John Strong is an American television
play-by-play broadcaster who is the lead play-by-play voice for ''
MLS on Fox''.
His work has appeared on NBC, Fox, ESPN among other networks. He is a former radio host on
750-AM "The Game" in
Portland, Oregon
Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the list of cities in Oregon, largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, Columbia rivers, Portland is ...
and was the radio and television play-by-play announcer for the
Portland Timbers Major League Soccer team.
Broadcasting career
Strong began his broadcasting career while in high school at
Lake Oswego High School
Lake Oswego High School (LOHS) is a public high school in Lake Oswego, Oregon, United States.
History
Lake Oswego High School first opened in September 1951 as a six-year school, with an enrollment of 564. In 1956, it became a four-year high sch ...
, where he founded Laker Broadcasting. Strong created audio broadcasts of LOHS football and basketball games beginning in 2002.
While attending School of Journalism and Communication at the
University of Oregon
The University of Oregon (UO, U of O or Oregon) is a public research university in Eugene, Oregon. Founded in 1876, the institution is well known for its strong ties to the sports apparel and marketing firm Nike, Inc, and its co-founder, billion ...
, Strong worked at 750
KXL in Portland and was active at Oregon's campus station,
KWVA
KWVA (88.1 FM) is a college radio station broadcasting from the EMU building on the University of Oregon campus in Eugene, Oregon, United States. Licensed to the University of Oregon, it serves the Eugene/Springfield metropolitan area and has a ...
. Strong continued his play-by-play work by broadcasting University of Oregon women's soccer,
softball
Softball is a game similar to baseball played with a larger ball on a smaller field. Softball is played competitively at club levels, the college level, and the professional level. The game was first created in 1887 in Chicago by George Hanc ...
, and women's
lacrosse
Lacrosse is a team sport played with a lacrosse stick and a lacrosse ball. It is the oldest organized sport in North America, with its origins with the indigenous people of North America as early as the 12th century. The game was extensiv ...
. He also served as play-by-play voice for the Eugene Generals Junior Hockey team in 2005-06.
Strong's first full-time broadcast job came at Portland's KXL radio and, later,
750 AM "The Game" in 2008. Strong produced "The Bald Faced Truth" radio show and also hosted a daily evening radio show called "Strong at Night" for the station.
In 2010, Strong was the play-by-play announcer for the
Portland Timbers and in 2011 became the regular play-by-play announcer for Timbers broadcasts on
FSN Northwest.
[ He was a regular commentator on Europa League games for ]Fox Soccer
Fox Soccer (formerly Fox Soccer Channel & Fox Sports World before that) was an American television specialty channel specializing in soccer, owned by Fox Corporation, which operated from 1997 to 2013. It formerly broadcast rugby and Australi ...
, notably calling the 2013 UEFA Europa League Final
The 2013 UEFA Europa League Final was the final match of the 2012–13 UEFA Europa League, the 42nd season of Europe's secondary club football tournament organised by UEFA, and the 4th season since it was renamed from the UEFA Cup to the UEFA Euro ...
between Chelsea and Benfica. After the 2012–13
1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...
season, he moved to NBC Sports to cover Major League Soccer and Premier League football
Premier is a title for the head of government in central governments, state governments and local governments of some countries. A second in command to a premier is designated as a deputy premier.
A premier will normally be a head of governm ...
. After NBC's loss of Major League Soccer coverage to Fox Sports
Fox Sports is the brand name for a number of sports channels, broadcast divisions, programming, and other media around the world.
The ''Fox Sports'' name has since been used for other sports media assets. These assets are held mainly by the F ...
in 2014, it was announced that Strong was moving full-time to Fox Sports to head the Major League Soccer, and Women's World Cup coverage. Strong was previously working part-time for Fox when he was not obligated to his NBC duties. In 2015, Strong also began to serve as the lead play-by-play voice for most United States men's national soccer team
The United States men's national soccer team (USMNT) represents the United States in men's international soccer competitions. The team is controlled by the United States Soccer Federation and is a member of FIFA and CONCACAF.
The U.S. team h ...
matches broadcast on Fox/Fox Sports 1 because of a new television contract between U.S. Soccer, Fox Sports
Fox Sports is the brand name for a number of sports channels, broadcast divisions, programming, and other media around the world.
The ''Fox Sports'' name has since been used for other sports media assets. These assets are held mainly by the F ...
, and ESPN/ABC. Brad Friedel and later Stuart Holden
Stuart Alistair Holden (born August 1, 1985) is an American former professional soccer player who played as a midfielder, and is currently a lead TV game analyst for Fox Sports. Holden is part of the ownership group for Spanish La Liga soccer ...
joined him as the lead color commentator for these matches. He and lead color commentator Stuart Holden
Stuart Alistair Holden (born August 1, 1985) is an American former professional soccer player who played as a midfielder, and is currently a lead TV game analyst for Fox Sports. Holden is part of the ownership group for Spanish La Liga soccer ...
called the Fox broadcast of the 2018 FIFA World Cup and 2022 FIFA World Cup, including the finals for both 2018
File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the Unit ...
and 2022
File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretariat; The global monkeypo ...
.
TV credits
* MLS
Major League Soccer (MLS) is a men's professional soccer league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation, which represents the sport's highest level in the United States. The league comprises 29 teams—26 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada ...
: 2012–2014 ( NBCSN), 2015–present (Fox Sports
Fox Sports is the brand name for a number of sports channels, broadcast divisions, programming, and other media around the world.
The ''Fox Sports'' name has since been used for other sports media assets. These assets are held mainly by the F ...
)
* FIFA Women's World Cup: 2015 (Fox Sports
Fox Sports is the brand name for a number of sports channels, broadcast divisions, programming, and other media around the world.
The ''Fox Sports'' name has since been used for other sports media assets. These assets are held mainly by the F ...
)
* UEFA Europa League
The UEFA Europa League (abbreviated as UEL, or sometimes, UEFA EL), formerly the UEFA Cup, is an annual football club competition organised since 1971 by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European football clubs. ...
: 2014–2016 (Fox Sports
Fox Sports is the brand name for a number of sports channels, broadcast divisions, programming, and other media around the world.
The ''Fox Sports'' name has since been used for other sports media assets. These assets are held mainly by the F ...
)
* UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League (abbreviated as UCL, or sometimes, UEFA CL) is an annual club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and contested by top-division European clubs, deciding the competi ...
: 2016–2018 (Fox Sports
Fox Sports is the brand name for a number of sports channels, broadcast divisions, programming, and other media around the world.
The ''Fox Sports'' name has since been used for other sports media assets. These assets are held mainly by the F ...
)
* FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply called the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of the ' ( FIFA), the sport's global governing body. The tournament ha ...
: 2018, 2022 (Fox Sports
Fox Sports is the brand name for a number of sports channels, broadcast divisions, programming, and other media around the world.
The ''Fox Sports'' name has since been used for other sports media assets. These assets are held mainly by the F ...
)
* Copa América: 2016, 2021 (Fox Sports
Fox Sports is the brand name for a number of sports channels, broadcast divisions, programming, and other media around the world.
The ''Fox Sports'' name has since been used for other sports media assets. These assets are held mainly by the F ...
)
Honors
In 2013, Strong was named Oregon Sportscaster of the Year by the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association
The National Sports Media Association (NSMA), formerly the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association, is an organization of sports media members in the United States, and constitutes the American chapter of the International Sports P ...
. In 2011, he was awarded Major League Soccer’s Broadcast Call of the Year for his play-by-play call of midfielder Darlington Nagbe
Darlington Joephillip Nagbe (born July 19, 1990) is an professional soccer player who plays as a midfielder for Columbus Crew in Major League Soccer. Born in Liberia, he represented the United States national team.
Nagbe spent the first seven ...
’s goal against Sporting Kansas City on July 2, 2011 at Jeld-Wen Field in Portland. Strong’s call has been viewed nearly two million times on YouTube.com and following the season was named the Timbers’ 2011 Play of the Year.
Personal life
Strong is married to Nicole Strong, a former Washington State University
Washington State University (Washington State, WSU, or informally Wazzu) is a public land-grant research university with its flagship, and oldest, campus in Pullman, Washington. Founded in 1890, WSU is also one of the oldest land-grant uni ...
soccer player who led the Women's Premier Soccer League
The Women's Premier Soccer League (WPSL) is an amateur women's soccer league in the United States and Canada. It is the top amateur league for women's soccer in the United States soccer pyramid, below only National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). ...
in goals scored in 2011. She previously coached the Central Catholic High School girls' soccer team and was named the Mt. Hood Conference Coach of the Year after winning a league title in 2012.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Strong, John
Living people
American sports announcers
Portland Timbers
Association football commentators
University of Oregon alumni
People from Lake Oswego, Oregon
1985 births
Lake Oswego High School alumni
Major League Soccer broadcasters