FOX play-by-play man Gus Johnson talks about his second year calling soccer and previews Saturday’s Champions League final between Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid (2 P.M., FOX) with The Post’s Justin Terranova.
Q: What was your reaction when they told you’d be the soccer voice of the network?
A: I was kind of floored, like, really? Me? I don’t know anything about soccer. They said, ‘You’ll learn.’ And I said, ‘but I am going to get killed.’ And they said, ‘That’s what we pay you for. So, you’re going to do this.’ It really wasn’t an option. But I like it and I think down the road, I’ll love it.
Q: How have you improved?
A: I read a lot, I watch a lot of film and I am getting to the point where I am moving beyond the basics and seeing things that I wasn’t earlier, like anticipating, where the ball might go, where the sweet spots are for some of the players on the pitch. My terminology is starting to kick in. Over time I will continue to improve, and I like it and I want to be here, I want to get better. I want to continue to watch these great athletes.
Q: How have you handled the criticism?
A: Criticism is part of it. If I got past New York, if I got past Phil Mushnick then these guys on the Internet have no shot at rattling me one bit.
Q: What’s the rivalry between these two teams like?
A: It’s the biggest game outside of a World Cup final you can play in, and it’s between two teams that hate each other. Real is the big-money team with Cristiano Ronaldo and some of the best players in the world, while Atletico is the upstart coached by Diego Simeone, who has willed this team and molded them in his image.
Q: Is there a sense that this is just Atletico’s season after they stunningly won La Liga last week?
A: It has been a charmed season. Simeone is slowly being regarded as one of the best in the world and for them to win La Liga over Real and Barcelona is an amazing feat. Their players are and will be sought out for transfers throughout Europe.