USA vs Haiti soccer over Pacers-Thunders in NBA Finals
Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images
Carbonatix Pre-Player Loader
Audio By Carbonatix
Most Americans who opted to watch a sporting event on Sunday night tuned into ABC to watch the Pacers face off against the Thunder in Game 7 of the NBA Finals. That contest unfolded while Fox was broadcasting the Gold Cup showdown between the United States and Haiti, and it appears the guys tasked with covering the game for the network were also keeping tabs on what was unfolding in Oklahoma City.
The United States will be participating in the World Cup next year thanks to the automatic bid it’s been given for sharing hosting duties with Mexico and Canada next year, and there’s been no shortage of drama surrounding the men’s team leading up to the tournament.
Mauricio Pochettino was tapped to breath new life into the perpetually underachieving USMNT when he was hired to replace Gregg Berhalter last year, and while many of the big names who will be on the World Cup roster have opted to prioritize their careers with international clubs instead of participating in recent tournaments, the new skipper has still caught plenty of heat for the uninspired performances that fans have been subjected to during the tune-up period.
The squad had the chance to turn the corner during the ongoing CONCACAF Gold Cup, and on Sunday night, it capped off the group play stage with a match against Haiti in AT&T Stadium in Arlington.
The USMNT had already punched its ticket to the knockout stage after winning its first two games against Saudi Arabia and Trinidad and Tobago, so there wasn’t exactly a ton of intrigue surrounding what was essentially a formality for the United States.
According to Awful Announcing, John Strong and Stu Holden still had to do their job in the booth while covering the action for the broadcast that aired on Fox, but it seems like the duo was simultaneously watching Game 7 of the NBA Finals based on the audio that was captured during a lengthy period of play-by-play silence toward the start of the second half.
It’s kind of hard to blame them, although you have to imagine the powers that be at Fox weren’t too thrilled about having a direct competitor infiltrate the broadcast of a game where the USMNT eventually got a 2-1 victory.