Interesting report from the LA Riot Squad about Max Bretos potentially calling Galaxy games this year. Sounds like a pretty good pick-up to me, but I don't know anything about the G's previous announcers, which got me wondering, just exactly who are the best TV/radio announcers in MLS? In terms of the Earthquakes, I'm a pretty big fan of John Shrader, the play-by-play announcer, but not crazy about John Doyle, who repeats himself way too often and just seems to like to talk. Plus he mispronounces people's names which is a pet peeve of mine. Anyway, who else is out there that is good or at least entertaining? I'm looking forward to getting the Shootout package this year for the first time and seeing some of the other talent around the league.
Yeah he is an idiot. Sort of our answer for Norberto Longo. The other guy on FSW Allen Hopkins is worse than Bretos. Bland and boring. I guess if Max just did play by play and did not offer his "insights" or lack thereof he would be considered the best play by play soccer announcer in the USA. Give me Toby Charles any day.
Are you in earnest? On the contrary, I consider Bretos and Hopkins to be the two best soccer announcers in the country. They stay on topic, are as savvy with American soccer as with European, and are passionate about the sport. Moreover, their voices complement one another and their vocal intonation is agreeable, unlike some other announcers. But, of course, this wouldn't be Big Soccer if my colleagues didn't have something about which to complain...
Anything is better than the current Galaxy announcers (Tutino and Davis). They actually wore Galaxy short sleeve shirts during telecasts last season. It was painful to watch their broadcasts. Blathering would be a good word to describe their on air chatter. Best broadcast team in MLS? JP and Shep on the Metros. They are the only ones that will rip the team on the air. MSG Network provides great coverage including a pre-game show.
Re: Re: Max Bretos coming to MLS? What's wrong with that? Aren't they covering the Galaxy? Broadcasting the Galaxy game? Probably under contract with the Galaxy? Representing the Galaxy? Most broadcasters I have met wear shirts w/ logos of the teams. Why wouldn't they?
A little Max Bretos goes a long way. He is the Carrot Top of soccer broadcasters. Listening to him call the Open Cup games was painful. He is intent on being "cute" and every other line is a scripted tag line. If you cringed when Jack came out with "Land of the free" etc., your skin will crawl listening to Max.
Like I said Hopkins is bland like warm milk and Bretos tires too hard with his comments. He also has a clear lack of understanding of the LOTG, but then he's no different than most announcers. If you want good announcers in the US, look no further than Bert's post above, I agree Shep Messing and JP are very good. Why FSW does not use Toby Charles for the Bundesliga broadcasts is amazing. I recall that the Albert's were intereviewed many years ago and they were asked who they like to listen to on the air and they named Toby Charles, saying he had it all, knowledge, wit, presonality and a passion for the game. Great radio voice, that says it all. Everytime I listen to Hopkins I am reminded that I could be listening to Toby and that pisses me off.
I like Bretos when he is with Christian Bozza (Bozzo??) He keeps Max a bit more focused on what is happening on the field. Alone, yes Max tends to ramble and to try to be too funny.
He's the guy on the Argentinian league matches? Max was not bad this past Sunday on La Liga match because it was such an exciting match, except for his lack of understanding on what was clearly not a goal, but that was counted as one.
Re: Re: Max Bretos coming to MLS? This is true. While I'm not the biggest Max Bretos fan, he is still an improvement on Joe Tutino and Rick Davis. That's something of an urban legend. While it's true that most local MLS broadcast teams tend to be homers, it's not universal. Derek Rae and Seamus Malin were pretty hard on the Revs when they were Revs announcers, which is probably the biggest reason why they're no longer the Revs' announcers. Brad Sham and Glenn Davis on the Burn broadcasts also "tell it like it is." I remember a Dallas-Chicago game in Chicago a few years ago. Dallas was up by two goals and yet, Davis was hammering the fact that the Burn were playing horribly (which they were), that it was something of a miracle that they had that lead (which it was), and that they were going to give the lead away (which they ultimately did). Not too many MLS local announcing teams would've done that. The worst broadcast team in the league (other than Joe Tutino and Rick Davis) is in Chicago. I'm not sure who they're pairing with Kenny Stern, but he's bad enough that he drags down almost anybody working with him. The Colorado announcers are bland, inoffensive, and hardly worth listening to. The San Jose combination of John Shrader and John Doyle is pretty listenable, but they're notorious homers. I'm pretty sure that according to them, neither Donovan nor Graziani dove at all during 2002. The most underrated MLS local announcer is Kansas City's Sean Wheelock. Usually, he'll do the Wizards games alone on Metro Sports, but he doesn't make up for it by trying to do twice the chatter. He's probably the closest thing that the US has to a "just the facts, ma'am" announcer that lets the pictures of the game do most the talking.
Re: Re: Re: Max Bretos coming to MLS? His name was Darrien Chapman, but he died, so I guess you don't have to worry about it anymore. A great guy by the way.
Re: Re: Re: Re: Max Bretos coming to MLS? Exactly what I was about to post. Why don't you just give us a nice paper cut and pour vinegar in it while you're at it Jefe?
Re: Re: Re: Re: Max Bretos coming to MLS? Well, I knew that, and I didn't mean to disrespect his memory, but Stern dragged him down, just like he dragged down the guy who did the PxP before Chapman and just like he dragged down Chris Doran a few times when Chapman wasn't available last year.
Mark me down as a Bretos fan. Wish ESPN would get him. Hopkins I'm less keen on. Correct reading of the game, decent wit, learning how to actually do it. Both the best the US has to offer right now. Yes, the world would be a better place if the great English broadcasters were American. But they're not. And to think that any of them will ever be calling MLS is absurd (with the potential exceptions of Mike Hill and Tommy Smyth, who for my money isn't any better than the FSW guys). It's like saying "Convey blows. DCU should get Beckham." Well, they won't. The other thing to remember is how much worse any of the English guys would be if they were calling MLS games or Chilean League games from a studio 3000 miles away. I'm sure a lot of their quality comes from being at the Premier League matches and loving the games. They'd be worse, much worse, doing a KC - Colorado match I'm certain.
Chapman was great. Stern is an idiot. Doran ain't too great. I just hope they find someone semi-cometent, really, but the big problem is Kenny Stern, not the pbp guys.
Max is great and would be a coup for the Galaxy. Listening to Tutino and Davis for Galaxy games is worse than listening to scratching nails on a chalkboard. I like Hopkins too FWIW, which is zero.
I second that motion... MAD MAX IS AWESOME!!! WHY, you may ask... Because, like Cosell, people either really love him or really hate him....and that is exactly what soccer needs in the booth... The beauty of Howard was that people would tune in to listen to him, even if the game sucked.... Annoucers can do that. Max, IMHO, is the best soccer announcer in the country. No, he is not as knowlegdgable as Malin, JP or TS, but he is a hulleva lot more enjoyable to listen too.
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Max Bretos coming to MLS? Stern always has been awful. He started to be an alleged announcer, if I recall, when Pops still had the Sting up and running.
I cant believe im agreeing with the MLS crowd yes.... please take Max.... have him do all the Galaxy, Crew, Wizards and whatever..... just get him off of covering UEFA matches on FSW! and take the twit Hopkins with him... let him commentate on haircuts in the MLS from now on.... Cantona---------