Greg Berlanti Signs New Exclusive Overall Deal with Warner Bros. Television Group
Media Release

Greg Berlanti Signs New Exclusive Overall Deal with Warner Bros. Television Group

National Soccer Hall of Famers Julie Foudy, DaMarcus Beasley & Shannon Boxx Plus Former USMNT Star Kyle Martino to Serve as Analysts

Veteran Soccer Broadcaster Luke Wileman to Provide Play-By-Play, with Sara Walsh as Studio Host & Melissa Ortiz as Reporter

Warner Bros. Discovery Sports has announced its talented and accomplished roster of commentators ahead of the launch of its U.S. Soccer coverage - which kicks off with HBO Max's first-ever domestic live sports coverage - on Tuesday, Jan. 17, featuring the U.S. Women's National Team traveling to face the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup co-host New Zealand at 10 p.m. ET. HBO Max will also present the follow up match between the USA and New Zealand live from Auckland on Friday, Jan. 20, at 10 p.m. ET. 

WBD Sports' well-regarded and diverse lineup of analysts will feature three National Soccer Hall of Famers - Julie Foudy, DaMarcus Beasley and Shannon Boxx - along with former USMNT player and popular American soccer personality Kyle Martino.

  • Foudy - One of the world's preeminent female soccer stars, Foudy helped lead the USWNT to two FIFA World Cup championships and a pair of Olympic gold medals during her remarkable 17-year international career. The former team captain amassed an impressive 271 international caps between 1987 and 2004. The first American to receive the FIFA Fair Play Award, she was inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame in 2007. She was a four-time All-American at Stanford. She is currently an analyst with ESPN, and beyond the game she is an author, television producer, podcaster and former president of the Women's Sports Foundation.
  • Beasley - Elected to the HOF in November 2022, Beasley is one of the most renowned players in U.S. Men's soccer history. As a defender and midfielder, Beasley earned 126 caps throughout his 16-year international career, while becoming the only member of the USMNT to play in four FIFA World Cups. He won five Concacaf Gold Cups during his playing career and four league championships. Professionally, he starred in the MLS for 11 seasons, along with appearances in the English Premier League, Scottish Premier League, Bundesliga, and the Dutch and Mexican first divisions before retiring in 2019. Most recently, he served as a digital host and analyst for FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.
  • Boxx - A standout defensive midfielder, Boxx made 195 appearances for the USWNT from 2003-15, playing in four FIFA World Cups and earning three Olympic gold medals before retiring in 2015. She was inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame in 2022. Professionally, Boxx played nine seasons - three seasons in the WUSA, three seasons with the WPS and three seasons with NWSL. She also won an NCAA Women's Soccer National Championship with Notre Dame in 1995.
  • Martino - One of American soccer's leading voices, Martino previously served as a studio and game analyst for NBC's coverage of the English Premier League from 2013-20. As a player, Martino starred across all levels of United States soccer, from being named Gatorade National Player of the Year as a high school senior in 1998, to two-time ACC Player of the Year at the University of Virginia and MLS Rookie of the Year honors in 2002. He also earned eight career international caps before transitioning to broadcasting with ESPN and FOX Sports.

WBD Sports' commentator roster will also include other experienced soccer voices - both domestic and international - with various ties to the beautiful game.

An award-winning soccer commentator with more than 25 years of experience of calling international soccer, Luke Wileman will serve as TNT and HBO Max's lead play-by-play voice for U.S. Soccer. A veteran of numerous FIFA World Cups, including this year's event in Qatar, Wileman has called many of the world's biggest soccer showcases. He is a two-time Canadian Screen Awards winner for Best Sports Play-By-Play and has been the leading voice of soccer in Canada for more than a dozen years. Wileman began his career with the BBC, including three years as the play-by-play voice of Leeds United.

Four-time Emmy Award-winning sports broadcast Sara Walsh will host WBD Sports' studio coverage of U.S. Soccer. Currently a host for NFL Network, Walsh previously spent seven years with ESPN, including as anchor of its flagship program SportsCenter. Walsh has covered USWNT, USMNT and MLS games for FOX Sports, along with the NFL and NASCAR. She was a four-year starter on the University of North Florida soccer team, where she set the school record for goals scored in a single game.

Versatile soccer broadcaster Melissa Ortiz will serve as a reporter for TNT and HBO Max. Previously, she has worked as a host, studio analyst, commentator and sideline reporter for FOX Sports, ESPN and fuboTV. Last month, she served as a FIFA World Cup digital analyst and host in Qatar. As a player, Ortiz was a standout for the Colombian Women's National Team, helping the team qualify for the FIFA Women's World Cup in 2015. She was an award-winning soccer star throughout her four years at Lynn University.

WBD Sports and the U.S. Soccer Federation are in the first of an eight-year multimedia rights agreement which made TNT and HBO Max the exclusive English-language home to more than 20 Women's and Men's National Team matches every year. High profile matches will include the SheBelieves Cup, CONCACAF Nations League and top-flight National Team friendlies.

Further programming, production and scheduling details will be announced soon.