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NBC announces (2000) Olympic soccer schedule

JOHN POLIS, TAMPA, USA (goalnetwork) © Reuters

After 16 years of ignoring soccer in its coverage of the Olympic Games, NBC will finally include soccer as part of its major coverage of the games in Sydney.

However, only the opening men’s and women’s games will be broadcast as full games, with the rest of the network’s coverage – including the finals – scheduled as segmented game coverage the day after the game has concluded.

Only a very small portion of soccer coverage will be carried on NBC’s primary network, with the sport relegated to the network’s cable affiliates, MSNBC and CNBC. Pundits say that if there were not such a vast cable television market in the USA, that Olympic soccer would once again be sent to the scrap heap.

"Soccer fans across the nation will be happy to know that Olympic soccer finally has a home on television," said Molly Solomon, a cable producer for NBC. "MSNBC will be the place for soccer, and along with the rest of the NBC family, will provide coverage of every U.S. game alongside the best international games of the tournament."

NBC’s history of ignoring soccer is legendary. The network did not televise the women’s final of the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, even though more than 70,000 were in attendance in Athens, Ga. That history extends back as far as the 1984 Olympics, when more than 80,000 watched the USA defeat Costa Rica at Stanford Stadium.

Because soccer begins before the other Olympic sports, soccer will kick off NBC’s Olympic coverage Sept. 13 when the U.S. men meet the Czech Republic. The game, like the rest of NBC’s Olympic coverage, will be carried via tape delay.

Women’s Olympic soccer will make its TV debut Sept. 14 when the USA meets Norway, one day prior to the opening ceremonies of the games.

NBC has chosen Andres Cantor, longtime Spanish language commentator, to make his English-language debut on NBC. Cantor will team with former U.S. international Alexi Lalas on the men’s games, and with USA goalkeeper Amy Allman on the women’s games.

NBC Olympic Soccer Coverage Schedule

Group Play

9/13 – USA vs. Czech Republic (men), MSNBC, Game, 6:30 p.m. ET 
9/14 – USA vs. Norway (women), MSNBC, Game, 6:30 p.m. ET 
9/16 – USA vs. Cameroon (men), MSNBC, Segments 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. 
9/17 – USA vs. China (women) MSNBC, Game, 9 a.m. ET 
9/19 – USA vs. Kuwait (men), MSNBC, Segments 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. 
9/20 – USA vs. Nigeria (women), MSNBC, Segments 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. 

Quarterfinals
 
9/23 – Men’s quarterfinals, MSNBC, Segments 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. 
9/23 – Men’s quarterfinals, CNBC, Segments 4 p.m. - 9 p.m. 

Semifinals 

9/24 – Women’s semifinal, NBC, Segments 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. 
9/24 – Women’s semifinal, CNBC, Segments 4 p.m. - 9 p.m. 
9/26 – Men’s semifinal, MSNBC, Segments 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. 
9/26 – Men’s semifinal, CNBC, Segments 5 p.m. - 9 p.m. 

Finals 
9/28 – Women’s Final, MSNBC, Segments 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. 
9/30 – MSNBC, Segments 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.