ABC, ESPN2 Broadcast Talent Named

J.P. Dellacamera

Rob Stone

Ty Keough

Eric Wynalda

NEW YORK (Wednesday, April 2, 2003) - Major League Soccer’s eighth season kicks off Saturday with a live presentation from Columbus Crew Stadium at 4:00 p.m. ET on ABC Sports. The hometown Crew, holders of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, host the defending MLS Cup Champion Los Angeles Galaxy in the first of 29 MLS telecasts and 21 Soccer Saturday specials in 2003.

Calling the game action are television soccer veterans JP Dellacamera, who will handle play-by-play duties for each of the three MLS contests on ABC this season, and analyst Ty Keough, the lead color commentator during each of the League’s first seven seasons on the Disney networks. American soccer icon Eric Wynalda, who scored the first goal in MLS history on April 6, 1996, offers expert insight in his first season as the League’s field analyst.

In addition to Saturday’s “First Kick 2003” contest between the Galaxy and Crew, the trio will also work together on ABC’s presentations of the 2003 Pepsi MLS All-Star Game on August 2 and MLS Cup 2003 on November 23. Both of the League’s marquee events will be broadcast live on ABC at 3:30 p.m. ET from the state-of-the-art Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif., the new home of the Galaxy.

As the newest soccer stadium in the country, The Home Depot Center (HDC) will be featured on three other “Soccer Saturday” broadcasts. The first occurs on Saturday, June 7, when the Galaxy welcome the Colorado Rapids for the facility’s historic inaugural match at 4:00 p.m. ET. The HDC also hosts ESPN2’s broadcast on Saturday, August 23 when the New England Revolution visit Southern California for the second time in 2003 at 4:00 p.m. ET. One week later, the Dallas Burn’s visit to The HDC will be broadcast on a tape-delayed basis.

Veteran announcer Rob Stone handles the play-by-play role for the League’s 26 ESPN2 games. Stone, an ABC/ESPN mainstay since 1998, will serve as the host for each ABC broadcast and is joined on the ESPN2 slate by halftime features host Veronica Paysse and ESPN soccer personality Tommy Smyth. The duo will each present various segments during a fast-paced and informative halftime, which has been re-formatted to include the following elements:

• MLS stars in “Extra Time With ...,” an in-depth player profile hosted by Veronica Paysse
• Youth Soccer Spotlight - ESPN2 recognizes youth teams which register via MLSnet.com
• Opinion on MLS and Global Soccer Issues in Tommy Smyth's "IT'S YOUR GAME” segment
• Field access to players and analysis from Eric Wynalda from field level
• First half highlights and previews of other MLS Soccer Saturday action

Aside from the games televised on ABC and ESPN2, MLS regular season matches will also be broadcast on ESPN International, which reaches 147 countries and territories around the world.

ON-AIR Talent
JP Dellacamera - ABC Sports Play-by-Play - Prominent soccer voice JP Dellacamera made his MLS Cup debut at Gillette Stadium last October, and now returns as the lead commentator for Major League Soccer’s trio of ABC broadcasts. Now entering his third season in the MetroStars’ television booth, and bringing significant experience working soccer, basketball, and hockey telecasts over a well-respected career that has spanned 28 years, Dellacamera called his fifth consecutive men’s World Cup this past summer for ESPN, in addition to his duties with the MetroStars on MSG. Dellacamera’s storied soccer history with the ABC/ESPN networks includes MLS games in addition to the UEFA Champions League, EURO ’96, Italian Serie A and the last two Women’s World Cups. In addition, JP worked for three seasons as the TV voice of the Columbus Crew.

Rob Stone - ABC Sports Host / ESPN2 Play-by-Play - Stone returns for his sixth season as part of the national MLS package, after spending the League’s first two seasons on the Tampa Bay Mutiny’s regional broadcasts. Well-known for his various roles on ABC/ESPN’s soccer coverage since 1998, Stone hosted his fifth MLS Cup last fall and served as the host of World Cup Tonight during Korea/Japan, following a stint as the network’s lead reporter at World Cup France ’98. The former studio host of MLS ExtraTime, Stone has handled play-by-play and sideline reporting on many nationally-televised MLS broadcasts during the last five years, in addition to his work on ABC college football broadcasts. A native of Simsbury, Connecticut, Stone played collegiate soccer at Colgate University, where he was captain, all-conference and team MVP during his senior year.

Ty Keough - Lead Analyst, ABC / ESPN2 - Ty Keough returns for his eighth consecutive season as the lead analyst for MLS. The voice of the 2002 FIFA World Cup and U.S. National Team soccer on the Disney Networks has analyzed each of the 16 MLS Cup and All-Star Games in League history on ABC/ESPN. Keough’s career highlights have included working the 1990, 1994 and 1998 World Cups. He was also the men’s head coach at Washington University in St. Louis, Mo., for 10 seasons. In addition, the former NASL and MISL star was the co-captain of the U.S. National Team from 1977-80, which included his selection to the 1980 U.S. Olympic squad.

Eric Wynalda - Field Analyst, ABC / ESPN2 - The first man to hit the back of the net in MLS history, Eric Wynalda enters his first full season in broadcasting as the Field Analyst for MLS contests on ABC/ESPN2. A veteran of three World Cups (‘90, ‘94, ‘98), the former striker holds the all-time scoring record in U.S. National Team history with 34 goals in 106 appearances. The Honda/Futbol de Primera Player of the Decade for the ‘90’s, Wynalda was the youngest player to ever appear for the U.S. in the World Cup when he took the field in Italy in 1990, at the age of 21. Following an international club career which saw him play professionally in the German Bundesliga and in Mexico, Wynalda returned to the U.S. and joined the San Jose Clash in MLS’ inaugural season, and went on to play for the Miami Fusion, New England Revolution and Chicago Fire, scoring 34 goals and registering 37 assists in 98 career games.

Veronica Paysse - Halftime Features Reporter - Back for season two of her MLS career, the former Univision personality spent the 2002 MLS season covering the sideline and behind-the-scenes action for the League’s ESPN2 broadcasts. The recipient of significant acclaim for her features work during the FIFA World Cup 2002 Korea/Japan, Paysse is a former Miss Hispanidad 1998 and Miss Florida USA 2000 runner-up who was born in Montevideo, Uruguay, and moved to Miami when she was nine years old.

Tommy Smyth - “It’s Your Game” - A cult favorite among soccer purists for his eccentric descriptions of the sport, Smyth debuts as the host of the halftime feature “It’s Your Game.” Exploring soccer topics during each ESPN2 MLS broadcast, “It’s Your Game” is sure to invoke passionate debate among all types of fans from across the globe. Smyth enjoyed widespread acclaim for his appearances during World Cup Korea/Japan on ESPN’s “Pardon the Interruption.” Smyth joined ESPN in February 1993 as a soccer analyst for ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPN International, and has called matches from leagues all over the world, including World Cup 2002 and 1998 for ESPN and ESPN2 and thousands of international matches. He has also provided color commentaries on European championship qualifiers, the Copa Libertadores, the South American Super Cup, Brazilian national championships, the Dutch league, the Italian Super Cups and a multitude of World Cup qualifiers.

bEHIND THE SCENES
Michael Cohen - The Executive Producer and Head of Production for all MLS/SUM television production and programming, including nationally-televised MLS and World Cup telecasts on ABC, ESPN and ESPN2, Cohen works with League executives on negotiations of media contracts and development of innovative revenue-generating programming opportunities for the League. As the lead producer for ABC, ESPN and ESPN2's coverage of Major League Soccer since the League’s Inaugural Game in 1996, Cohen has produced more than 175 regular season and MLS Cup playoff games on a national basis. Cohen, a winner of multiple Emmy award winner, has also produced each of the six MLS All-Star games and was the producer for MLS Cups ‘96, ‘97, ‘98, ‘99 and the senior producer for MLS Cups 2000 and 2001.

Mitch Green - The veteran Emmy award-winning producer begins his second campaign as the Lead Producer for all national broadcasts on ABC and ESPN2 during the 2003 season. Prior to last season’s extensive MLS and World Cup slate, Green produced feature pieces for ABC Sports' telecasts of U.S. National Team games in preparation for and during World Cups 1994 and 1998. He also produced the game telecasts of U.S. National Team friendlies and World Cup qualifiers from 1996 through ABC/ESPN's coverage of World Cup '98, repeating the cycle of qualifiers for World Cup 2002 Korea/Japan.