CHICAGO (July 6, 2015) – The Chicago Fire Soccer Club and Comcast SportsNet announced today that for the first time in network history, CSN will broadcast an alternative Spanish-language telecast for three Fire games this season exclusively on CSN+. The first telecast will take place on Saturday, July 11 at 7:30 p.m. CT when the Fire host Seattle Sounders FC.
“We’re excited to work with our partners at Comcast SportsNet to televise our matches to a broader market,” said Fire COO Atul Khosla. “As Hispanics represent nearly a third of our fan base, this is a tremendous opportunity worth exploring.”
Read This Release in Spanish
The Spanish-language telecast will feature the Fire’s ESPN Deportes 97.5 FM announcers Rodrigo Arana and Raquel Ortiz. Dan Kelly and Kevin Egan will provide the call of the game in English on the main Comcast SportsNet channel location.
“With such a wide, diverse, and dedicated fan base throughout numerous areas of the Chicago market, we are truly excited to provide these alternative telecasts to the Latin community, showcasing the standout play-by-play and in-depth analysis from Rodrigo and Raquel,” said Greg Bowman, VP/Programming for Comcast SportsNet Chicago.
Along with the July 11 game vs. Seattle Sounders FC, two additional Fire games scheduled to run in Spanish on CSN+ are Wednesday, July 15 vs. Columbus Crew and Saturday, July 25 vs. New England Revolution.
Comcast SportsNet’s match day coverage for all Fire games includes a live, 30-minute pre-game show, along with enhanced coverage on the network’s nightly sports news desk, SportsNet Central, which will include post-game reaction from Fire players and head coach Frank Yallop.
Viewers can visit CSNChicago.com’s channel finder for complete channel location details.
Additional Bio Information:
A native of Mexico City, Arana has been working eight years covering and broadcasting sporting events. He spent seven years at Fox Sports Latin America, as play-by-play and color analyst for various soccer leagues, NFL, MLB, UFC, and Bellator, including events such as the Super Bowl, World Series and MX League Final. He currently serves as the Sports Anchor for Noticiero Telemundo Chicago at 5:00 and 10:00 p.m. each weekday.
Ortiz began as a Spanish-language columnist for mlssoccer.com, covering the Chicago Fire, in June of 2005. Since then, she has covered the Chicago Fire, contributing to its website and other media radio and television outlet. She debuted with the radio broadcast team in 2006 and has served the past five seasons as the color commentator. Prior to her work covering the Fire, Ortiz hosted and produced a sports-only radio show on Radio Arte 90.5 FM, managing the on-air website content for three years.
