ESPN’s MLS Telecasts: bye-bye Wynalda, O’Brien?
By jeb
According to SoccerAmerica, John Harkes will replace Eric Wynalda as the lead analyst for ESPN’s MLS telecasts:
Word is spreading at the NSCAA Convention in Baltimore, where the MLS SuperDraft will be staged Friday, that Harkes is replacing Eric Wynalda as lead analyst on MLS telecasts this season. Officially, Wynalda - who is in the third year of a five-year contract - will be assigned other events, but since his contract specifies he will work soccer events, ESPN may scramble to find enough non-MLS soccer events to fulfill his portfolio.
Wynalda angered ESPN executives last year when disparaging remarks he uttered to a group of fans in a bar about ESPN host Jim Rome were disseminated in a blog. He was suspended for a game, fined $5,000, and replaced by former women’s international Julie Foudy. For most subsequent MLS games he shared analyst duties with Tommy Smyth, the lead analyst for Champions League telecasts.
Harkes left his assistant coaching position with Red Bull New York two weeks ago. He has worked on soccer telecasts for the ESPN networks in the past, including the 2006 World Cup and Women’s College Cup, and for two seasons was Fox Soccer Channel’s studio analyst on “MLS Wrap.”
[Link].
We’re OK with this. Wynalda earned a lot of praise for his work as a studio analyst during ABC and ESPN’s coverage of the 2006 World Cup. And he earned a lot of street cred when the infamous Fulham USA interview was posted. (Although after his ESPN-forced apology, said street cred must be considerably discounted.) But we’ve never much liked him as an in-game commentator. He’s simply too opinionated and doesn’t provide enough analysis for our liking.
Then there’s this:
According to sources, veteran soccer commentator JP Dellacamera has been offered the job as lead play-by-play announcer on soccer telecasts, including MLS. Dave O’Brien, who landed 2006 World Cup duties as a condition of signing a new contract three years ago, is overloaded with baseball assignments this year for the Red Sox and ESPN.
Poor O’Brien endured a considerable amount of grief for his work as the lead anouncer during the 2006 World Cup. We didn’t think he did too bad, and at least he called MLS games last year to get a better grasp of the game. But it looks like that experiment has ended (say goodbye to baseball analogies!). If he doesn’t want to call the games, that’s fine, but we hope ESPN doesn’t send him to South Africa in 2010 without further seasoning. But of course they will.
Finally, this note:
[Tommy] Smyth will continue to do Champions League games on ESPN2 and other international games for ESPN International but is off regular duty on MLS telecasts.
Another change we’re OK with. Smyth added little if anything to MLS telecasts, except the routine reference to bulging the ol’ onion bag.
January 18th, 2008 at 12:21 pm
Absolutely love Wynalda’s brutal honesty and willingness to put his opinion out there. Agree, that’s probably better suited as a full-time studio analyst. I hope ESPN doesn’t kick him to the curb, though.
I like O’Brien and thought he did a decent enough job. I don’t think he’s necessarily a baseball guy doing soccer. I think he’s had plenty of experience doing both, but his services will be required more in Boston this summer because Glenn Geffner was hired by the Florida Marlins as their No. 2 announcer this week. O’Brien is Boston’s No. 2 alongside Joe Castiglione, and Geffner was No. 3 and split time with O’Brien often filling in for him when he was doing ESPN baseball or soccer work.
I’d say WEEI’s need for O’Brien to be available had as much to do with ESPN’s need for a new MLS play-by-play guy as any dissatisfaction with O’Brien.
January 23rd, 2008 at 9:19 am
It was a bad weekend all around for Wynalda. Donovan passed him to become USA’s all time leading scorer. http://soccernet.espn.go.com/columns/story?id=500098&root=us&cc=5901