MLS Cup Final 2024: FOX Sports, FOX Deportes Spin League’s World Feed Into Production for Title Match

The English-language network will add four unilateral cameras to the 17-camera feed

The 2024 MLS season will come to a resounding conclusion with tomorrow’s MLS Cup Final at 4 p.m. ET. The domestic linear broadcasters, FOX Sports and FOX Deportes, will augment the league’s world-feed production for enhanced English-language and Spanish-language coverage of the LA Galaxy–New York Red Bulls championship match.

Boosting World Feed: Four Unilateral Cameras, Respective Graphics Packages 

With the introduction of MLS Season Pass on Apple TV last year, the league changed its production infrastructure. The 2023 MLS Cup Final last December was MLS’s first championship that deployed an encompassing ecosystem supplied by the streamer and its dedicated production partner, NEP Group. The live-services provider refined its approach when the season kicked off in March, but a major constant is the world-feed model that shares the title game with various media-rights holders.

This style of production is familiar to FOX Sports for international tournaments like the FIFA World Cup and UEFA Euros. The world-feed infrastructure will be anchored by 17 cameras, which will be shared with all participating broadcasters. To enhance the feed, which will be pieced together, FOX Sports will add an additional four unilateral cameras.

“The camera plan issued by MLS is quite robust,” says Zac Kenworthy, VP, production, FOX Sports. “We’re thrilled to be in such a great stadium, where the atmosphere and action will really come to life on the broadcast.”

For FOX Deportes, a clean feed of FOX Sports’ cut of the show will allow integration of its own dedicated graphics package.

Expert Analysis: Studio Talent Head to the Pitch for Onsite Show

Fans tuning into the linear telecast on FOX Sports will be treated to the full championship treatment, including in-depth analyses by the broadcaster’s best talent. The match will be called by play-play announcer John Strong, one of the leading U.S.-based voices in the game, and analyst Stu Holden, who has an abundance of playing experience as a former United States Men’s National Team and Premier League midfielder. It’s a broadcast booth befitting the league’s biggest stage.

“John and Stu have called well over 350 matches together across the better part of a decade, including two FIFA World Cup Finals and multiple MLS Cup Finals,” says Kenworthy. “Their voices are synonymous with FOX Soccer’s coverage and events of the highest standard, so our fans will be in good hands.”

Down near the pitch, reporter Jenny Taft and analyst Alexi Lalas will be close to the action for pre/postmatch and halftime coverage. Bringing the sights and sounds to fans around the nation is an important part of FOX Sports’ production plan, so increased access to the playing surface is paramount.

“This year, we wanted to be as close as possible to the action,” Kenworthy explains. “Our goal is to be right there for the celebrations when this year’s MLS Cup champions are crowned.”

FOX Deportes has opted for a four-person broadcast booth. Play-by-play announcers Rodolfo Landeros and John Laguna will be behind the mic, with Landeros calling the first half and Laguna the second. They will be joined by analysts Mariano Trujillo and Martín Zúñiga and pitchside reporter Álvaro Izquierdo.

“All have been integral to our MLS coverage throughout the regular season,” says Enrique Lozano, executive director, production, FOX Deportes. “This group represents some of the most popular voices in Spanish sports storytelling and has tremendous chemistry that can create an entertaining and educational broadcast.”

Studio coverage will be extensive on the Spanish-language network. Coverage kicks off at 2 p.m. ET with an onsite edition of El Entretiempo, followed by a 30-minute prematch show, a 30-minute show after the final whistle, and an onsite edition Total Sports with reactions and player interviews.

Nearby Title Game: Networks Have Quick Trip to the Host Venue

Storylines abound in this MLS Cup Final. In the East, the Red Bulls squeaked into the final postseason bracket as the penultimate seed at No. 7. In the West, the Galaxy finished tied with crosstown rivals LAFC at 64 points but received the No. 2 seed based on goal differential. Although the two finalists had contrasting regular seasons, a striking similarity is that it has been quite a long time since each club has made it to the final — the first for the Galaxy since their 2014 title, the first for the Red Bulls since their lone appearance in 2008.

Off the pitch, a notable logistics wrinkle will be the proximity of the host venue — Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, CA — to the facility of FOX Sports and FOX Deportes in Los Angeles’s Century City neighborhood. Having the venue nearby is a major plus for the broadcasters, especially with a match of this magnitude.

“It’s fantastic having this in our backyard,” says Kenworthy. “Dignity Health Sports Park allows us to have our best and brightest personnel on the broadcast. Knowing that we have the full resources of FOX Sports just down the road is huge for us.”

Overall, Saturday will be a massive day for FOX Corp. as two of its sports divisions deliver the broadcast to countless MLS supporters watching from home.

“FOX Deportes takes great pride in bringing the beautiful game to our audience,” adds Lozano. “There is no better game than a final. With a team of seasoned professionals who have been with us all season, we’re excited to deliver a memorable viewing experience for our fans.”