To get things straight: This is not a personal attack on Eric Wynalda's character. It is a direct attack on ESPN's announcing production and announcing crews. They are horrible. This is not limited to soccer (ANYBODY who has listened to ESPN's last few years of NFL coverage knows how bad it is), but I only want to deal with soccer. ESPN may be a sports network, but basically the S should stand for STORYLINE. These guys want to tell a narrative about how X player overcame Y adversity to do Z thing in the world (it doesn't even have to be all that related to the sport they are playing!). The telecasts cover 90% storyline, and its not uncommon for an announcer to be blabbing through yet another pointless discussion of a player while the action on the field builds up to a goal. In fact, the commentators USUALLY miss it completely and then have to lamely fit in a sentence or two about the goal. If you are lucky, you get a replay of the goal. If you are supremely lucky, you get to see the pass or two before it. Breakdowns of how the coach's strategy worked? never. Formation highlights? not after the pregame show. Actual worthwhile educational commentary? once in a blue moon. Has anyone actually ever come away from an MLS broadcast by ESPN better educated about the game? I doubt it. This brings us to the personnel.... Eric Wynalda, while labeled by the US Soccer Hall of Fame... has issues with his supposed expert commentary. Anybody whos peeked at the current USMNT forum would see quite a few posts lamenting McBrides retirement... That was just for funsies. This next one is HILARIOUS: (Emphasis added). Besides piling on Arena before during WC2006 for not listening to him enough, I do not remember any wisdom coming from Wynalda (and with our Draw in that Cup, it was not hard to be a negative nancy). As for Seamus... he actually adds something now and again, when not blabbering on about some touching life story. The thing is, I almost enjoy the games more with mute on. On a positive note, anybody have suggestions/thoughts for improvement? New announcers? Bits during the game? etc? My personal favorite is a multiple window cast with an overhead view. I HATE not being able to see the structure/organization of the team and being limited to closeups of whichever player has the ball. Its seeing with one eye. Who is making runs, who is covering the other teams runs, etc?
Bring back Jack Edwards. No joke, he was very good at calling the action and didn't have a lot of stories.
here's the deal with eric wynalda. he's a washed up never has been. he was the "star" of a really really bad US national team. teams like el salvador that we rip on today were actually really challenging games back in the day of wynalda. wynalda was more of a cry baby than a bad boy if i remember correctly. he talked alot of crap and then repeatedly got b*tch slapped by other players for being annoying. wynalda was the mls poster boy and is everything the league should try not to be. unathletic, weak, annoying, and techniquely inadequate. whoever thought it would be a good idea to give this guy a microphone should be shot...seriously. he was annoying on the field, and now thanks to espn i get to have his annoying and idiotic chatter broadcasted directly into my home. he's not a very good commentator and to top it off flat out does not know what he's talking about when it comes to the game. i would be in support of anyone who could get him out of the broadcast booth.
seamus???? its rob stone/dave o'brien, tommy smyth, and eric wynalda seamus works almost exclusively with espn international, i.e., champions league dutch league, etc
when that fool talks his trash about the players on the field i wish someone would bring up his old playing days with the clash... what a joke...
I like the telling of the stories personally. IMO, it makes the telecast all the more interesting. I like to learn as much info as I can. That's the way (as mentioned in previous posts) they do it in all sports. I think that ESPN has really good production value and I thoroughly enjoy all of their telecasts. (Their NFL telecasts suck because of Theismann and Kornheiser, but college football on ESPN is good) If i'm really into a DC game being carried on ESPN and only want to watch the action, I just tune it out. But, I still like to learn what's going on with DC players, too.
Generally agree with whats been posted above. I would however, like to see what would happen if Wynalda was calling a game with just him and smyth. Maybe this would keep his useless banter to a minimum. Even better idea (which of coures makes it all the less likely) would be to just let the team that does the CL games do the MLS ones.
Am I the only one who doesn't mind the commentators talking about "storylines?" I can watch the game with my set of eyes with problem. I'm not upset if they want to supplement that with some side stories. Wynalda has been a great color analyst the past few years, and I cannot wait to listen to him once again!
Bring back Jack and Ty. Rob I like though. Waldo needs to shut it. He overanalyzes every single set piece. "Oh the ball's got to go here at this exact spot" If he was coach, I can imagine the opponents defenders having an easy time defending set pieces.
Thank God I don't get ESPN here. Every MLS game I have watched have been of Great quailty and don't bore you to death.
I dont mind some storytime, but it needs to be kept within reason. And the banter between Wynalda and Stone/Obrien can get annoying at times.
Your in position to know more about the game than Wynalda? In so much to know that he knows nothing about the game! Really He might be a wind bag but he does know the game. Besides the fact that he probably scored one of the best looking goals ever for our country in a world cup and held his own in Germany League for longer than our current annoited one. Technically he did not suck as a player in comparison to some of today's players. Nor did Ramos, Stewart, and some others what's different now is the pool is deeper. If you guys are really torqued, complain about the structure of the broadcasts to ESPN. I'm sure they have someone reading crap like this. Then I'm sure someone will bring it up in some low level meeting and they'll say it's been discussed to nauseum.
My friends and I have often been completely mindblown by the types of statements said during the telecasts, case in point during the China game: Then someone responds My friends often believe that they're just sitting there with a bottle of scotch and a joint before the game. That's pretty much the only way they can commentate in the style that they do. Then all of a sudden Foudy pops in and says "hey, remember me, some random fact about how hot it is on the field" Then Chastain takes her top off. That's pretty much how it always go with the sideline commentating.
One of the last few thursdays he was announcing. None of the other announcers ever do anything to make me want to know who they are. Wynalda's shameless self promotion (or when the play by play guy is kissing his ass by saying, oh, when you were playing you coudl have made that shot right?) is really the only reason I know its his blather I am listening too. They dont "supplement". This blabber is actually more a part of their commentary then the actual play by play. I have timed it before, and FIVE STRAIGHT MINUTES have gone by on a story with barely a mention of the game.That is one thing in the NFL when that can mean 2 plays (its still bad), but in a soccer match its inexcusable. Sadly, the only reason they spend so much time on these "stories" is because they have nothing substantial to add to the game. I would love it if Wynalda would actually examine how a team moves and did one or two breakdowns of it in the game. Instead soccer is apparently played by 3 men at a time unless its a set piece. HairyNipples is right on this one. Until Wynalda starts showing some real insight into the game, hes just a loudmouth (the TV world is full of them). High Def broadcasting and decent camera angles (those are nice to have, no doubt) do not a quality telecast make. A technologically impressive broadcast is NOT enough. They think the American audience isn't sophisticated enough to handle actual game analysis.... They are definitely making sure it won't get sophisticated enough.
My comments: 1. ESPN's camera angles are usually poor. I don't mind close-ups momentarily, but we need wide shots to see what's really going on. 2. The commentary rarely educates us about the game, I agree. However, we are educated about the players. I don't mind the "storylines," but it's important to keep them from stepping on key moments in the game 3. I don't mind Wynalda. He's full of b.s., but he's amusing. Ray Hudson on GOL-TV is hilarious. I'd love to have him on MLS games. Overall, things could be better, but I don't think they suck as bad as you say. If only there was a John Madden of soccer, who could be entertaining but also use the telestrator and be informative with the x's and o's.
I like Wynalda - I like when color commentators just flat out give their opinion, whether it's stupid or not, instead of being neutral and giving a politcally correct answer. What ESPN really needs is one soccer play-by-play guy for MLS/US Soccer and he can do every ESPN broadcast, follow the league closer, write a weekly column, etc. Dave O'Brien is a nice guy I'm sure, but when you're a baseball guy at heart, you're splitting time calling different sports, and you aren't really a soccer expert, the play-by-play ends up being a 2nd color commentary with forced soccer lingo like "pitch" and "in-swinger." Same goes for Stoner, even though he's a little bit better than DOB. In all honesty, I like when Julie Foudy is doing color commentary the best, she gives insight without the arrogance of Wynalda or the obnoxious style of Smyth.
Wynalda - Mouth that Speaks Without Thought - Tell me there isn't somebody out there who could a lot better and still tell it straight? The thing is, this guy doesn't tell it straight. He loves telling stories fed him by the producers, and occasionally says something outrageous or inflammatory to "keep it real"... yech. YES!! YES!! This is a simple and HUGE first step. I mean, a baseball play by play guy is completely unsuited to the action in soccer... Its ridiculous to think that he could keep up in any sort of fluid manner. As for Foudy --- Can't stand her voice. Makes me want to punch something.
We need a soccer version of Chris Berman. Seriously. You think we could lobby to have him come over. He takes his job seriously, I'm sure he would do his research and be up to speed quickly.
I think we should put them and the ESPN Lead football TV crew in a pit with lions. Whoever survives would get to do the broadcasting and I wouldn't complain... P.S... Im routing for the lions.