FOX Sports’ 2016 MLS Cup Presentation Delivers a Series of Firsts
BMO Field will be home to history in the making on Saturday, Dec. 10, as FOX Sports presents its first MLS Cup, crowning a new first-time MLS Cup champion on the FOX broadcast network with coverage beginning in primetime at 7:30 PM ET.
FOX Sports is pulling out all the stops for the league’s 21st annual championship, a star-studded clash between Michael Bradley’s Toronto FC and Jordan Morris’ Seattle Sounders FC, adding a special MLS Cup preview show; partnering with Audi and LiveLike to present the championship game in Virtual Reality through the FOX Sports VR app; and hosting FOX Soccer’s newest Facebook Live show “The Rec League” from Toronto.
On Friday, Dec. 9, Stu Holden and Rachel Bonnetta kick off MLS Cup coverage at 2:00 PM ET with a special edition of “The Rec League.” Later that night, at 10:00 PM ET on FS1, Rob Stone hosts an hour-long preview show from BMO Field alongside former MLS stars Alexi Lalas, Eric Wynalda and Stu Holden with special reports from Sports Illustrated and FOX Sports soccer insider Grant Wahl, and expert analysis from John Strong, Brad Friedel and Julie Stewart-Binks, who call Saturday’s match. The program features an extensive preview of Saturday’s game including exclusive interviews with players from both teams. Former Sounders coach Sigi Schmid, the winningest coach in MLS history, also joins the show.
On Saturday, Dec. 10, match day coverage begins at 7:00 PM ET with “FOX Soccer Live” hosted by Rachel Bonnetta on FOX Soccer’s Facebook page. The action then shifts to the FOX broadcast network at 7:30 PM ET as Stone anchors MLS Cup pregame coverage live from BMO Field alongside Wynalda, Lalas and Holden featuring an exclusive interview with new U.S. Men’s National Team coach Bruce Arena.
FOX Sports offers full Virtual Reality coverage from multiple angles through the FOX Sports VR app, marking the first time the league’s championship game has been offered in virtual reality with Audi as presenting sponsor. The presentation includes a “magic window” experience for iOS and Android, as well as fully immersive VR on both cardboard and Samsung Gear VR.
Toronto FC advanced to MLS Cup after knocking out their Canadian counterpart Montreal Impact, 7-5, on aggregate in the Eastern Conference Championship series. Sounders FC advanced to MLS Cup by sealing a 3-1 aggregate win over the Colorado Rapids. Both Seattle Sounders FC and Toronto FC are first-time MLS Cup participants, with Toronto hosting the single-game championship by way of finishing the regular season with a higher points total.