Entertainment Sports TV Biz - Fox Soccer Channel to Telecast Four Exclusive Summer Friendly Matches in July Featuring Top-Flight International Clubs - July 2007

Chelsea FC, Aston Villa and Celtic FC Among Teams Visiting North American Stadiums

LOS ANGELES-, California - USA -- (BUSINESS WIRE ) -- Saturday July 14, 2007

Fox Soccer Channel announced it will telecast four live, exclusive summer friendly matches pitting some of the world’s top clubs against Major League Soccer (MLS) teams – and each other – on North American soil beginning next week.

This summer exhibition series kicks off with two matches from the World Series of Football, presented by Samsung in association with adidas, at the Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif. On Tuesday, July 17 at 11:00 p.m. ET/8:00 p.m. PT, English heavyweight Chelsea FC of the Barclays Premier League will square off against three-time Korean League champion Suwon Bluewings.

The South Korean side returns to the pitch on Saturday, July 21 at 5:30 p.m. ET/2:30 p.m. PT to take on Tigres UANL of the Mexican League.

International friendly coverage on Fox Soccer Channel continues on Sunday, July 22 with MLS’s Chicago Fire hosting reigning Scottish Premier League (SPL) champion Celtic FC on Sunday, July 22 at 4:00 p.m. ET/1:00 p.m. PT.

First-year MLS franchise Toronto FC will close the series on Wednesday, July 25 when it entertains Aston Villa of the Barclays Premier League at 7:00 p.m. ET/4:00 p.m. PT.

Play-by-play announcer Max Bretos and color commentator Christopher Sullivan will call the World Series of Football matches for Fox Soccer Channel.

Sullivan – a former U.S. Men’s National Team standout – will then be joined by Mark Rogondino and Dave Johnson during the Chicago Fire vs. Celtic FC and Toronto FC vs. Aston Villa telecasts, respectively.

“Coming off our exclusive English-language coverage of the CONCACAF Gold Cup in June, these matches will continue an action-packed summer on our network,” said David Sternberg, executive vice president and general manager of Fox Soccer Channel. “FSC is pleased to bring its viewers the finest international soccer competitions year-round.”

All five foreign club teams are expected to bring elite-level international talent on their tours of MLS stadiums. Chelsea – which placed second in the 2006/07 Premier League table and captured the 2007 FA Cup – boasts an all-star lineup including reigning league scoring champion Didier Drogba and English National Team member Frank Lampard.

Meanwhile, Celtic is led by Japanese international and SPL Player of the Year Shunsuke Nakamura, as well as Polish National Team member Maciej “Magic” Zurawski.

Aston Villa, winner of seven FA Cup titles in its history, is led by Thomas Sorensen and Gareth Barry. Tigres’ back line is patrolled by Paraguayan international Julio Caceres, and Suwon features no fewer than six players with FIFA World Cup experience.

This marks the third consecutive summer that Fox Soccer Channel will telecast international friendlies featuring MLS and foreign squads. Last year, Fox Soccer Channel followed FC Barcelona on a three-game tour that saw the Spanish powerhouse visit Los Angeles, Houston and New York.

In 2005, another Spanish giant, Real Madrid, faced the Los Angeles Galaxy live on Fox Soccer Channel; the “Galacticos” returned to the U.S. last summer for a Fox Soccer Channel exclusive against Real Salt Lake.

About Fox Soccer Channel

Fox Soccer Channel offers the most comprehensive coverage of world-class soccer available in the United States, including Major League Soccer, England’s Barclays Premier League, Argentine First Division and Italian Serie A; as well as global tournaments such as the UEFA Cup, UEFA Women’s Championship, English FA Cup, FIFA Club World Cup, CONCACAF Champions’ Cup, and FA Community Shield.

The Official Broadcast Partner of the United States Youth Soccer Association, Fox Soccer Channel also televises United Soccer Leagues and NCAA Division I college soccer matches.

The channel reaches more than 30 million cable and satellite households in the U.S. and Caribbean. Fox Soccer Channel is one of 28 national and regional programming networks within Fox Networks Group, an operating unit of the News Corporation. These broadcast, cable, satellite and telephony delivered networks reach more than half a billion U.S. television homes, and represent one of the media industry's most diverse collections of programming operations.

Fox Networks Group consists of FOX Sports, Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox Cable Networks and Fox Networks Engineering & Operations.

(Business Wire)

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