The New MLS Wrap

[Quaker]

Now that we've seen the initial episode of the new MLS Wrap, it's time to comment.

- With twelve teams in the league, it now seems like 30 minutes is too short, even if you're just showing highlights.
- Didn't miss Wheelock and Harkes one bit.
- Christian Miles is decent, though I would prefer to hear the live telecast commentators rather than his voiceover (see EPL Review Show). For games where there there was no telecast, he can cover.
- Would love to see lineups and formations for each team before the highlights are shown.
- I'm still not a fan of the electric guitars and fake crowd noise (especially when it comes with an annoying whistle at the end of each play).

I viewed the Quakes - Revs highlights on MLSNet.com, and they were much better done than the clips on MLS Wrap. More complete (included the red card and two shots off the crossbar), more exciting (audio of Revs announcers), and more real (actual Spartan Stadium crowd noise). Couldn't help but think this would be a good model for MLS Wrap. I'd rather have Christian Miles introduce the teams (lineups, formations) and then fuse a series of actual broadcast clips to show the highlights.

Overall, I think this year's version of MLS Wrap is an improvement that still has far to go.

[deedougie]

agreed. wheelock was a dip. harkes was o.k. but the reason i want to see the show is to see highlights. thats enough for me.

i dont mind the voice over. for FSC's football asia and JPL review shows its the same thing but an english guy doing the review.

[Quaker]

i dont mind the voice over. for FSC's football asia and JPL review shows its the same thing but an english guy doing the review.
Well, yeah, they do voiceovers for the Bundesliga review show as well. But it's probably because there aren't English TV broadcasts for all the matches rather than because of some view that voiceovers are inherently better.

It kinda works for those shows, I guess. Perhaps it's just the overpowering, annoying, screeching electric guitar riffs on MLS Wrap highlights...

I also forgot to add in my previous analysis that I like the show's new graphics.

[Northside Rovers]

I miss Wheelock and Harkes and the anaylsis. The show moves too fast now. I liked the guests and the conversation.

The biggest probelm with MLS Wrap last year was the show was one hour and often started just after the last game ended. The show didn't have enough people working on it to do all the editing and producing they wanted to.

A one hour show on Sundays would be the way to do it right.

[OldFanatic]

I don't like the new MLS Wrap compared to the older one. First of all, I don't like Christian Miles' juvenile voice for a TV personality. Also, the lack of a studio somehow makes it very impersonal for me to watch. I do understand the studio situation. But I'm just stating that I find the current format very detached.

[Soccertes]

What happened to Harkes and Wheelock? Why did they change the format? I think 30min is too short. I liked the show last year. My only complaint about the show last year is that it aired 12midnight (if not 1am) on the East Coast and I'm either out like a light by then or too drunk to know where the TV is let alone what's on it.

[Scrambles]

I think the new format can work, and I wanted to see it switch to a more Ganbare/Bundesliga Review Show style, so I'm pleased they've made the move. I'm not a huge fan of "analysis" that either states the obvious or just says nothing, and frankly, I'd rather see all sorts of sports highlight shows in the US go in this direction. Some say no desk feels cheap or detached, but I say it's more streamlined.

That being said, they definitely need to show more of the "quality" highlights (the stuff that builds up to a goal, not just the goal itself), the fake crowd noise sucks the life out of it, and the background music could stand to be better and a little less "generic riff," too.

Still don't see the need to air this show so quickly after the games are over, either. Miles isn't my favorite, but I suspect he'd do a lot better (and the highlight packages would probably be better, as well) if they didn't have to do such a rush job on the show.

I think the problem with playing the live commentary instead of a voiceover guy is that it would (a) sort of feel disjointed, cutting from one train of thought to the next and sometimes cutting off someone in the middle of a word or sentence, and (b) be just as likely to have the PBP guy talking about where some guy went to college or pimping some McDonald's McFamily McTicket McPackage during the highlights as comments on the game.

[Quaker]

I think the problem with playing the live commentary instead of a voiceover guy is that it would (a) sort of feel disjointed, cutting from one train of thought to the next and sometimes cutting off someone in the middle of a word or sentence, and (b) be just as likely to have the PBP guy talking about where some guy went to college or pimping some McDonald's McFamily McTicket McPackage during the highlights as comments on the game.
I think they can avoid splicing the film mid-sentence, but your second point is more valid. Really an indictment of some commentators in the U.S. who feel the need to talk about everything but what's happening on the field. Having said all that, I think I'd still prefer the live commentary to the Christian Miles voiceovers. Seems to work well for the highlights on MLSnet.com.

[bigtw64]

I'd prefer actual match commentary instead of voice-over but unfortunately many MLS telecasts are from the regional sports nets which feature raving homer announcers like Max & Alan on Galaxy games

[ddavenport]

Agreed.

[mpruitt]

Well this show or the new format rather hasn't seemed to get much of a response. I havent' seen it yet actually but I said before that if it was some British style 'Review Show' that I wouldn't watch. And to hear that they're still piping in crowd noise and music to boot? If they can't nail the production value of a show like this then what the heck are they doing. I'd much rather see them try to make a studio show work then have Christian Miles slam editing something together that I can already watch on MLSnet.

[Minnman]

It's okay. Frankly, I prefer it to the previous model. I just didn't care for W & H and their lowest common denominator "analysis." Basically, for me, the old show was a highlights show spread across one hour. They now squeeze it into 30 minutes. Fine.

What we still need deparately, is a show featuring true analysis/news about MLS and the national teams.

[JohnR]

Basically, for me, the old show was a highlights show spread across one hour. They now squeeze it into 30 minutes. Fine.

Exactly. I probably wouldn't have watched it without TIVO, because there was so much dead air.

I do think you could have a good 1 hour review show, but that would involve longer game clips, not Wheelock & Harkes bantering in an attempt to kill time. In the absense of longer clips, this format is just fine.

[olujosh]

I think the current state of MLS Wrap is fine. I tend to look at the bigger picture, and if throwing together MLS Wrap with a V.O. saves them some money (a LOT of money...hell, I could make an identical show...just give me the game tapes, my computer and a mic)....then that's fine.

They can use that money to broadcast things like the Champions Cup (which I love that fact they show that now) and events like the FA Cup and other soccer events.

I could probably do without the Fox Soccer USA show, but then again, I'm not a teenager, so maybe they're hitting that audience dead on...

[Quaker]

Thought it was refreshing to hear Max Bretos in lieu of Christian Miles this past week. Also, the fake crowd noise was toned down a bit. Overall more watchable.

[guamster]

Thought it was refreshing to hear Max Bretos in lieu of Christian Miles this past week. Also, the fake crowd noise was toned down a bit. Overall more watchable.

Christian Miles was busy with the Chivas USA broadcast on Fox Sports West.
Last week, Max Bretos did the Galaxy game on FSW.

It looks like we may see Miles and Bretos alternate hosting MLS Wrap, depending on their other respective commitments.

FYI.

Fake crowd noise? Hated it.

[Spoon]

Christian Miles was busy with the Chivas USA broadcast on Fox Sports West.
Last week, Max Bretos did the Galaxy game on FSW.

It looks like we may see Miles and Bretos alternate hosting MLS Wrap, depending on their other respective commitments.

FYI.

Fake crowd noise? Hated it.


Miles and Bretos the biggest homers in the league. I would much rather stick my dick in a meat grinder than be forced to listen to those two
yahoo's.

[philsoc]

Have you seen Soccer Files on GolTV yet? (Wed at 7:30 ET) :)



What we still need deparately, is a show featuring true analysis/news about MLS and the national teams.

[mpruitt]

Thought it was refreshing to hear Max Bretos in lieu of Christian Miles this past week. Also, the fake crowd noise was toned down a bit. Overall more watchable.
I did happen to catch this week's episode. Bretos did seem to do a fine job, other than doing Bretos stuff like trying to come up with a nickname for the Real/Colorado series which already has a name... issued in a league press release. Overall though while it was fine it was still devoid of any kind of analysis. Can't really set the bar much lower in terms of what constitutes a highlight show.

[Quaker]

Maybe I've lowered my expectations, but I've found it easier to stomach MLS Wrap the past couple of weeks.

One thing that really annoys me, though, is the fact that they show MLS scores on the ticker at the bottom of the screen. Other than the Quakes game I'd attended, I didn't know any other outcomes this past weekend. Needless to say, any excitement the show could have produced was lost when every MLS score was displayed in the first couple of minutes! Is it too much to ask to suspend MLS scores on the ticker during MLS Wrap?