-match commentary alongside Alexi Lalas, Fernando Fiore, Stu Holden and Seattle Sounders Forward Herculez Gomez live from CenturyLink Field. Aly Wagner and Grant Wahl also contribute to the show. Immediately following, Fiore hosts a special 30-minute edition of COPA TONIGHT featuring a cast expected to include Lalas, Wagner and Donovan.

“With Copa America setting multiple ratings records on our networks and the American team getting hot at the perfect time, an expanded studio presence is a natural addition as part of our unrivaled commitment to the sport,” said David Neal, Executive Producer, FIFA World Cup on FOX. “The atmosphere in Seattle is going to be electric, and we can’t wait to be a major part of what is going to be an incredible day in American sports from Seattle to Cleveland to Oakmont.”

The action continues Friday, June 17, as world No. 3-ranked Colombia faces Peru, which eliminated legendary Brazil from the tournament. Coverage begins at 8:00 PM ET on FS1 with John Strong and Stu Holden on the call. On Saturday, June 18, FX presents a doubleheader beginning at 6:30 PM ET, with Mark Followill and Eric Wynalda calling a quarterfinal between Lionel Messi’s No.1-ranked Argentina and the tournament’s Cinderella team, Venezuela. The nightcap sees undefeated Mexico facing defending champion Chile. John Strong and Brad Friedel call the match, joined by Francisco X. Rivera on the sideline. Grant Wahl continues his role as correspondent-at-large, and Dr. Joe Machnik provides expert analysis on key refereeing decisions.

Assignments for the semifinals, third-place match and final are to be announced next week.

The 2016 COPA AMERICA CENTENARIO has produced three of the top four men’s soccer ratings in FS1 history, as viewership for the three U.S. group stage matches grew throughout the tournament. The United States’ 2-0 loss to No. 3-ranked Colombia delivered 1.536 million viewers on June 3, then on June 7, 1.6 million viewers tuned in to see the United States’ crucial 4-0 win over Costa Rica. The third match, in which the Americans clinched a spot in the quarterfinals, averaged 2.061 million viewers, setting the record for the most-watched men’s soccer match in FS1 history.

FOX Sports televises all 32 matches of what is the biggest, most prestigious men’s soccer tournament hosted on American soil since the 1994 FIFA World Cup, live from 10 nationwide venues from June 3 to June 26. FS1 is scheduled to carry 21 matches, with four airing on the FOX broadcast network. FX, FOX’s widely distributed general entertainment channel, is slated to televise two quarterfinal matches and the Third Place match, with four group stage games appearing on FS2. Every contest is available on recently updated FOX Sports GO and FOX Soccer 2Go mobile apps and on desktop computers via FOXSportsGO.com.