ESPN and ESPN2 FIFA Women’s World Cup 2007 Commentators

Soccer Hall-of-Famer Julie Foudy to lead team as match and studio analyst
Dellacamera and Dicicco return

         Former U.S. Women’s Soccer National Team captain Julie Foudy and veteran soccer play-by-

play announcer JP Dellacamera will pair as the lead commentator team for ESPN and ESPN2’s live coverage of all FIFA Women’s World Cup 2007 matches in China (Sept. 10-30), it was announced today by Tim Scanlan, ESPN vice president for event production. 

        ESPN’s coverage will include two primary match commentator teams and a studio team featuring host Rob Stone, Foudy, U.S. Women’s National Team defender Heather Mitts and former U.S. coach Tony DiCicco.  Mitts, unavailable to play in the World Cup due to a knee injury she sustained in May, will serve as the U.S. team insider with DiCicco offering the tactical analysis from a coach’s perspective.  ESPN’s Los Angeles-based reporter Jamie Motta will provide news and updates on the U.S. Women’s National Team throughout the tournament from China.

        “Led by Julie, we have an outstanding group of soccer commentators who will bring tremendous knowledge of the game and their fresh-off-the-playing field insights to our coverage,” said Scanlan.  “The depth of our team reflects the growth women’s soccer has enjoyed since the FIFA Women’s World Cup 1999.”

        Beginning Monday, Sept. 10 through Sunday, Sept. 30, ESPN and ESPN2 will combine to present live coverage of all 32 matches of the 2007 FIFA Women’s World Cup from China.  ESPN will feature 11 matches while ESPN2 will televise 22.  ESPN360.com, the premiere broadband service from ESPN, will offer live online coverage of all 32 matches of the quadrennial women’s soccer tournament.

Highlights:

• Foudy will serve as lead match and studio analyst, working all U.S. team’s first-round matches, as well as some quarterfinals, semifinals, third-place and title matches from China
• Dellacamera, the play-by-play voice for the most-watched soccer telecast in U.S. television history (ABC’s July 12 broadcast of China vs. U.S. in the 1999 FIFA Women’s World Cup title match – seen by 40 million people), returns for his fourth straight Women’s World Cup
• DiCicco, who coached the winning U.S. team to the historic 1999 FIFA Women’s World Cup title, will make his second FIFA Women’s World Cup TV appearance as match analyst
• U.S. team defender Heather Mitts, sidelined by a knee injury, will serve as a studio analyst focusing on insider news and information from the U.S. team
• Rob Stone will host all studio segments.  Adrian Healey will provide play-by-play commentary, and Ohio State University head women’s soccer coach Lori Walker will provide analysis in the first round.  Healey will pair with DiCiccco in the second round.
• Motta will focus on the U.S. team in China covering breaking news and updates throughout the three-week tournament for SportsCenter, ESPNEWS and World Cup studio shows.

WOMEN’S WORLD CUP TV COMMENTATORS’ BIOS

JP Dellacamera (Play-by-Play) – One of the leading authorities on international soccer in the U.S…has worked with ESPN since 1985…2007 Women’s World Cup will mark the 10th straight FIFA World Cup event (six men’s) he has called as a television or radio commentator…play-by-play commentator for two teams in the MLS, the Columbus Crew and New York Red Bulls (formerly the MetroStars)…also called MLS Cup and MLS All-Star matches on ABC.

Tony DiCicco (Match and Studio Analyst) –Former U.S. national team coach (1994-99), DiCicco accumulated a 103-8-8 record, making him the all-time leader in wins in U.S. Soccer history…won the 1999 FIFA Women's World Cup and the first U.S. gold medal in Olympic women's soccer…teamed with Dellacamera in 2000 to call the CONCACAF Women’s Gold Cup…analyst for ESPN’s coverage of the 2003 FIFA Women’s World Cup, including the title match on ABC…author of several books, including the recently published Catch Them Being Good with co-author Dr. Colleen Hacker.

Julie Foudy (Match and Studio Analyst) – Studio analyst for ESPN’s MLS telecasts and 2006 FIFA World Cup…serves as an ESPN news and information correspondent providing features for SportsCenter, Sunday NFL Countdown, Outside the Lines, et al….debuted on ESPN June 1998 as a World Cup studio analyst…received critical acclaim for her World Cup studio work in 1998…one of the world’s top female soccer players…recently retired as captain of the U.S. national team – one of the top four historically successful men’s or women’s teams in FIFA World Cup competitions…17-year veteran of the U.S. Women’s National Team…won Olympic gold medals in 1996 and 2004, silver medal in 2000…graduated from Stanford in 1993 with a degree in biology…turning down acceptance to Stanford’s medical school to pursue her two passions – soccer and spearheading public policies…visited Pakistan in 1997 to see first hand that child labor was not involved in the products she endorses…former President of the Women’s Sports Foundation (2000-’02)…Inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame in August 2007.

Adrian Healey (Play-by-Play) – Provides play-by-play commentary for ESPN International’s coverage of the UEFA Championship League, Spanish Primera, Italian Serie A, and English FA Cup matches…ESPN play-by-play commentator for the 2006 FIFA Men’s World Cup…covers international matches, including World Cup qualifiers…began his commentating career at the Caters News Agency in Birmingham, serving as a radio soccer reporter from 1986 to 1990…play-by-play commentator for the New England Revolution’s MLS games for seven seasons on local television and radio broadcasts.

Heather Mitts (Studio Analyst/U.S. Team Insider) – Sidelined by injury, Mitts is a member of the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team…helped lead the University of Florida to the NCAA championship in 1999…served as studio analyst for ABC/ESPN/ESPN2 during the 2003 FIFA Women’s World Cup and sideline reporter for several MLS telecasts in 2005…worked for ESPN as sideline reporter for college football telecasts in 2005.

Jamie Motta (Reporter) – ESPN Los Angeles-based bureau reporter…has covered the World Series, NBA, NCAA Final Four and numerous marquee events for ESPN Deportes and ESPN International networks…covered the U.S. Men’s National Soccer Team during the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany…extensive experience having worked for Univision and the Pan-American Sports Network (PSN)…co-hosted Galaxy Deportiva and Los Angeles Galaxy color commentator for KWHY Channel 22 in Los Angeles

Rob Stone (Studio Host) – Host and play-by-play commentator for select MLS Primetime Thursday telecasts…joined ESPN in 1997 as the host of ESPN2’s Worldwide Soccer which debuted that June…Since 1998, has hosted every MLS Cup, and served as a sideline reporter for MLS and U.S. Soccer telecasts on ESPN and ABC…has also served as college football sideline reporter for ESPN telecasts since 1999…provided reports and features from France ’98 and Germany ’06 for World Cup Tonight, a daily recap program…hosted World Cup Tonight on ESPN2 in 2002 and the pre-, halftime and post-game segments.

Lori Walker (Match Analyst) – Head coach of the Ohio State University Women’s Soccer Team since 1997…during her tenure, Ohio State has been consistently ranked among the top 25 programs…women’s soccer analyst for NBC’s coverage of the Olympics in 2004…called regional matches for Comcast SportsNet and Madison Square Garden (MSG) network during the now-defunct Women’s United Soccer Association (WUSA)…1994 graduate of the University of North Carolina…played goalkeeper for the most-successful women’s soccer program in the U.S.

ESPN AND ESPN2 2007 WORLD CUP TV COMMENTATOR SCHEDULE

All Times EASTERN  *  Subject To Change

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