I left Philadelphia on Sunday morning with mixed emotions as I made the journey to Vancouver to begin a 35-day journey across Canada for the FIFA Women's World Cup. While I am always thrilled and honored to be calling a World Cup, I was lamenting the fact that I would be missing Philadelphia Union games for the month of June. This is my sixth year of calling Union games as their TV Voice, and it's something I enjoy doing very much.
Having said that, I have to put the Union in the rear view mirror (still checking the box scores and keeping up to date) and focus in on the WWC.
For me, this is a trip that will bring me to five or possibly six Canadiancities beginning this Saturday when host nation Canada takes on China in Edmonton. I'll be joined in the booth by Tony DiCicco, the last coach to win a WWC for the USA back in 1999, and former USA International defender Cat Whitehill. We've done a few games together leading up to this tournament and I like where we are headed as a broadcasting trio.
In Vancouver, we had a busy first day. It was virtually an all-day seminar hosted by Fox Sports and it was one of the best seminars I have ever attended. Fox executives showed us what the graphics will look like, what the studio will look like, and talked about the overall philosophy of televising such a massive event. There are 30 announcers being used for this tournament, from play-by-play commentators to game and studio analysts, hosts, and reporters.
It's a mixed bag of talent ranging in age and experience, but everyone has something to bring to the table. We sat through some positive reinforcement from Fox about why we were all chosen. There were short video clips played that gave the group a sample of what each person does. We also were able to watch a Megan Rapinoe feature that is supposed to air on Saturday that is one of the best features I have ever seen.
Fox stressed this message "It's a Marathon, not a Sprint." It's a great message. While you want to get off to a great start, you surely don't want to hit your peak in game one. Like the athletes and teams, we (Fox Sports) want to do well at the start but get better each and every game. Our peak needs to be at the final.
Hope you enjoyed my first blog from the Women's World Cup. Next blog will be from Edmonton as we gear up for the opener of the tournament.
