ESPN's Euro 2012 Lead Commentators Will Be Ian Darke, Derek Rae and Adrian Healey

ESPN has announced the lead commentators for its coverage of Euro 2012. For the English-language broadcasts, the commentators will be Ian Darke, Derek Rae and Adrian Healey. Meanwhile, the lead commentators for ESPN Deportes’s Spanish-language telecasts will be Fernando Palomo, Jorge Ramos and Ricardo Ortiz.

Ian Darke and a co-commentator to be announced (presumably Steve McManaman) will commentate on all of their Euro 2012 matches live on-site in Ukraine and Poland, beginning with the opening match all the way through to the final. A second English-language commentator team will travel to Poland-Ukraine for matches beginning in the quarter-final round.

Due to the sheer volume of matches during the one-month tournament, what this means is that some of the Euro 2012 games will be called off the monitor from ESPN’s headquarters in Bristol, CT.

The return of Derek Rae to US television will be a welcome one. Rae was particularly superb during the Euro 2008 tournament, as well as World Cup 2010. Rae currently commentates on the Scottish Premier League for ESPN UK, so it’ll be great news to hear him again for a whole month. As for Ian Darke and Adrian Healey, you’re know what you’re getting with both, which is an exceptional commentary peppered with stats and plenty of emotion.

Euro 2012 runs Friday, June 8 through Sunday, July 1, in Poland-Ukraine.

What’s your opinion about Darke, Rae and Healey being announced as lead commentators? Were you expecting more variety, or can those three do an adequate job throughout the tournament? Which co-commentators would you like to see them teamed with (which ESPN will announce soon)?