Also in today’s roundup, Julie Ertz talks football with The Players Tribune, and the Portland Thorns celebrate their 2017 championship with Nike
We're thrilled to announce our talent roster for the 2018 FIFA World Cup!
MEET OUR TEAM ? https://t.co/cNUbW2oByN pic.twitter.com/jYge5IAemH
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) April 25, 2018
Earlier today, Fox announced their commentary teams for the upcoming 2018 Men’s World Cup. Most significantly, they noted that two-time Olympic Gold Medalist Aly Wagner, who calls frequently calls USWNT games along with NWSL games for the Lifetime Game of the Week, is set to make the debut of the first female analyst to call a Men’s FIFA World Cup game in the United States when she (along withDerek Rae) will call the Morocco-Iran match on Friday, June 15.
Wagner won’t be the only female announcer at the FIFA World Cup this summer. In March, Telemundo announced that they added Argentine Viviana Vila to their broadcast team to provide in-match commentary.
Of the opportunity, Wagner said “Hopefully I can prove it’s about my effort and my work and my passion and my commitment and my love for the game that comes through when I call the match as opposed to it having anything to do with being the first female.”
The 2018 World Cup kicks off on June 14th in Russia.
Julie Ertz and Super Bowl-winning husband detail viral USWNT video for The Players Tribune
It all started in a sports arena and it’s been a wild ride since. Great trip down memory lane with @ZERTZ_86 . This is Forward Momentum sponsored by @Citi. https://t.co/i6lOBFPGy9
— Julie Johnston Ertz (@julieertz) April 25, 2018
It was the viral video that sparked the sports world when on January 21, Julie Ertz was recorded finding out, just after scoring in a 5-1 friendly defeat of Denmark, that her husband Zach was going to the Super Bowl, along with his team the Philadelphia Eagles.
Zach and Julie recounted the experience today for the Players’ Tribune, with Julie noting the game as the one that’s kept her sidelined from play for much of 2018.
“In the end, I decided to just try to lock in and forget it was even happening until the final whistle.” She said of her game-time mentality knowing the NFC Championship Game was being played simultaneously with the USWNT friendly. “Of course, at halftime, we got to the locker room, and I was looking at my teammates kind of cringing like, “Tell me! No, don’t tell me!” Finally, someone just kind of said something vague, like, “They’re doing good.” And that was it. We went back out to the field, and I tried to block it out.”
She continued, “When the final whistle blew, I tried to find out the final score as soon as I could, but there was a lot of chaos. I was asking around, but nobody had the answer right away. I had actually hurt my knee during the game, and I was in a decent amount of pain, so the trainer came up to talk to me as well, and I was just like, “I’m good! I’m fine! Did the Eagles win?!” Finally, somebody from the media came up and told me that the Eagles were going to the Super Bowl… and then I just lost it.”
The pair also went on to detail their different workout regimens, and the whole piece is a nice look into the lives of two professional athletes working towards championships together.
Portland Thorns celebrate 2017 Championship win at Nike Headquarters
We’re celebrating our 2017 @NWSL Championship today @Nike HQ, so of course they brought out the red smoke.❤️?#BAONPDX pic.twitter.com/7sSHAZTVdn
— Portland Thorns FC (@ThornsFC) April 25, 2018
The Portland Thorns celebrated their 2017 NWSL Championship win at Portland-based Nike headquarters today, with the company bringing out the Rose City Riveters-patented red smoke to mark the affair. The event featured the full Thorns squad, along with supporters.
