The 2023 Major League Soccer season is fast approaching, but the American MLS commentary teams at Apple are still undecided. Therefore, I have tested who are my recommended MLS broadcasters for Apple TV.
As mentioned, the Apple TV deal starts immediately when the new season begins on February 25. However, question marks still surround the talent behind the microphone talking about gaming on the new service. With 29 teams, there are approximately 14 games each matchday. Only a couple go to FOX, the only place left to watch MLS on TV. All MLS games come from Apple, and several American commentators have a hat on the run.
World Soccer Talk founder Christopher Harris has already shared which broadcasters MLS will choose, in his opinion. On the other hand, I think those who covered MLS games for their regional broadcast networks should be selected first. They provide the colloquial knowledge that MLS fans have come to know and love over the years.
Here are my picks:
My List of Recommended MLS Broadcasters for Apple TV
JP Dellacamera
Dellacamera is one of the most respected voices in the game, local and national. His expertise and experience goes back decades.
He has called futsal, the MetroStars (later the name change to New York Red Bulls) and the Philadelphia Union. After that, he became the play-by-play leader for ESPN and FOX Soccer Channel on MLS Broadcasts. He also covered the men’s and women’s soccer games at multiple Olympic Games. For the USMNT World Cup Rankings, he served as the lead voice for various ranking processes. He also sat behind the microphone for CONCACAF and UEFA Champions League matches.
One of his most famous calls still comes from 1999. Back then, he also called the historic winning penalty kick scored by Brandi Chastain. The United States defeated China to win the 1999 Women’s World Cup on home soil.
Dellacamera won the Colin Jose Media Award. In 2018, he was inducted into the Football Hall of Fame for his decades of work in the broadcast booth.
david johnson
Dave Johnson is the longtime TV play-by-play voice of DC United. For more than 25 years, his goal called “ESTÁ EN LA RED” became famous. He had seen many championships since his early years: four MLS Cup championships; several US Open Cup titles and so on.
His love and passion for the game is as strong as all of ours. During the offseason, she is the play-by-play radio voice of the NBA’s Washington Wizards and works for NBC Washington DC affiliate WRC-TV.
glen davis
I remember him broadcasting football during the 1997 US Open Cup Championship final in Indianapolis when defending champion DC United faced FC Dallas (then known as the Dallas Burn). He started long before that when he covered the Houston Hotshots for indoor play.
Now, his resume is complete calling games for the Houston Dynamo, his local Soccer Matters program, and he has called many CONCACAF Gold Cup and Champions League games, along with the Olympic Games for both men and women. . She has also been covering MLS games and various World Cup games on ESPN and FOX with NBC’s Olympics soccer coverage. She is also a part of ESPN’s college football broadcasts.
Steve Cangelosi
Since covering the New York Red Bulls, I have watched Steve’s rise to become one of the best football broadcasters, not just in New York City, but nationally as well. He was the sideline reporter before taking over the broadcast booth when JP Dellacamera took the MLS job at ESPN. He joined Shep Messing permanently for more than two decades, later working with FOX on CONCACAF Gold Cup coverage, ESPN on European soccer broadcasts and second team announcers at MLS games.
brad feldman
He originally called New England Revolution games on radio in 2001 before moving to the TV side as a sideline reporter, then an analyst with Adrian Healey, then took over the TV booth full-time with different regional sports networks. like FOX Sports New England, NBC Sports Boston, then local TV stations. The Hanover, New Hampshire native has been a staple for soccer in the Boston area for a long time.
eric krakauer
I’ve known Eric for a few years since he covered the New York Red Bulls during the Jesse Marsch era. He moved to South Florida to begin his professional broadcasting career with beIN SPORTS. In 2022, it was the first and only season of him calling Charlotte FC games along with Lloyd Sam. While I admit I have a soft spot for Eric, he would do a fantastic job counting MLS games for the league and Apple TV.
He was part of the FOX Soccer Channel days as a studio presenter for the English Premier League, UEFA Champions League and MLS, and has called several LA Galaxy games on the radio when Joe Tutino was on TV for Galaxy games. He currently calls games for Pacific 12 Conference college sports games and has also had a spell calling Portland Timbers games on Root Sports.
max bretos
You know you’ll never miss a goal when Max Bretos yells “YYYEEESSS!” He also began announcing games on the FOX Soccer Channel, locally for the LA Galaxy. He moved to ESPN as host of ESPN FC to give Dan Thomas a break and also called games on ESPN. Recently, he has become the TV play-by-play man for LAFC, working with a record nine to ten different analysts.
His videocast and audio podcast, The Soccer OG, gives his take on the world’s games. He is also the English language commentator during CONMEBOL’s Copa Libertadores games and MMA on Global Combat.
antonio passarelli
For the past few seasons, Anthony was the lead play-by-play man for the San Jose Earthquakes television broadcasts on NBC Sports Bay Area/California with Chris Dangerfield and Danielle Slaton. Of course, he followed up with the Earthquakes’ famous goal call “GOAL! SAN JOSE!” He also calls college sporting events during the off-season, but his upbeat tone to me will show everyone that he deserves a chance to earn a spot for this job.
Mark Followill
Mark is a game lover. He is a Football Hall of Fame MC. Additionally, he is the announcer for FC Dallas games in Frisco, Texas. There, he worked with Dallas football writer Steve Davis. At every game, he shows the energy and passion of calling the home team to one of the largest cities in all of Texas. In addition, he called MLS games on FOX Sports along with the Copa América Centenario.
He is currently the play-by-play voice of the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks.
scholar tom
The first time I heard Tom call a match was in the 2017 US Open Cup semifinals when FC Cincinnati hosted the New York Red Bulls. His tone and energy worked very well with his analyst Kevin McCloskey during the club’s USL days (they later moved to MLS). Tom has stayed with the club in their new TQL stadium.
jake sivin
For the past few seasons, Jake has been the play-by-play voice of the Portland Timbers, occasionally announcing MLS games for FOX Sports. But the energy from him during the games has been solid. He could go further if he is drafted by MLS.
If MLS were to choose international voices who have done a great job covering the league, it would choose English commentators Callum Williams, Tony Husband, Richard Fleming and Irish-American Keith Costigan, who is on FOX Sports.
But until we get the official word, those are my picks for US broadcasters for the new MLS deal on Apple TV to kick off the 2023 season. What do you say?
Photo credit: IMAGO/Icon Sportswire
