Most of us watch plenty of soccer games on TV, whether it's MLS, foreign leagues, international friendlies, etc. As such, we are exposed to a wide variety of announcers.
It's just another aspect of the American game, specifically MLS, that differs from the rest of the world. In many ways, soccer broadcasts have had to evolve over time much like the game on the field. Sometimes when I watch an MLS broadcast, I wonder why the league can't take about 20-30 soccer announcers from England and drop them by helicopter over strategic locations across the country.
Anyway, I decided to make a poll on the crop of announcers most of us are exposed to throughout the year. I tried to cast a wide net but I know I missed an announcer or three. I just hope there aren't any glaring omissions. I just limited it to play-by-play guys. Perhaps we'll have another round of a poll for those guys but for now I wanted to see who is well-liked by our readers.
My own vote goes for JP Dellacamera. I really like a couple of the other ones a lot but JP has always been my favorite, probably since the 1998 World Cup. I saw him recently in the press box at Home Depot Center and almost introduced myself but I decided against it. I didn't really have anything prepared and I probably would have said something lame to him like "Hey, I like your calls" or something like that.
Anyway, let me know who you like, who you don't and why.
33 comments:
I like Derick Rae (ESPN Champions League guy) and think he needs to be moved to MLS. I HATE Max Bretos. Did he really make a comment about Tom McManus liking Celtic despite being from Edinburgh during the last Rapids game? Max, I'm guessing he's Catholic, but you never know. Also, he called Jacob Peterson "McManus" many times during the Rapids/Houston game. Max, you need to improve your game...a lot.
I voted for Phil Schoen, and was not unduly influenced by the fact that he once wrote me an email saying he liked my articles. He was my favorite before that, so it made my month to get that email.
where is ray hudson??
I don't think Hudson does play-by-play, does he? He's a color commentator.
Sean Wheelock? Seriously?
Derick Rae is the best of the list.
I know we are talking play by play guys here, but I had to bring up Wynalda. He got a ton of crap last year, and people always loved complaining about him, but MLS prime time games just aren't the same with out him. I know he was sarcastic and harsh and complained alot, but that was his style, and to be honest, I miss him in those thursday night games and the national team games.
I would like to vote for both Rae and for JP.
Glenn Davis?
I knew I'd forget someone. Oh well. There's the "Other" category for those omissions, purposeful or otherwise.
RAY HUDSON for color commentary. Period. He can make an AYSO game sound like Barca vs. Real Madrid.
Seamus Malin was genius
Wasn't there a Brit named Mike Hill that was also very good?
JP is great
Derick Rae is great
I like both Max Bretos and Rob Stone's enthusiasm
Ty Keogh was the absolute worst I've ever heard
What about Christopher Sullivan?
I like when he completely ignores Max Bretos' babbling and comments on the game.
Still- Derek Rae is the best of the best.
Why no Spanish-language guys? Sammy Sadovnik? I love Bruno Vain, but don't get his channels these days. And I guess it goes against the spirit if not the text of the poll, but where's Martin Tyler?
Dude Ray Hudson is the bestest ever!
I like Ray Hudson too and I think he'll win the color commentator poll but this is for the play-by-play guys.
I thought about including Spanish language guys and I might do that in the future as well but it may have skewed the voting some. My favorite Spanish guy, by the way, is Enrique Bermudez. Love his voice.
The two best color guys in the business are Christopher Sullivan and Ray Hudson.
The Gol TV guy with Hudson is very good at play by play. Gol TV is just a cut above FSC overall.
The official suck list:
1.All ESPN especially Foudy, and Tommy Smyth
2.Bretos (nothing against him but he just talks too much and his voice can be annoying after a while)
3.The lamos that do USL on FSC should not even be doing high school games they are so bad. No wonder nobody watches...that is an appalling production.
BBSC
I have to question the IQ of the three people who voted for Max Bretos so far.
I assume two of them were Alexi Lalas and Tim Leiweke...;)
I think most TV viewers in England would be amused to know that so many Americans think that's the gold standard as far as play-by-play and commentary is concerned. Have any of you had a chance to listen to John Motson and Mark Lawrenson on the BBC? I heard a lot of them in the Euro 2004 tournament, and let me tell you...the quality is not that much higher. I'd put the ESPN crew above ITV.
Anyway, I wish ESPN would give Janusz Michallik a chance to do color commentary during some games. I think he's great on the Champions League highlights show.
A couple examples of Pablo Ramirez's genius:
Vagner Loooove
GOLAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAZO
its jorge ottati, you haters.
JP and Christopher Sullivan would be the dream crew.
...No Dave O'Brien? lol
Glenn Davis is really good. Miles is horrible. Jim Watson tries but to my knowledge he's never called soccer before last season. I don't mind Bretos as much as many do although he does talk a bit too much.
i like Derrick Rae and tommy smyth as a pair, another pair that i liked when they were a pair for Galaxy games were Allen Hopkins and Max Bretos both of them were on top and didn't mess up at all. i just wish there was a broadcaster like Vin Scully(although the commentator from dallas is the only one that comes close) or a Chick Hearn type.
Pablo Ramirez FTW!!! Oh wait, english speaking....
JP Dell-cam and John Harkes are silky smooth. Great tandem.
Personally, I like any announcer who doesn't go crazy over statistics. I HATE statistics.
I gave JP and Harkes a pass this weekend on the "scoring first" stat, MLS teams being 37-1-7 when scoring first, because of Harkes' nastiness.
JP set up the question, and Harkes volleyed the sum bitch home:
“It’s only six weeks into the season, but it’s an unbelievable stat,” Harkes said. “You don’t want to put too much importance on it because so many of the stats usually don’t mean much, but this one is pretty amazing. Everyone says you have to get the first goal, but at this point in the season, it’s still early for some teams, and the mental toughness to come back is not yet installed.”
I miss Jack Edwards. His cheese was at least entertaining. I like Tommy Smyth's bitter-sounding delivery. He always sounds so excited to be making his points.
The rest are a mishmash of people who say "kit" and "pitch" and "side" as if those show a great knowledge of the game. Like everything other than Dodgers and Lakers games, I watch national MLS broadcasts on mute.
I listen to the Spanish broadcast when at all possible...It is true what they say, the american broadcasts make a world cup game seem like a friendly, while the spanish broadcasters make a friendly feel like a world cup game...
glad some people voted for Dave Johnson...I'm no DC fan but that guy has the best goal calls of anyone for MLS. But then again, anything is better than Bretos's screaming the word 'yes' when someone scores.
Apparently, 11 more people have voted for Max Bretos since I last commented on this thread.
I assume Tom Payne has joined the lemmings...
Bretos and Miles substantially detract from the game. Anyone but them.
As for color guys, Sullivan is by far my favorite. He consistently surprises me with interesting insights whereas many other color guys will have an interesting insight relatively infrequently but bring it up time after time (like Wynalda.) I liked that Wynalda wasn't afraid to be critical, but he focused too much on the negative--made me feel like "why the heck am I watching this crap anyways?"
I almost forgot about Jack Edwards and those heartfelt, yet terrible, goal calls that made me cring during the 2002 World Cup. The last time I saw him he was doing Sumo wrestling for ESPN! For a guy who obviously loved soccer and the US team that must have been quite a downfall.
Ive read this topic for some blogs. But I think this is more informative.
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