U.S. Open Cup Final 2023: VISTA Worldlink To Wrap Season-Long Soccer Tourney With World-Feed Production at DRV PNK Stadium CBS Sports, Telemundo Deportes will supply studio show, additional live match coverage By Kristian Hern ndez, Senior Editor Tuesday, September 26, 2023 - 2:47 pm
Print This Story | Subscribe
Story Highlights
Messi Mania has taken Major League Soccer (MLS) and the U.S. professional-sports scene by storm since Lionel Messi joined Inter Miami, and he can help add more hardware to the club's trophy case with Wednesday night's U.S. Open Cup Final vs. the Houston Dynamo. For the event at DRV PNK Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, FL, VISTA Worldlink will head 13 miles north from its facility in Dania Beach, FL, to handle the world feed of one of its biggest onsite productions of the tournament.
With Messi, everything has gotten bigger and better, says Mike Freedman, VP/executive producer, production services, VISTA Worldlink and NEP Broadcast Services. We've been doing the U.S. Open Cup since 2019, and this is without a doubt the biggest final that we've done.
DRV PNK Stadium from the main game camera for the 2023 U.S. Open Cup Final
Boosted Camera Arsenal: Match Coverage To Include 20 Cams, Skycam, Porta-Jib Messi is attracting the technological firepower to the coverage of the final, and VISTA Worldlink worked closely with the venue to make sure the broadcast compound was ready to go for the production. Freedman worked with Inter Miami Senior Director, Broadcast and Event Presentation, Luis Dones to set up the necessary connectivity and infrastructure for all onsite broadcasters. Dones's entire team - including Senior Coordinator, Broadcast and Event Presentation, Juan Pinzon; Director, Operations and Facilities, Michael Blanton; Director, IT, Alexis Farres; and Facility Engineer Cliff Branch - has been available to assist with any need. In addition to working with Inter Miami and the staff at DRV PNK Stadium, VISTA Worldlink has to ensure that every U.S.-based entity receives everything it needs.
Despite everything that he has on his plate, Luis has been unbelievable to work with, says Freedman. From U.S. Soccer to CBS Sports and Telemundo Deportes, we want to make sure that everybody involved gets what they want. Since we're also the truck and crew provider for Apple TV's MLS Season Pass, we've been through this multiple times with tech enhancements for games that involve Lionel Messi.
A Skycam tops the 20-camera complement at DRV PNK Stadium in Fort Lauderdale.
This included production of Inter Miami vs. FC Cincinnati last month. The onsite effort deployed 12 cameras, but, with Messi being featured in the final, the camera complement has been escalated to more than 20, including a Skycam, a Steadicam jib, a Porta-jib, and aerial shots from the Goodyear Blimp.
We're significantly bumping up [our complement] from what we've been doing for every other U.S. Open Cup game, adds Freedman. It'll be excited to have all of these tech toys.
Home-State Advantage: Onsite Effort Benefits From Proximity to Production Facility Typically, VISTA Worldlink specializes in remote productions from its home in South Florida, but, for the U.S. Open Cup Final, the company goes big and implements a full onsite production for the competition's world feed. Since its first go, in 2019, Freedman and his team have traveled to two cities: Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz Stadium in the first year and Orlando's Exploria Stadium last year (the competition was canceled in 2020 and 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic). The 2022 U.S. Open Cup Final between Orlando City SC and Sacramento Republic FC was played in Florida, allowing VISTA Worldlink crews to drive the 217 miles or take a quick flight north. This year, the game is closer to home, permitting an even shorter commute.
We do a lot of remote productions, notes Freedman, so, anytime we get to do an onsite show, people are itching to travel and want to get on the road. We're able to tap into some of our resources within our staff and our local crews to continue the continuity we have built doing remote shows. There are certainly advantages with [this year's edition] being in our backyard.
NEP Supershooter 16 is VISTA Worldlink's home for the world-feed production of the U.S. Open Cup Final.
Working from within NEP Supershooter 16 mobile unit, Freedman is joined by Tech Manager Steven Kravitz at the heart of the day-to-day operations, Operations Producer Victor Bague, and, at the world-feed front bench, Producer Mackenzie Pearce and Director Ken Neal.
Meeting Challenges: Relationship With CBS Sports, Telemundo Deportes Proves Essential Although a must-watch U.S. Open Cup Final comes with hefty responsibilities on both the production and the operations sides, handling the world feed is always made easier by working with reliable broadcasters. With CBS Sports and Telemundo Deportes distributing the match to viewers in the U.S., Freedman's relationship with both broadcasters' crews has been vital.
It has been amazing with everyone getting along and seeing how they can help, he says. Between site surveys and weekly conference calls, everybody wants to put out the best possible product, and it has been an awesome project to work on.
The CBS Sports team is led by Coordinating Producer Jonathan Segal and Producer Mike Nastri. At Telemundo Deportes, Freedman has worked with SVP, Content Operations, Chris Suarez-Meyers and Director, Production, Sports, Adrian Costas. Outside the U.S., 40 broadcasters will be showing the match in more than 100 countries.
Seeking More Messi Magic: CBS Sports Adds Star Cam' Second Screen to Studio Show As Messi takes center stage in the highly anticipated final, English-language viewers will get a catered viewing experie
