Sports stats



MLS Major League Soccer

MLS unveils broadcast talent

March 30, 2004 - Major League Soccer (MLS) News Release


NEW YORK (Tuesday, March 30, 2004) - Major League Soccer's ninth season kicks off Saturday with a live presentation from RFK Stadium at 4:00 p.m. ET on ABC Sports. Billed as the "Battle of the Dynasties," the League's only two multiple Cup-winners square off at the home of D.C. United, MLS Cup Champions in 1996, 1997 and 1999., United hosts the defending MLS Cup Champion San Jose Earthquakes, who also captured the title in 2001, in the first of 29 Disney MLS telecasts and 23 Soccer Saturday specials in 2004.

Calling the game action are television soccer veterans JP Dellacamera, who will handle play-by-play duties for each of the three MLS contests on ABC this season, and analyst Eric Wynalda, who moves into the booth after one season as a field analyst on ABC and ESPN2 during the League's 2003 campaign. Replacing Wynalda as the field analyst and offering insight from the sidelines is veteran U.S. Women's World Cup Champion Lorrie Fair, who makes her television debut on Saturday.

"Eric has shown the ability with his success on the field as a player to see things unfold, react and score goals," said Michael Cohen, MLS/SUM Executive Producer. "Last year, while watching the game at field level as a sideline analyst on ABC and ESPN, he captured the action for the viewers at home giving his unique perspective on the games. Lorrie has played the game at the highest level with the Women World Cup team, WUSA and her multiple NCAA championship teams at North Carolina. Her knowledge of the game and confidence that she has shown throughout her successful soccer career comes through on the air."

In addition to Saturday's "First Kick 2004" contest between the Earthquakes and United, the trio will also work together on ABC Sports' soccer broadcasts of the League's marquee events in 2004, airing the Sierra Mist MLS All-Star Game on July 24 and MLS Cup 2004 on November 14, with both games slated to kick off at 3:30 p.m. ET. Sites will be determined for each event in the near future.

Veteran announcer Rob Stone handles the play-by-play role for the League's 26 ESPN2 games. Stone, an ABC/ESPN mainstay since 1998, is joined on the ESPN2 slate by Wynalda and Fair, who each bring their unique playing experiences to the slew of broadcasts. During 2004, various halftime segments appear during a fast-paced and informative break, which was re-formatted prior to last season to include elements such as Extra Time With ..., an in-depth player profile featuring MLS stars; Youth Soccer Spotlight, where ESPN2 recognizes youth teams which register via MLSnet.com; and field access to players and analysis from Lorrie Fair at field level.

Among the early highlights from the ESPN2 schedule is a rematch of last year's MLS Cup. The Defending MLS Champion Earthquakes open the home portion of its title defense by hosting the team it defeated last November at The Home Depot Center in Major League Soccer's highest-scoring Cup Final ever, the Chicago Fire, on Saturday, April 10 on ESPN2 at 4:00 p.m. ET.

ABC and the ESPN networks have combined to televise the 1982, 1986, 1994, 1998 and 2002 FIFA World Cups and the 1995, 1999 and 2003 Women's World Cups. All eight MLS seasons, including every MLS Cup Championship match, have been televised on ABC and the ESPN networks. The combined networks - ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC Sports - present the most comprehensive soccer coverage in the United States, including the Men's and Women's World Cup, Major League Soccer, U.S. National Team matches and the NCAA Men's and Women's soccer championships. ESPN debuted in Sept. 7, 1979, and now reaches 88.9 million homes. ESPN2, launched Oct. 1, 1993, can be seen in 87.2 million television households.

ON-AIR Talent

JP Dellacamera - ABC Sports Play-by-Play - Prominent soccer voice JP Dellacamera made his MLS Cup debut at Gillette Stadium in 2002, and now returns as the lead commentator for Major League Soccer's trio of ABC broadcasts. Now entering his fourth season in the MetroStars' television booth, and bringing significant experience working soccer, basketball, and hockey telecasts over a well-respected career that has spanned 29 years, Dellacamera called his fifth consecutive men's World Cup in 2002 for ESPN, in addition to his duties with the MetroStars on MSG. Dellacamera's storied soccer history with the ABC/ESPN networks includes MLS games in addition to the UEFA Champions League, EURO '96, Italian Serie A and the last two Women's World Cups. In addition, JP worked for three seasons as the TV voice of the Columbus Crew.

Rob Stone - ESPN2 Play-by-Play - Stone returns for his seventh season as part of the national MLS package, after spending the League's first two seasons on the Tampa Bay Mutiny's regional broadcasts. Well-known for his various roles on ABC/ESPN's soccer coverage since 1998, Stone hosted his sixth MLS Cup last fall and served as the host of World Cup Tonight during the 2002 FIFA World Cup Korea/Japan, following a stint as the network's lead reporter at World Cup France '98. The former studio host of MLS ExtraTime, Stone has handled play-by-play and sideline reporting on many nationally-televised MLS broadcasts during the last five years, in addition to his work on ABC college football broadcasts. A native of Simsbury, Conn., Stone played collegiate soccer at Colgate University, where he was captain, all-conference and team MVP as a senior.

Eric Wynalda - Lead Analyst, ABC / ESPN2 - The first man to hit the back of the net in MLS history, Eric Wynalda enters his second full season in broadcasting, following a stimulating 2003 season as the Field Analyst for MLS contests on ABC/ESPN2. A veteran of three World Cups ('90, '94, '98), the former striker holds the all-time scoring record in U.S. National Team history with 34 goals in 106 appearances. The Honda/Futbol de Primera Player of the Decade for the '90's, Wynalda was the youngest player to ever appear for the U.S. in the World Cup when he took the field in Italy in 1990, at the age of 21. Following an international club career which saw him play professionally in the German Bundesliga and in Mexico, Wynalda returned to the U.S. and joined the San Jose Clash in MLS' inaugural season, and went on to play for the Miami Fusion, New England Revolution and Chicago Fire, scoring 34 goals and registering 37 assists in 98 career games. Log on to www.MLSnet.com weekly to discover Wynalda's musings on the world's game.

Lorrie Fair - Field Analyst, ABC / ESPN2 - The first World Cup Champion to offer a voice during MLS telecasts, Fair's high-level playing experience and dynamic, witty personality will provide viewers with keen insight and thought-provoking commentary during her debut television season. The youngest member of the 1999 FIFA Women's World Cup championship team, Fair played in more than 100 U.S. Women's National Soccer Team matches. She is a founding WUSA member and played two years in the league for the Philadelphia Charge. A University of North Carolina graduate, Fair compiled 21 goals and 79 assists playing for coach Anson Dorrance and the TarHeels. While on the team, Fair reached the NCAA Championship Game four straight years, winning three times.

bEHIND THE SCENES

Michael Cohen - The Executive Producer and Head of Production for all MLS/SUM television production and programming, including nationally-televised MLS and World Cup telecasts on ABC, ESPN and ESPN2, Cohen works with League executives on negotiations of media contracts and development of innovative revenue-generating programming opportunities for the League. As the lead producer for ABC, ESPN and ESPN2's coverage of Major League Soccer since the League's Inaugural Game in 1996, Cohen has produced more than 175 regular season and MLS Cup playoff games on a national basis. Cohen, a winner of multiple Emmy awards, has also produced each of the six MLS All-Star games and was the producer for MLS Cups '96, '97, '98, '99, the senior producer for MLS Cups 2000 and 2001, and the executive producer in 2002 and 2003.

Mitch Green - The veteran Emmy award-winning producer begins his third campaign as the Lead Producer for all national broadcasts on ABC and ESPN2 during the 2004 season. Prior to the last two seasons extensive MLS and World Cup slates, Green produced feature pieces for ABC Sports' telecasts of U.S. National Team games in preparation for and during World Cups 1994 and 1998. He also produced the game telecasts of U.S. National Team friendlies and World Cup qualifiers from 1996 through ABC/ESPN's coverage of World Cup '98, repeating the cycle of qualifiers for World Cup 2002 Korea/Japan.

Check out the Major League Soccer Statistics

• Discuss this story on the Major League Soccer message board...

Major League Soccer Stories from March 30, 2004


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.


Sports Statistics from the Stats Crew
OurSports Central