LAFC announced today that Estrella Media will continue as the Club’s Official Spanish Broadcast TV Partner for the 2022 season in the Greater Los Angeles market. The agreement provides Estrella Media with rights to all locally broadcast LAFC regular season matches, which will air on EstrellaTV’s KRCA‑62 beginning Sunday, March 20 at 7:00 p.m. PT when the Black & Gold hosts the Vancouver Whitecaps at Banc of California Stadium.
“Estrella Media is a partner who reflects our Club’s commitment to providing our fans and supporters an accessible and meaningful viewing experience,” said LAFC Co-President and CBO Larry Freedman. “We are looking forward to seeing our fully-integrated partnership with Estrella Media continue to grow and are excited to once again deliver a world class viewing experience for our fans.”
EstrellaTV’s KRCA-62 will televise 18 of the Club’s 34 regular season contests during the 2022 campaign, beginning with LAFC’s match against the Vancouver Whitecaps FC on Sunday, March 20 at 7:00 p.m. PT.
In addition to broadcasting nine home and nine away LAFC matches, EstrellaTV’s coverage will include 30-minute pre and postgame shows, as well as exclusive content and original behind-the-scenes access to training, matches, and more.
“Soccer is core to our Hispanic audience and is a passion point for them,” said Ivan Stoilkovich, EVP, TV Content, Estrella Media. “We are happy to continue our partnership and support one of Los Angeles and Southern California’s key sports teams and franchises.”
LAFC’s Spanish-language broadcasts will continue to be anchored by Francisco X. Rivera as the play-by-play commentator, with Mexican National Team Legend Claudio Suárez providing color analysis and Alexandra Stergios as the sideline reporter.
Rivera is a 16-year seasoned sports broadcasting veteran who has served as the lead sports anchor for EstrellaTV’s KRCA-62 since 2016, hosting all of the station’s Los Angeles coverage and special events on a national level. Rivera has also worked as a sports anchor for ESPN Deportes Radio, FOX Deportes, KWHY-22, and Fox Sports West. Rivera’s resume includes calling events such as the Super Bowl, the NBA Finals, UEFA Champions League and several soccer events in English, such as the FIFA Club World Cup, Confederations Cup, and the U-20 Men’s and Women’s World Cups.
Suárez enjoyed a successful 18-year career in Mexico, playing in almost 500 matches for Pumas UNAM, Chivas, and Tigres UANL. He joined MLS' Chivas USA in 2006 and appeared in 64 matches throughout four seasons, tallying nine goals and two assists in 5,122 minutes. Internationally, Suárez remains the third most capped Mexican footballer of all-time, appearing in 178 contests for the Mexican National Team. He represented Mexico at 12 major tournaments, including three FIFA World Cups, and won three CONCACAF Gold Cups and the 1999 FIFA Confederations Cup.
Stergios began her career in radio, television and print in 2013 as a presenter and sports commentator in Mexico and the USA. She has covered important worldwide events such as the FIFA World Cup, the Olympic Games, F1 racing, the Super Bowl, the NBA Finals, and championship boxing fights, among others. She joined EstrellaTV’s KRCA-62 as a sports anchor in 2018 and since then has held various anchor responsibilities for the 12 p.m. and 5 p.m. local news, as well as EstrellaTV’s national newscasts. She is a national anchor for the daily streaming news show 24 Horas on Estrella News, which can be seen on the EstrellaTV app, FAST channels and on streaming devices including ROKU.
The 30-minute pre-game show will include player interviews and break down the action before the game. The EstrellaTV KRCA-62 halftime show will cover all the highlights from the first half of play, and the post-game wrap up will feature player interviews and analysis.
KRCA-62 is an Estrella Media owned and operated television station serving Southern California. It is the flagship television property of Estrella Media and its EstrellaTV television network, located in Burbank, California, and is available on most local cable carriers (for more information please check your local listings).
