EUROPEAN SOCCER SEASON CULMINATES WITH YEAR'S
BIGGEST GAMES
FA Cup Final & UEFA Champions League Final Air Live on FOX
Johnson & Wynalda Call Both Matches from Europe
Los Angeles - European soccer takes center stage at FOX Sports over the next fortnight with two of the biggest contests of the season, as the FA Cup and UEFA Champions League hold their highly anticipated finals. Both matches air live on FOX with renowned play-by-play announcer Gus Johnson and U.S. Soccer Hall of Famer Eric Wynalda calling the action.
In the FA Cup final, Barclays Premier League sides Arsenal and Hull City face off to determine the champion of the world's oldest soccer competition and England's main domestic cup tournament. Arsenal, with 10 FA Cup titles to its name, reaches the final after beating last year's champion Wigan Athletic on penalty kicks, while Hull City makes its first-ever FA Cup Final appearance in the team's 110-year history. The two clubs clash in true David and Goliath fashion at the legendary Wembley Stadium in London, live Saturday, May 17 on FOX, marking just the second time ever the final airs on U.S. broadcast television. Coverage begins at 11:30 AM ET, with Johnson and Wynalda taking over for the 12:00 PM ET kickoff.
The following Saturday, all eyes of the soccer world are on one game as the UEFA Champions League, the world's most-watched elite club soccer competition, crowns its champion. Spanish powerhouses and crosstown rivals Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid square off in the final at Lisbon's Stadium of Light for the world's most coveted club prize, live on Saturday, May 24 on FOX at 2:00 PM ET. Completing two stunning semifinal victories, both Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid are riding significant momentum into Lisbon after knocking out last year's champion Bayern Munich and English giant Chelsea, respectively. Coverage begins with the UEFA Champions League Preview Show on FOX Sports 1 at 1:00 PM ET, which relives the journey of the two remaining teams in the tournament, leading up to the grand all-Spanish finale. Johnson and Wynalda partner again from Lisbon, along with sideline reporter Georgie Thompson.
Rob Stone hosts pregame, halftime and postgame coverage of the FA Cup Final and the UEFA Champions League Final from the FOX Network Center in Los Angeles with analysts Warren Barton and Brian McBride. FOX Sports' FA Cup Final coverage also welcomes guest analysts Stuart Holden and Vinnie Jones. Holden is a current midfielder for England's Bolton Wanderers as well as the U.S. Men's National Team, while Jones is a British actor and FA Cup legend, having won the tournament in 1988 as Wimbledon bested Liverpool in what was one of the largest upsets in FA Cup history. Former FIFA and CONCACAF Match Commissioner Dr. Joe Machnik pitches in to break down the teams and dissect controversial calls. Joining Stone, Barton and McBride for UEFA Champions League Final studio coverage is Tottenham's star goalkeeper, American Brad Friedel.
The FOX Sports GO app live streams both finals to authenticated online, mobile and tablet devices. Fans can also follow minute-by-minute commentary via the @FOXSoccer and @FOXSoccerTrax Twitter accounts, using #FACuponFOX and #UCLonFOX.
The 2014 UEFA Champions League Final also airs live on FOX Deportes on Saturday, May 24 with coverage beginning at 2:00 PM ET. The network's on-site commentary team includes John Laguna alongside analysts Mariano Trujillo and Daniel Brailovsky.
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