Fox was in Russia last summer for its first men's soccer World Cup, but another important group of Americans did not make the trip, and it inevitably impacted interest among casual fans of the sport.
There will be no such concerns when the Women's World Cup is contested in France starting June 7. Unlike last year, the U.S. qualified. And unlike in any men's World Cup, the U.S. is a favorite.
"It's a totally different feel, absolutely," Aly Wagner, Fox's lead game analyst, said last week at a send-off event at the French Consulate in Manhattan. "The energy going into this World Cup versus last year is way different.
