Need another reason to get excited about World Cup 2014? ESPN’s got one for you. Six of them actually, as ESPN Films will broadcast its six-episode series, "Inside: U.S. Soccer’s March to Brazil," in the weeks leading up to this year's World Cup in Brazil.
At the reigns are producers Jonathan Hock, whose resume includes two "30 For 30" films – "The Best That Never Was" and "Survive" – and "Advance" writer/broadcaster Roger Bennett.
The series will give fans a never-before-seen look inside the training camp of the USMNT as they prepare for one of the biggest sporting events in the world.
"We know there will be enormous interest surrounding this team as the World Cup approaches, so we’re focused on providing an in-depth look at how the players deal with the stakes of preparing for soccer's biggest stage," said Connor Schell, VP and executive producer of ESPN Films and Original Content.
Fans will be able to follow players and coaches such as Clint Dempsey, Landon Donovan, Tim Howard and Jürgen Klinsmann as they show us the physical and mental demands of being on and coaching the USMNT.
Fans will get an inside look at Clint Dempsey and the rest of the USMNT and how they prepare for the World Cup (Photo: @MLS | Twitter)
In an interview, producer Roger Bennett spoke about how far U.S. Soccer has come since the World Cup in 1994. In a short time, the organization, vision and ambition of U.S. Soccer has exploded. But he said one thing has not changed. The way the team is perceived.
"They are almost always marketed as a collective [group] of gutsy scrappers who aspire to be more than a sum of their parts," Bennett said. "When you follow the squad through a World Cup cycle, you gain a sense of what a remarkable bunch of gents they truly are as well as the sacrifices they make to succeed."
This series will only add to the growth of U.S. Soccer as it gets fans invested in the team before they travel to Rio. The USMNT is in the proclaimed "group of death" with soccer powers Germany, Portugal and Ghana - who has knocked the U.S. out of the last two World Cups.
The series premieres this Tuesday, May 13th on ESPN. The full schedule is below:
May 13, Tuesday, 7:00–8:00pm ET: Series premiere
May 21, Wednesday, 7:00–7:30pm ET: Episode 2
May 29, Thursday, 7:30-8:00pm ET: Episode 3
June 3, Thursday, 7:30-8:00pm ET: Episode 4
June 10, Tuesday, 8:30-9:30pm ET: Episode 5
June 11, Wednesday, 9:30-10:00pm ET: LIVE series finale
