The 2016 “Copa America Centenario: Championship of the Americas” or as it is known to most Americans, “Just Another Soccer Tournament,” closes with Sunday evening’s championship game between Argentina and Chile on Fox Sports 1 and Spanish-language Univision.
The U.S team plays Colombia in the third-place game on Saturday night on the same cable networks.
The 16-team tournament kicked off in early June. Noted North Texas soccer aficionado Mark Followill, who moonlights as the television voice of the Mavericks, called eight games, including two won by Chile as well as Argentina’s quarterfinal victory over Venezuela.
Followill recently gave Hot Air some time for an interview.
Hot Air: Is basketball or soccer the easier game to call play-by-play?
Mark Followill: The NBA is easier for several reasons. Let's start with the rhythm of the game. One team has it for a possession and then the other team has it. Back and forth we go. In soccer, the game can seem in a lull and within seconds a vitally important moment can happen. Also, there is a consistent database from which to gather information about NBA players. In soccer if I want to share the correct statistics, accurate background, etc., for some players in some countries there isn't a lot of information. And what info there is may be contradictory from website to website. So the research is more challenging. And you're so much closer to the action in the NBA. Identification of players is just a lot easier. There's never really much of an issue with having to depend on the number on the back of a jersey from a distance.
Hot Air: It seems every American soccer aficionado has a favorite foreign club they support. Which is yours?
Mark Followill: Outside of course FC Dallas, my team is Arsenal. It would be difficult to explain in a way that everyone could understand. But the short of it is that in essence I see them as a kindred spirit of the Mavericks in a number of ways.
Hot Air: Would you rather call the World Cup final or the Olympic gold medal basketball game for network television?
Mark Followill: Great question. The answer is a World Cup final. A World Cup final is the high point of soccer over a four-year cycle. It's a significantly bigger event. An Olympic gold medal game isn't the biggest event in the basketball world or the biggest in the two-week Summer Olympics.
Hot Air: You’ve eyeballed Argentina and Chile. Can you give a championship game prediction?
Mark Followill: I like Argentina to win 3-1. These two teams met in their first group stage game, with Argentina winning, 2-1 and Messi didn't play. They are both playing better as the tournament has gone on. But between the talent difference and the Argentina/Messi motivation to end a 23-year major tournament drought, they are the pick.