United States of America goalkeeper Matthew Freese Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

Fox’s “Summer of Soccer” is off to a hot start.

The network capitalized off of a thrilling win by the U.S. Men’s National Team over Costa Rica in the Gold Cup quarterfinals. According to Fox Sports PR, the USMNT’s win in penalty kicks averaged 1.9 million viewers on the Fox broadcast network. It was the most-watched Gold Cup match on English-language television in history, excluding Gold Cup Finals.

Sunday’s win by the Stars and Stripes was up 36% compared with the USMNT’s 2023 Gold Cup quarterfinal against Canada, which averaged 1.4 million viewers on FS1. The game peaked with an audience of 2.83 million viewers during penalty kicks, when U.S. goalkeeper Matt Freese saved three shots to send the Americans onto the semis.

Fox has shown a substantial commitment to international soccer competitions in recent years, especially over the summer. The network will begin airing the UEFA Women’s Euros for the first time starting Wednesday, and has set aside a record 19 match windows for its broadcast channel during the tournament.

As for the Gold Cup, Wednesday night’s two semifinals will air on FS1, while the final is scheduled for this upcoming Sunday at 7 p.m. ET on Fox.

About Drew Lerner

Drew Lerner is a staff writer for Awful Announcing and an aspiring cable subscriber. He previously covered sports media for Sports Media Watch. Future beat writer for the Oasis reunion tour.