With only 16 days until the World Cup kicks off, you might be surprised to hear that there are still big stories breaking. Here are a few things you should know.
Perhaps the most surprising announcement from the American team came Thursday when Team USA’s coach, Jürgen Klinsmann, dropped Landon Donovan from this year’s World Cup squad. The news broke just a few days before Donovan broke the all-time MLS goalscoring record by scoring two goals in the LA Galaxy 4-1 win over Union on Sunday. It’s clear that this was a relatively controversial decision, but Klinsmann defends it by pointing out that Donovan didn’t “prove himself” in camp and that he believes that the other players he chose for the roster are a better fit for the formation he favors.
Just because their players are representing the host nation doesn’t mean Brazil is immune to controversy leading up to the June 12 start of the tournament. Brazil’s Players’ Federation filed a lawsuit last week against FIFA relating to the kickoff times for matches set for 1:00 p.m. local time. According to Sports Illustrated, the players are worried that players in these matches will be subjected to the “risks” of playing in “intense heat.” One alternative that the Federation is open to is the idea of two minute water breaks in each half. But according to ESPN, FIFA has said it will not be changing kickoff times as they always take the players’ health into consideration and that cooling breaks will be considered, but won’t be made mandatory.
Enough about the drama surrounding the tournament, what about some tips on how you can experience the World Cup from the comfort of your own home? DIRECTV has announced they are offering a new way to experience the World Cup matches at no extra cost. First of all, all 64 matches will be broadcast in HD in Spanish, English and Portuguese as well as interactive apps in these languages. The real experience enhancer is the new five screen mosaic feature that allows subscribers to view different screens at once; a screen for the main game feed, game highlights feed, aerial tactical view, “team a” camera and “team b” camera. Want to watch multiple matches that were scheduled at the same time? No problem. Sports Mix channel will include all networks broadcasting matches and will present a special 2-cell configuration so you can watch both games at once!
Make sure you’re ready for the tournament with packages that include networks broadcasting all 64 matches – find them here!