Of course I like Barca to win. The call’s 3-2. Highly entertaining match between two teams that deserve to vie for the title, in a fashion showcasing the sport to a wider audience. If Man U is to pull the upset, though, I think it’d all be Chicharito’s doing. Kid’s really good. But, he’s no Messi.
Join me at Deadspin for an open thread during the match if you’re so inclined. 2 p.m. eastern.
Here’s some stuff from Fox, which will broadcast the match:
During Wednesday’s UEFA Champions League Final on FOX preview press call, FOX Sports Media Group Co-President and Co-COO Eric Shanks, pregame host Curt Menefee and analyst and American National Soccer Hall of Famer Eric Wynalda previewed the matchup and the popularity of soccer in the US.
Wynalda on whether or not Messi needs to win a World Cup in order to cement his place in history: “Nobody has any control, outside of their coach, of FIFA and the World Cup. That’s what I would call forced friendship. You have to be born in that country or of that nationality to compete together. When you’re dealing with UEFA Champions League, you’re dealing with the strongest, richest clubs with the biggest wallets who spend the money to get the best players on the planet on the field at the same time. That’s why UEFA Champions League soccer is so much better than a World Cup. I think Messi has already proven to be the best ever but that certainly would cap things off if somebody could figure how to get those Argentines to get along. That’s always been the issue.”
Menefee on how broadcasting a game of this importance compares to other broadcasting highlights: “I’ve been fortunate in my career to be in this position. You look at the last 12 months, I got to do the Champions League final last year as the host from Madrid, then the Super Bowl this year which was the largest watched program in American history, and now you get an event that probably, at least worldwide, will have more viewers than the Super Bowl did. To be able to be here in person is what I’m looking forward to as much as anything else. The atmosphere and electricity that we’re going to try and capture on FOX is going to be unlike anything anybody has done in television back home.”
Wynalda on the coaching matchup between Manchester United’s Alex Ferguson and Barcelona’s Pep Guardiola: “Barcelona has a possession driven game. They like to keep the ball and force the issue quite a bit. They force open those spaces, as opposed to waiting for them to open. Sir Alex always gets the right formula and this matchup serves United well. His style is all about the one-on-one battles, whereas Pep Guardiola will make it much more of a team sport. That may play to the advantage of Manchester United who have two very experienced defenders in Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidić who can use that experience to get a toe in or a little nudge that will make it difficult for the likes of Lionel Messi.”
Wynalda on Barcelona’s play-acting and diving on the field: “I think diving is something that has become quite embarrassing for the sport. For as beautiful the soccer they can play, the culprits are the Sergio Busquets, Pedro and Daniel Alves. It’s a disgrace and it needs to stop. My hope is that UEFA will start fining these players after the game is over. It’s not part of the game to try and fool everybody that you have a broken leg, go off on a stretcher, come back and celebrate goal as if you were a 15-year-old kid.”
Shanks on the growth of soccer in the US: “All of the pieces are there for continued growth. Both internationally and domestically, we as a broadcaster want to work with the leagues as much as we can to help continue to grow. We have two 24-hour soccer channels and an online business. As a company, we’re very much behind it and here in the U.S., we want to do everything possible to help the sport grow both bringing in the best international soccer and helping have a strong domestic product. International soccer is the spectacle and I think it has the widest appeal, but having a team in your hometown that you want to see, that you want to get behind, and create some rivalries domestically is important long-term.”