ESPN, U.S. broadcaster of next year’s World Cup in Brazil, marked the start of the countdown to the tournament by unveiling a 200-foot long wall replete with images and history from World Cups past at the main ESPN campus in Bristol, Connecticut. The 2014 tournament will be the network’s last until at least 2026, with Fox taking over for both 2018 and 2022. ESPN’s development as a soccer broadcaster is one of the hallmarks of the game’s rise in the United States, and it’s anyone’s guess if Fox can match ESPN’s standard of quality. [x]

World Cup Wall (by ESPN)

Brendan Rodgers grilled by 9-year-old (by LiverpoolFC)