I'm nonplussed. Disappointed, but hardly surprised. With JP Dellacamera on to greener different pastures, ESPN has installed Adrian Healey as the lead voice for their MLS broadcasts. It always seemed unlikely that Ian Darke would pond hop, be able to manage MLS games as well as ESPN's Premier League broadcasts during the portion of the year when the two seasons overlapped. Darke's status as lead voice for the network's soccer programming wouldn't trickle down to ESPN's domestic soccer product. Thus, we get Healey.
Healey is a choice of convenience, a solid broadcaster already in ESPN's employ who has experience with American soccer and won't be subject to a painful learning curve. Plus, he's got an accent. Of course that matters. This wasn't just about picking the best guy for the job, though there were worse ways for ESPN to go than Healey.
ESPN had other options. Rob Stone isn't great as a play-by-play guy, but he's capable. Max Bretos is probably best suited to anchoring studio coverage, but he's far from bad in the booth. Personally, I would have preferred Bretos over Healey. That's not just about my reaction to British voices, or my long-view attitude that relying on them hurts American soccer. I honestly prefer Bretos to Healey.
Buried in the ESPN release is a note that Bretos will be doing play-by-play on select matches, so there's that.
Alongside Healey will be John Harkes, who remains in the analyst chair despite being milquetoast at best, rather poor at worst, and hardly anyone's idea of a great voice for MLS. The studio show remains Bretos and Lalas, with Taylor Twellman continuing to get some run with ESPN.
Thoughts? Apologies for the quick treatment.
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