FOX Sports Announces Former National Team Stars Leslie Osborne, Jimmy Conrad and Melissa Ortiz Join Coverage for FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023™
Osborne, Conrad and Ortiz Anchor FOX Sports’ Digital Coverage On-Site from Sydney, Australia
FOX Sports’ Digital Offerings Include Award-winning “World Cup Now” Live Interactive Pre-and-Postgame Shows on Twitter, Instant Highlights and Behind-the-Scenes Stories from Writers Doug McIntyre and Laken Litman on FOXSports.com and the FOX Sports App
LOS ANGELES – FOX Sports, America’s English-language home for the FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023™, today announces the addition of former United States Women’s National Team legend Leslie Osborne, United States Men’s National Team standout Jimmy Conrad and Colombia National Team star Melissa Ortiz to its marquee roster of analysts covering the tournament. The celebrated trio will anchor FOX Sports’ digital in-country coverage from Thursday, July 20 to Sunday, Aug. 20 as hosts of the award-winning WORLD CUP NOW franchise on Twitter.
“We pride ourselves on bringing best-in-class coverage to the biggest live events in the world. Like for a Super Bowl, World Series or Men’s World Cup, we’re bringing our A-game to our digital offerings for 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup,” said Michael Bucklin, FOX Sports’ Senior Vice President, Digital. “Leslie, Jimmy and Melissa are exciting personalities with vast experience playing for their country on the world’s greatest stage. They’ll be joined daily by top experts and analysts from our television desk to engage fans before and after every single match of the tournament live from our beautiful digital set in Australia.”
Home to the most robust online content surrounding the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023™, the FOX Sports App, FOXSports.com and @FOXSoccer social channels will provide soccer fans a best-in-class multi-platform experience this summer with extensive coverage of every match and moment, including exclusive highlights, full-match replays, award-winning original digital programming, in-depth analysis from the game’s biggest personalities, instant updates, real-time stats, must-read articles, podcasts and more. FOX Sports’ digital coverage will originate from the network’s outdoor studio located on the Campbells Cove waterfront promenade in Sydney.
FOX Sports’ WORLD CUP NOW pre-and-postgame shows on Twitter will include live commentary and analysis from hosts Osborne, Conrad and Ortiz, alongside the full cast of FOX Sports broadcasters Down Under. Each show utilizes FOX Sports’ full arsenal of in-stadium feeds, taking fans inside the stadium with their favorite players and teams as they get set for competition. After each match, postgame shows include highlights of every key play, goal and celebration, complete with instant reaction and best-in-class analysis.
- Leslie Osborne | @LeslieOsborne12
- Former United States Women’s National Team (USWNT) legend Leslie Osborne returns to FOX Sports as a digital host and analyst for FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023™ after serving as a studio and match analyst for FOX Sports’ coverage of the FIFA Women’s World Cup France 2019™ and FIFA Women’s World Cup Canada 2015™. A defensive midfielder, Osborne’s playing resume includes 62 USWNT appearances and a third-place finish in the FIFA Women’s World Cup China 2007™. Most recently, Osborne teamed up with former USWNT teammates as a Co-Founder and Owner of Bay FC, a newly-formed National Women’s Soccer Leauge expansion club based in the San Francisco set to begin play in 2024.
- Jimmy Conrad | @JimmyConrad
- Former United States Men’s National Team (USMNT) defender Conrad will run it back for his second time as a FOX Sports digital host and analyst for FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023™ after an award-winning debut covering his first FIFA World Cup™ with FOX Sports in Qatar. Conrad owns a playing resume that includes 28 international caps with the USMNT and a roster spot on the 2006 U.S. FIFA World Cup™
- Melissa Ortiz | @MelissaMOrtiz
- Ortiz, a former standout with the Colombian Women’s National Team, is back for her second tour with FOX Sports as a FIFA World Cup™ digital analyst and host. She brings a player’s perspective with a unique blend of passion and experience for the game with 28 international appearances in her career, helping Colombia qualify for the FIFA Women’s World Cup Canada 2015™. Ortiz represented her country in the Olympics, Copa America and Central American Games, and also played professionally in the Icelandic, American and Colombian leagues.
LIVE ON TWITTER – As previously announced, for the first time in the history of the women’s tournament on FOX, the network will offer in-match previews and live pre-and-postgame shows for every FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023™ match exclusively for Twitter via @FOXSports and @FOXSoccer. The network’s social channels will also feature near real-time match highlights, Q&As with FOX Soccer personalities, weekly live analysis via Twitter Spaces featuring lively audio content around the games, personally curated Twitter moments and more.
INSIDER ACCESS – Added on-site reports, features and analysis from trusted insiders Doug McIntyre (@ByDougMcIntyre) and Laken Litman (@LakenLitman) also enhance the network’s comprehensive coverage with timely written storytelling and insight delivered from stadiums across Australia and New Zealand. The duo will be in-stadium for all USWNT matches throughout the competition. Predictions, previews and group discussions from FOX Sports’ on-air talent and on-the-ground reporting staff will be featured prominently across all FOX Sports digital platforms throughout, with World Cup Daily articles wrapping each day of the tournament and previewing the next.
WORLD CUP HUB – FOX Sports’ award-winning FIFA World Cup™ Hub launches the week of July 20 and dynamically updates to reflect current match and tournament status, providing convenient access to all of the network’s digital content across FOXSports.com and the FOX Sports App.
Key features include:
- Live streams and full replays of all 64 matches
- Match Center (bonus feeds, commentary, rosters, stats and highlights)
- Extensive Highlights
- Exclusive Original Content
- Fan Guide
- Team Pages
- Schedules
- Standings
- Stats
Users can ‘favorite’ their teams of choice and the tournament overall within the FOX Sports App to get lightning fast updates throughout the tournament.
PODCAST – FOX Sports’ lead studio analyst for the FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023™, Alexi Lalas, will record daily episodes of his popular ALEXI LALAS’ STATE OF THE UNION podcast while in Sydney. The award-winning show is a one-stop shop for all things soccer, with Lalas and partner David Mosse delivering candid conversations, interviews with players and coaches and listener commentary via the State of the Union hotline – (657) 549-2297 – where fans can leave questions or comments for Lalas. Every episode is available on YouTube, Apple, Spotify or wherever podcasts are consumed. For additional clips, highlights and commentary, follow @SOTUWithAlexi on all social platforms: Twitter, Instagram, TikTok and Facebook.
FOX SPORTS APP – FOX Sports will stream all 64 FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023 TM matches live on the FOX Sports app. Each match will also be available to stream in 4K on connected TV and “living room” apps, including Apple TV, Android TV, Fire TV and Roku devices. Viewers joining live matches late on authenticated streaming devices can choose to catch up on all the key moments missed with ‘Catch-Up With Highlights’ option or jump straight into live play.
Built for the modern sports fan, the FOX Sports app is the home for streaming live and on-demand sports from FOX, FS1, FS2, and FOX Deportes all in one app. Every live FOX Sports game and studio show is available to TV subscribers, making every match, as well as on-demand highlights of top moments from shows and leagues all one click away.
FOLLOW ALONG – Follow FOX Soccer across all social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube.
