John Strong (sportscaster)

Last updated

John Strong
EducationUniversity of Oregon
OccupationBroadcaster
Employer Fox Sports
SpouseNicole (Wilcox) Strong

John Strong is an American television play-by-play broadcaster who is the lead play-by-play voice for MLS on Fox . [1] [2] [3] His work has appeared on NBC, Fox, ESPN among other networks. He is a former radio host on 750-AM "The Game" in Portland, Oregon and was the radio and television play-by-play announcer for the Portland Timbers Major League Soccer team. [2]

Contents

Broadcasting career

Strong began his broadcasting career while in high school at Lake Oswego High School, where he founded Laker Broadcasting. [4] Strong created audio broadcasts of LOHS football and basketball games beginning in 2002.

While attending School of Journalism and Communication at the University of Oregon, Strong worked at 750 KXL in Portland and was active at Oregon's campus station, KWVA. Strong continued his play-by-play work by broadcasting University of Oregon women's soccer, [5] softball, [6] and women's lacrosse. He also served as play-by-play voice for the Eugene Generals Junior Hockey team in 2005-06.

Strong's first full-time broadcast job came at Portland's KXL radio and, later, 750 AM "The Game" in 2008. Strong produced "The Bald Faced Truth" radio show and also hosted a daily evening radio show called "Strong at Night" for the station.

In 2010, Strong was the play-by-play announcer for the Portland Timbers and in 2011 became the regular play-by-play announcer for Timbers broadcasts on FSN Northwest. [3] He was a regular commentator on Europa League games for Fox Soccer, notably calling the 2013 UEFA Europa League Final between Chelsea and Benfica. After the 2012–13 season, he moved to NBC Sports to cover Major League Soccer and Premier League football. After NBC's loss of Major League Soccer coverage to Fox Sports in 2014, it was announced that Strong was moving full-time to Fox Sports to head the Major League Soccer, and Women's World Cup coverage. Strong was previously working part-time for Fox when he was not obligated to his NBC duties. In 2015, Strong also began to serve as the lead play-by-play voice for most United States men's national soccer team matches broadcast on Fox/Fox Sports 1 because of a new television contract between U.S. Soccer, Fox Sports, and ESPN/ABC. Brad Friedel and later Stuart Holden joined him as the lead color commentator for these matches. [7] He and lead color commentator Stuart Holden called the Fox broadcast of the 2018 FIFA World Cup [8] and 2022 FIFA World Cup, [9] [10] including the finals for both 2018 and 2022. [11]

TV credits

Honors

In 2013, Strong was named Oregon Sportscaster of the Year by the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association. [12] In 2011, he was awarded Major League Soccer’s Broadcast Call of the Year for his play-by-play call of midfielder Darlington Nagbe’s goal against Sporting Kansas City on July 2, 2011 at Jeld-Wen Field in Portland. Strong’s call has been viewed nearly two million times on YouTube.com and following the season was named the Timbers’ 2011 Play of the Year. [13]

Personal life

Strong is married to Nicole Strong, a former Washington State University soccer player who led the Women's Premier Soccer League in goals scored in 2011. [14] She previously coached the Central Catholic High School girls' soccer team and was named the Mt. Hood Conference Coach of the Year after winning a league title in 2012. [15]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Soccer in the United States</span>

Soccer in the United States is the fourth most popular sport in the United States behind American football, basketball, and baseball

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Providence Park</span> Sports stadium in Portland, Oregon, United States

Providence Park is an outdoor soccer venue located in the Goose Hollow neighborhood of Portland, Oregon. It is the home of the Portland Timbers of Major League Soccer (MLS) and Portland Thorns FC of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). Providence Park is currently the oldest facility to be configured as a soccer-specific stadium for use by an MLS team, and is one of the most historic grounds used by any United States professional soccer team. It has existed in rudimentary form since 1893, and as a complete stadium since 1926.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eric Wynalda</span> American soccer player

Eric Boswell Wynalda is an American soccer coach, television commentator, and former player. He was formerly an analyst and color commentator for soccer coverage on Fox Sports 1 and ESPN. Previously, he served as head coach and technical director of Las Vegas Lights FC in the USL Championship and he was previously the host of WTF: Wynalda Talks Football on SiriusXM FC.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">JP Dellacamera</span> American sportscaster

John Paul "JP" Dellacamera is an American play-by-play sportscaster primarily for Major League Soccer with the Philadelphia Union, as well as major soccer tournaments and ice hockey.

Derek Rae is a Scottish association football commentator and presenter who currently works for ESPN and ABC in the United States for the English-language coverages of Bundesliga, DFB Pokal, and La Liga and Deutsche Fußball Liga for the English-language world feed as well as the Premier League coverage on Amazon Prime Video in the UK. He has provided the English commentary for the FIFA/EA FC video game series alongside former Arsenal players Lee Dixon in 2020 and Stewart Robson, who also played for West Ham United since 2021. He is also an ambassador for Berwick Rangers.

Jonathan Martin Champion is a British sports commentator currently working as an association football commentator for ESPN and NBC Sports. Champion is a well-established and experienced commentator who has also worked for the BBC and ITV over the last 20 years. Champion currently covers the FA Cup for ESPN, the Premier League for NBC Sports, and the 2024 national USA women's soccer team at the Olympics for USA/Peacock, sharing commentating duties with prior Olympic gold medalist Julie Foudy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adrian Healey</span>

Adrian Healey is an English football commentator, currently working for ESPN and most recently with MLS Season Pass broadcasts on Apple TV. He is a veteran football commentator in the U.S., working for networks such as ESPN; he was part of the ESPN commentary team in South Africa for the 2010 World Cup. He has also been a fill-in host for Dan Thomas on ESPN's soccer show ESPN FC.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stuart Holden</span> American soccer player

Stuart Alistair Holden is an American former professional soccer player who played as a midfielder, and is currently a lead TV game analyst for Fox Sports. Holden is part of the ownership group for Spanish La Liga football club RCD Mallorca.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Root Sports Northwest</span> American regional sports television network

Root Sports Northwest, sometimes branded simply as Root Sports, is an American regional sports network owned by the Seattle Mariners. Headquartered near Seattle in the city of Bellevue, Washington, the channel broadcasts regional coverage of sports events throughout the Pacific Northwest, with a focus on professional sports teams based in Seattle and Portland. It is available on cable providers throughout Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, and Alaska and nationwide on satellite via DirecTV.

Ian Darke is an English association football and boxing commentator who currently works for ESPN and TNT Sports. Darke was previously one of Sky's "Big Four" football commentators alongside Martin Tyler, Alan Parry and Rob Hawthorne. He was also the main commentator for Sky's big boxing fights and along with Jim Watt, covered some of the biggest fights involving British boxers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arlo White</span> British sports broadcaster

Arlo James White is an English sports presenter and commentator, originally from Leicester. He is the play-by-play commentator for the LIV Golf league. White previously worked for NBC Sports' live coverage of the Premier League in the United States as their lead play-by-play commentator, BBC Radio 5 Live as a football, cricket, and American football commentator, and for the Seattle Sounders FC and Chicago Fire FC of Major League Soccer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Portland Timbers</span> Soccer club in Portland, Oregon, United States

The Portland Timbers are an American professional men's soccer club based in Portland, Oregon. The Timbers compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member club of the league's Western Conference. The Timbers have played their home games at Providence Park since 2011, when the team began play as an expansion team in the league.

Mark Duane Followill is an American sports announcer, covering basketball, soccer and football.

Fox currently airs soccer matches in the United States. These matches are from the FIFA World Cup, the FIFA Women's World Cup, the UEFA European Championship, the Gold Cup, and Copa América. With the network currently also airing select MLS, and Liga MX matches. Fox formerly aired the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League, the Premier League, the Bundesliga, the Serie A, and the FA Cup.

Soccer on ESPN and ABC is a number of programs that currently airs soccer matches in the United States. These matches are from European competitions.

Major League Soccer has been broadcast live in the U.S. nationally since the league's inception in 1996 and in Canada since 2007. In the United States the game is broadcast in English on Fox Sports 1 and Fox, in Spanish on Fox Deportes. In Canada, MLS is broadcast on TSN in English and RDS in French.

MLS on Fox is the branding used for broadcasts of Major League Soccer on FS1 and Fox. Fox Sports first aired MLS games from 2003–2011 on the now defunct Fox Soccer Channel. Fox then won the rights from NBC Sports to air games on the new Fox Sports 1 and the MLS Cup on Fox in even numbered years from 2015 until 2022. Since 2023, Fox is the only broadcaster simulcasting MLS from MLS Season Pass after ESPN and Univision rejected to simulcast, and will be the exclusive linear home of MLS Cup.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MLS Cup 2021</span> 2021 edition of the MLS Cup

MLS Cup 2021 was the 26th edition of the MLS Cup, the championship match of Major League Soccer (MLS) at the conclusion of the 2021 MLS Cup Playoffs. The soccer match was played on December 11, 2021, at Providence Park in Portland, Oregon, United States. It was contested by hosts Portland Timbers and New York City FC to determine the champion of the 2021 season.

Jenn Hildreth is an American sports commentator best known for her work as a soccer play-by-play announcer for English-language broadcasts of the FIFA Women's World Cup, National Women's Soccer League (NWSL), and Major League Soccer in the United States. She is known for her Latin American-style signature first half kickoff catchphase "Let's love the game!"

References

  1. ↑ "FOX Sports hires John Strong as commentator to boost its soccer coverage". January 22, 2015.
  2. 1 2 "NBC Sports Group names John Strong lead voice for MLS" (Press release). NBC Sports. June 24, 2013. Retrieved June 24, 2013.
  3. 1 2 Canzano, John (June 23, 2013). "Finally, a Strong voice in American soccer". The Oregonian. Retrieved June 24, 2013.
  4. ↑ "Laker Broadcasting: About Us". Archived from the original on December 6, 2011. Retrieved June 24, 2013.
  5. ↑ "Ducks Weekly Women's Soccer Digest". Salem-News. September 5, 2006.
  6. ↑ "NCAA Softball: No. 13 Oregon Opens Pac-10 with Cal and Stanford". Salem-News. March 28, 2007.
  7. ↑ "MLS News, Scores, & Standings".
  8. ↑ "Whirlwind World Cup awaits Fox's lead voices Strong, Holden". USA TODAY. Retrieved December 13, 2022.
  9. ↑ "Fox Sports reveals World Cup broadcast team". www.sportsbusinessjournal.com. October 4, 2022. Retrieved December 13, 2022.
  10. ↑ "FOX Sports Reveals Star-Studded Broadcast Team for FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™". Fox Sports Press Pass. October 4, 2022. Retrieved December 13, 2022.
  11. ↑ Goff, Steven (July 13, 2018). "John Strong was once an American 'soccer nerd by myself.' Now he's calling the World Cup final". The Washington Post . Retrieved December 9, 2018.
  12. ↑ "NSSA Announces 2013 Award Winners". NSAA. January 10, 2013. Retrieved June 24, 2013.
  13. ↑ "Best of 2011: Strong wins MLS Broadcast Call of the Year". Timbers.com. December 26, 2011. Retrieved June 24, 2013.
  14. ↑ "Battle Ground product still going strong". The Columbian. June 22, 2012. Retrieved June 24, 2013.
  15. ↑ "2012 Fall Sports Review". Central Catholic High School. Archived from the original on June 24, 2013. Retrieved June 24, 2013.
Media offices
Preceded by MLS Cup play-by-play announcer
2016–present
(concurrent with ABC's Adrian Healey and Jon Champion in even numbered years from 2016–2022)		Succeeded by
Incumbent
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.