Major League Soccer (MLS) began using the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) to review the following “high leverage” situations on Saturday, August 5: Goals, penalty kicks, straight red cards and mistaken identity.

The VAR was put to the test for the first time in MLS history during the 79th minute of the Philadelphia Union vs FC Dallas match, in which referee Ricardo Salazar order a video review of an apparent goal scored by Dallas forward Maximiliano Urruti.

Video Assistant Referee Hilario “Chico” Grajeda correctly nullified the goal after he determined that Dallas forward Cristian Colman had kicked Philadelphia goalkeeper John McCarthy in the groin.

The video clip below of the play in question is from the Philadelphia Union regional telecast on Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia, with J.P. DellaCamera and Tommy Smyth commentating:

Nicolas “Nico” Cantor, the son of the most famous soccer television announcer in the United States regardless of language, was hired by Univision Deportes in January 2017 as as the English-language play-by-play voice of Liga MX matches on the Univision Deportes Facebook page and Major League Soccer (MLS) matches on the Second Audio Program (SAP) of Univision Deportes Network (UDN).

Nico’s father, legendary Argentine sportscaster Andrés Cantor, was at the right place at the right time when he called all 52 FIFA World Cup USA 1994 matches in Spanish for Univision Network in the United States.

Millions of English-speaking sports television viewers in the U.S. who were dissatisfied with the telecasts on ABC Sports and ESPN (which assigned Roger Twibell to the #1 commentary team, ahead of both Ian Darke and Bob Ley) switched to Univision, which mastered the art of producing soccer television in the U.S. market to connect with and retain young male viewers (ages 12-25 and 18-34) over 30 years ago by combining the right amounts of information, passion, and fun. Univision Deportes has continuously refined its sports television products over the years without ever allowing its products to go stale.

Andrés Cantor left Univision in 2000 and crossed over to NBC Sports, where he called men’s and women’s soccer matches in English during the Sydney 2000 Olympics (with Alexi Lalas and Amy Allmann Griffin as co-commentators).

Andrés Cantor landed at Telemundo Deportes in 2001, where he has been calling soccer matches and anchoring Olympic coverage in Spanish ever since (Telemundo was acquired by NBCUniversal in late 2001 and started Spanish-language Olympic coverage in 2004.)

Nico is a first-generation American who was born in Miami, Florida 23 years ago. He attended New York University, where he earned his Bachelor of Arts Degree in Journalism and Romance Languages in May 2016.

World Soccer Talk had an opportunity to speak with Nico Cantor over a variety of topics before he departed for Russia for the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup.

World Soccer Talk: How did you land your opportunity to broadcast MLS and Liga MX matches in English for Univision Deportes?

Nico Cantor: Right after college, I started working with my dad’s radio company Fútbol de Primera (Radio), which had the rights to World Cup, Copa América, (CONCACAF) Gold Cup. The years before, every summer with my dad, I would get good opportunities broadcasting Gold Cups, doing sideline reporting. I had the chance to do mixed zone flash interviews. With each tournament, my responsibilities would get more important. After I graduated college, my father gave me a chance to broadcast soccer on the radio, in Spanish, together him during the Copa América Centenario Final. That was a very huge moment for me. After that summer, I stayed on the radio through December, on the daily soccer debate show Mondays through Fridays. I used that platform to catapult me into other mediums. I was learning from the best, the art of broadcasting soccer, in both languages. I have the best teacher, as I can learn anything I can from a legend of Spanish-language soccer broadcasting. I pick my dad’s brain all the time, and he loves helping me out. It is tough, constructive criticism, but it is the best. I take it as it is, because he wants to help me grow as much as I can. After that, I applied to a bunch of places. I landed the job at Univision and then they told me specifically that they want me to broadcast in English.

World Soccer Talk: How did you decide to become a professional broadcaster, in both English and Spanish? Did your father push you into it or did you decide to go into broadcasting on your own?

Cantor: It was almost inevitable that I would go into broadcasting. I remember since when I was little I would go into the studio with (my father). It was almost like a second nature for me. I would be in the booth, listening to him. It was a given that I wanted to be a sports broadcaster, mainly for soccer. My dad was such a big influence to me. He didn’t really push me into it. I just kind of followed his footsteps naturally into his field. I am trying to give it a different spin. Because I have my dad as a Spanish-language legendary broadcaster, I kind of take from him the best parts and then kind of adorn the English broadcast with it. Everyone has his own style. I feel like on English-language broadcast from an Hispanic perspective or insight can work wonders in the United States especially when second generation Hispanics are beginning to listen to soccer broadcasts regularly in English.

World Soccer Talk: What advice did your father give you before you started broadcasting professionally for an entity other than Fútbol de Primera Radio?

Cantor: Practice, practice, and practice. My dad told me that I need to hone in and own the play-by-play.

World Soccer Talk: What did you learn from your father’s experience calling Sydney 2000 Olympic football matches in English for NBC Sports?

Cantor: I feel like when my father was at the Sydney Olympics, his English was much worse than what it is now. His broadcasts were like a translation from Spanish into English. On a day I do an English broadcast, I wake up in the morning and I listen to radio in English and read aloud in English so that I will have the right mindset to broadcast in English.

World Soccer Talk: We have noticed that you are experimenting with different ways to call matches in English. You did the Latin American long “gooooooooool” call several weeks ago right up to the San Jose vs Los Angeles Galaxy match on May 28, but you stopped doing the long “gooooooooool” call as of the Portland vs San Jose match on June 2. Can you tell us why you stopped doing the long “gooooooooool” call?

Cantor: The long “goooooooool” call is very Hispanic. It is for an audience who have reserved their ears for the call. I haven’t necessary abandoned the long “gooooooool” call during MLS broadcasts. I want to pick the right moment to do it, maybe when an Hispanic player scores a game winner in the 90th minute so that I can emphasize the greatness of the moment. I don’t want to sound so obnoxious to do the long “goooooooool” call with each goal.

World Soccer Talk: You used the Bob Ley short “Goal!” call during the Portland vs San Jose match on June 2, and you used the Marv Albert/Lisa Byington “Yes!” call during the Chicago vs Atlanta match on June 10. Have you settled on a preferred way to call goals yet in English? If so, which call will you use?

Cantor: I feel that the moment dictates how I will call the goal. I have been influenced by so many broadcasters inside and outside the United States. As a broadcaster, I am a reflection of what is happening during a game. Hopefully, I keep on perfecting my broadcasting style.

World Soccer Talk: Your father supported Argentine club Boca Juniors all his life and you seemed to have followed his passion for the club. Can you explain why you support Boca?

Cantor: I am a diehard Boca fan. When I was nine-ten years old, Boca was experiencing their most successful tenure with coach Carlos Bianchi. That’s when I wanted to be a Boca fan. When I studied abroad in Argentina, I would go every weekend to La Bombonera stadium (in the La Boca neighborhood of Buenos Aires). That’s where I found my intense passion for Boca.

World Soccer Talk: Can you tell us how you and your father landed the opportunity to star together in the Volkswagen Golf GTI TV commercial in 2014?

Cantor: Heh, heh, yeah! That was really fun. That was my summer of fame among my friends. Credit goes to my dad’s agent (Raul Mateu of Fluent Media Group). He really hooked one up for me when I was in college.

World Soccer Talk: Best of luck in your future endeavors. We will keep watching and listening as we track your progress. Thank you very much for your time.

Here at World Soccer Talk, we will continue to take the lead by identifying the new generation of candidates for soccer television commentary positions on major national television networks in the United States, with particular emphasis on English-language broadcasts.

In March 2013, we identified John Strong as the best home-grown English-language soccer play-by-play commentator and we voiced our opinion to FOX Sports President and COO Eric Shanks, who had assigned Gus Johnson to the number one soccer play-by-play position instead.

Shanks decided to end the Gus Johnson experiment in September 2014 and promoted Strong from freelancer to the #1 soccer play-by-play position in January 2015.

Since then, a new generation of aspiring American play-by-play broadcasters, both men and women, have used Strong as a template for calling soccer matches as they develop and hone their broadcasting skills.

Six weeks ago, we identified injured U.S. Men’s National Team and Los Angeles Galaxy midfielder Jermaine Jones as a potential candidate for a television studio pundit role at FOX Sports.

Jones made his debut as a guest studio pundit for FOX Sports during the Mexico vs United States World Cup qualifying matches at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City on June 11.

World Soccer Talk will continue to track Jones’ progress as a television studio pundit as his playing career is expected to wind down after World Cup Russia 2018.

On Sunday June 18, FOX Sports Executive Producer of World Cup Soccer David Neal made a late substitution by replacing former U.S. Men’s National Team member Brad Friedel with former U.S. Women’s National Team member and two-time Olympic Gold Medalist Aly Wagner as co-commentator/match analyst to call the Cameroon versus Chile FIFA Confederations Cup 2017 match on FS2.

Wagner called the match with her usual FOX Sports women’s soccer broadcast partner JP DellaCamera from a sound booth at FOX Sports’ Pico Boulevard production facility in Los Angeles. The telecast was Wagner’s first experience calling a men’s international soccer match on a nationally-distributed U.S. television network.

Video clip from the Chile-Cameroon telecast on FS2:

Besides calling the Cameroon versus Chile match, Wagner has appeared on Confederations Cup Tonight shows on FS1 on evenings after matches, as well as the Confederations Cup Preview Show which first aired on the FOX Network on June 3. Her analysis of Portuguese striker Cristiano Ronaldo as a “scientist” is one example of how she uses her people-reading skills to make an astute observation, which she was able to communicate and inform viewers.

Video of Wagner’s analysis of Cristiano Ronaldo:

Wagner’s rise as a soccer analyst on U.S. English-language television has been meteoric. Not only has she been promoted at FOX Sports from the #4 broadcast team during FIFA Women’s World Cup Canada 2015 to the #1 women’s soccer broadcast team since 2016, she was selected as the primary match analyst for the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) weekly telecasts on Lifetime during the 2017 season. During the autumn, she calls women’s college soccer matches for PAC-12 Networks.

Wagner’s life away from the television booth may be even more impressive than her professional life, as she is able to manage time efficiently as a very busy working mother of 4 very young children, a set of triplet 4-year-old boys and an 18-month-old daughter.

Wagner’s former teammate at the U.S. Women’s National Team and Santa Clara University, Danielle Slaton, who works as a touchline reporter and field level analyst during San Jose Earthquakes Major League Soccer regional telecasts on NBC Sports Bay Area and NBC Sports California, uses the words “overachiever” and “incredible mom” to describe Wagner in an introduction video welcoming Wagner to the San Jose Sports Hall of Fame in 2016.

Will FOX Sports offer Wagner additional opportunities to call men’s soccer matches during the 2017-2018 season, such as UEFA Europa League matches on FS1 and FS2 on Thursdays, which FOX Sports will use to evaluate announcers for possible assignments to call FIFA World Cup Russia 2018 matches a year from now?

If Wagner were able to earn an assignment to call FIFA World Cup Russia 2018 matches for FOX Sports, she will be able to cap off her remarkable ascent by becoming the first woman to call men’s World Cup matches on television in the U.S., regardless of language.

World Soccer Talk will continue to track Wagner’s progress during the next 12 months, as we wish her the very best.

Photo credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Here at World Soccer Talk, we have taken the lead in identifying the next generation of television broadcasters who will be “driving the bandwagon” by connecting with new viewers in their own unique ways to continue to grow the American soccer community.

We first identified John Strong in March 2013 as the best homegrown play-by-play commentator who has dedicated himself to professional soccer at all levels as his first priority. Strong’s ability to incorporate elements from three different styles of commentary (British, American, and Latin American) into his own, plus his hard work and his dedication to improving his craft with each broadcast, has earned him respect among the viewers. FOX Sports executives Eric Shanks and John Entz made the correct decision to hire Strong in January 2015 as their primary soccer play-by-play announcer.

We recently identified CNN International World Sport anchor and correspondent Kate Riley as the odds-on favorite to win the studio host position for Turner Sports’ U.S. English-language coverage of the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Super Cup starting August 2018, likely to air on truTV. Fun, friendly, and informative, Riley has shown with her work for World Sport during the past year that she is mastering many of the skills and techniques that the most gifted broadcasters possess. In many ways, Riley reminds me of one of the best American sports television reporters of all time regardless of gender, legendary NFL Network and HBO Sports correspondent Andrea Kremer, when Kremer first started working at ESPN 28 years ago.

With the recent departure from ESPN of studio pundit and co-commentator Tommy Smyth, we have begun the process to identify the next great American soccer TV studio pundit. We are looking for someone who is fearless, outspoken, and controversial. We did not have to wait very long to identify him.

In a recent podcast at ESPNFC.com, ESPN personalities Max Bretos and Herculez Gomez interviewed U.S. Men’s National Team and Los Angeles Galaxy defender Jermaine Jones. The son of an American father and a German mother, this former Bundesliga “Bad Boy” was dubbed the “filthiest player in Germany” by German news television network n-tv before he moved stateside to make his living in Major League Soccer (MLS).

Because Jones has become the “Alexi Lalas” of the current generation of USMNT players in more ways then one, Jones will be the perfect studio pundit for any U.S. TV network if and when he decides to hang up his boots.

The following excerpts from Jones’ interview with Max Bretos and Herculez Gomez (beginning at the 18:05 mark) have definitely riled up the American soccer community, from the hardcore fanatics to the casual observers:

The criticism is always on me. Everybody tries it, if we lose the game, they always try to find the next guy who can play for Jermaine. It is never somebody else, it is always me. I’ll be honest: That p***es me off, where I say, ‘Wait a minute — when we play the big tournaments, I’m almost or always the best player on the field for this country.’ But then at the end of the day, they try to kick me out when we lose games. That’s not fair.

People hate and try to find mistakes when you lose games. To me, the point is what I’ve said always: Bring me the guy who is better at that position and show that week to week in the league, against me, against other teams. I respect it and I say, ‘If he’s better, I step away.’ I’m 35 — I can step away and say I had a good career. But right now, if you be honest, ask my teammates, ask the people inside. There’s nobody who can take my spot.

If I go to the national team right now, name me a player who has more Champions League games, who played in the highest levels — name me one. I am not a legend. My name is always [highlighted] when we lose, but all other guys are legends.

I want that the people respect me for what I did. They respect Timmy (Howard), they respect Clint (Dempsey), they respect all of the people. I have no problem when you want to criticize me when I play a bad game. But if you want to go against me and say I’m a poor player and all kind of stuff, I’m sorry man, but there’s nobody in that national team who have the same games and have the same success where I’ve been.

I’ve played over 15 years in Europe at a high level. Not 10, not five years, not one year. But sometimes it’s tough to look at numbers. I’m a German-American and maybe not a full American that you can sell like a product.

As one would expect, the most fearless former USMNT member-turned soccer TV studio pundit of his generation, Alexi Lalas, went into full “campaign mode” for Jermaine Jones during the pre-match show of the FOX Network broadcast of Orlando City vs Los Angeles Galaxy on April 15:

“I love Jermaine. I want Jermaine Jones on my team. He is big, bold. He is beautifully arrogant at times, but that’s what you want in a villain. Is he a pain in the neck sometimes? Yeah. But you know what, I like these big, bold personalities. Jermaine Jones is a gamer. When it comes down to it, Jermaine Jones delivers.”

Was Lalas talking about Jermaine Jones the soccer player?

Or was Lalas really lobbying his bosses at FOX Sports to bring Jones into the studio as his debate opponent sometime in the near future?

We know the following:

We know that FOX Sports produces most of its soccer studio shows from its Pico Blvd. facility in the Century City section of Los Angeles.

We know that Jones has chosen Los Angeles as his new permanent home, as he and his wife, former Miss Germany Sarah Gerth, have purchased a mansion for themselves and their five children.

SEE MORE: FOX to broadcast Chelsea-Arsenal FA Cup Final followed by Seattle-Portland derby

We also know that the general manager of FS1, Jamie Horowitz, loves to launch shows with outspoken and controversial personalities engaging in fiery and passionate sports debates.

Can you imagine the fireworks that could go off if Lalas and Jones were paired in the same studio?

Could we be watching ‘Lalas and Jones No Holds Barred’ on FS1 sometime in the future?

Only time will tell.

While many English-language sportswriters and sports business reporters in the U.S. were caught by surprise by Turner Sports’ $180 million winning bid for the U.S. English-language media rights for the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Europa League for August 2018-May 2021, this seemingly bold move by Turner Sports appears to this long-time observer of the U.S. sports media business to be part of a plan that was formulated by Turner Sports executives at the start of this decade.

Ever since Turner Sports won the rights in April 2010 to the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball tournament in a joint bid with CBS Sports, Turner Sports has been looking for another sports TV product with a predominately young male audience (ages 18-34) to bolster truTV, which aired its first live sports event with four “First Four” basketball games from University of Dayton Arena in March 2011. (Some readers may recall that former British Prime Minister David Cameron attended one of the “First Four” basketball games in Dayton as a guest of former U.S. President Barack Obama, and that Cameron alluded to the similarities between the NCAA basketball tournament and the English F.A. Cup in an interview conducted by truTV basketball co-commentator Clark Kellogg.)

Sportswriter Jon Wilner of San Jose Mercury News wrote the following on March 11, 2011 in his College Hotline blog:

Turner’s involvement with the NCAA Tournament — specifically: its interest in building TruTV — indicates that it may come to the negotiating table (for PAC-12 Conference media rights), perhaps with a partner.

Described by one source as being “as hungry as anyone,” Turner is well aware (through its experience with the NBA on TBS/TNT) that showing live sports content allows it to charge more for subscriber fees.

Having one week of college basketball on truTV each year is clearly NOT enough for Time Warner, the parent company of Turner Broadcasting and Turner Sports, to charge a premium monthly subscriber fee for truTV, in comparison to Turner Broadcasting’s entertainment TV channels with live sports coverage, namely TNT, which airs National Basketball Association regular season and playoff games, and TBS which airs Major League Baseball regular season and playoff games:

Source: SNL Kagan

Since 2011, Turner Sports had several opportunities to submit bids for video rights to sports properties with young male audiences, namely “Power 5” college football and basketball products, but Turner Sports had not been successful in landing the rights to any of those properties.

However, a shift in programming priorities at FOX Sports, which held the U.S. English-language (and Spanish-language) video rights to the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Europa League since August 2009, gave Turner Sports the opening to land a live sports TV product to bolster truTV.

Specifically, FOX Sports hired former NBC and ESPN production executive Jamie Horowitz to run FOX Sports’ English-language U.S. networks FS1 and FS2. Horowitz, who was credited with launching “manufactured debate” sports talk programs at the ESPN networks such as First Take and SportsNation, spent millions of dollars to hire sports talk talent away from competitors. High-profile talent hired by Horowitz include Colin Cowherd (who moved his show The Herd to air on FS1 on weekdays at 12 noon-3pm Eastern Time starting September 2015) and Doug Gottlieb (who has signed with FOX Sports to move his show from CBS Sports Network to FS1 on weekdays at 3pm-6 pm Eastern Time starting April 24, 2017.)

With FOX Sports having committed sizable programming and talent investments to build FS1 as a destination for sports talk and manufactured debate shows on weekday afternoons, this observer believes that the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League properties no longer make any sense for FOX Sports, from both a financial perspective and a programming perspective.

After all, why would FOX Sports want to spend another $50-60 million each year for the two UEFA club properties, which would conflict with both the Colin Cowherd and Doug Gottlieb shows and would force FS1 to preempt both shows 42 times each season?

With the knowledge that FOX Sports executives would NOT make a large bid for the U.S. English-language video rights to the two UEFA club properties, Turner Sports executives acted on the perfect opportunity to grab a live sports TV product with a young demographic that will allow Time Warner to raise monthly subscribe fee for truTV.

If Time Warner were able to raise the monthly subscriber fee for truTV by six cents each month, from $0.10 to $0.16, then Time Warner will be able to generate an additional $62.4 million in annual subscriber fee to pay for the U.S. English-language video rights to the UEFA club properties:

$0.06 /subscriber/month x 12 months/year x 86.8 million subscribers = $62.4 million/year

Readers should be able to convince themselves that Turner Sports will most likely put on truTV the best UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League matches in both the 1pm Eastern (new for the UEFA Champions League starting August 2018) and the 3pm Eastern time slots, namely those matches featuring billion-dollar starting lineups by the likes of Real Madrid, Barcelona, and big English Premier League clubs with proven audience drawing power in the U.S. such as Manchester United.

As for the secondary matches in each time slot, this observer believes that Turner Sports will put those matches on HLN, the channel formerly known as Headline News. Ever since re-branding Headline News into HLN in 2014 to target the “social media generation”, Turner Broadcasting has tried several programming initiatives, one of which was to put live sports programming on HLN for the first time in 2016 when Turner Sports used HLN to provide “overflow” coverage of NBA playoff games to HLN when the first game of a scheduled doubleheader on TNT ran over its allotted time.

While some readers of this article may be disappointed that Turner Sports is NOT likely, in my opinion, to use either TNT or TBS for UEFA Champions League or UEFA Europa League coverage, readers should be able to understand why Turner Sports would rather put the UEFA club properties on truTV and HLN. The reasons are similar to the reasons why ESPN put the UEFA Champions League on ESPN2 instead of ESPN in 1994-2005, and why FOX Sports moved the best UEFA Champions League matches from the FOX Sports regional networks and FX to FOX Soccer Channel shortly after FOX Sports started coverage of the UEFA Champions League in 2008.

As for the production aspects, because Turner Sports already has experience running NBA TV (under contract with the NBA) on a tight budget by taking the commentary feeds from various regional sports networks instead of sending its own talent to live NBA games airing on NBA TV, one would expect Turner Sports to follow that model with the UEFA club properties by using the world feeds produced by the production company under contract with UEFA. FOX Sports has been using those world feeds from London-based Input Media for the UEFA Champions League since August 2015 (after Sky Sports lost the rights in the U.K.).

One of the strengths of Turner Sports has always been its studio shows. Specifically, the studio shows for NBA on TNT with Emmy Award-winning host Ernie Johnson, Jr. and an A-List cast of rotating studio analysts such as Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith, and Shaquille O’Neal, are widely perceived to be the gold standard for studio shows on U.S. sports television.

One would expect Turner Sports to devote significant resources to build its studio show for the UEFA Champions League property. Many English-speaking candidates with experience playing in the UEFA Champions League now live in the U.S. are available for Turner Sports to select as pundits.

SEE MORE: Who Turner Sports should hire for Champions League TV coverage

As for the studio host for the UEFA Champions League on Turner Sports, even though Johnson was involved with TNT’s coverage of FIFA World Cup 1990, this observer does NOT believe Turner Sports executives will ask Johnson to take on the additional duties, primarily because Johnson is way too busy with his excellent work on NBA on TNT.

This observer believes that Turner Sports will select a young presenter, likely under the age of 35, with significant on-camera experience with major international soccer as a studio host, news presenter, interviewer, and correspondent. Turner Sports can choose from many candidates, both male and female, many of whom are already based in the U.S.
One very strong candidate for this studio host position was hired by Turner Broadcasting less than two years ago to anchor World Sport on CNN International and CNN Airport Network.

English-American sports TV news presenter Kate Riley moved to Atlanta to join CNN in June 2015, after having worked for Sky Sports, Premier League Productions/IMG Sports Media, and the BBC among other media outlets in the U.K. Riley was born in Bakersfield, California to an English father and an American mother. She spent her teenage years in Ipswich, England; she studied Geography at Leicester University; and she earned her master’s degree in Broadcast Journalism from Cardiff University in Wales.

Readers can watch Kate Riley’s recent work for CNN on the news channel’s website. Plus, Riley has posted on YouTube her demo reel from 2015, featuring her work for Sky Sports and BBC.

Riley also posted a video clip of her ALS Ice Bucket Challenge in 2014 on YouTube. This video clip should give the reader an idea of Riley’s personality.

If Turner Sports were to follow the recent trend of major U.S. sports media outlets hiring young female studio hosts with significant experience covering major international soccer (examples include Rebecca Lowe at NBC Sports, Kate Abdo at FOX Sports, and Kay Murray at beIN SPORTS) then Riley is obviously the odds-on favorite for the role of studio host for UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League coverage for Turner Sports, as Riley is already employed by Turner Broadcasting.

This observer puts the probability of Riley being offered the studio host role by Turner Sports for UEFA Champions League coverage at 80%.

If Riley were indeed given the additional duties, then her selection by Turner Sports executives would certainly generate news headlines.

Ever since I started watching soccer on English-language U.S. television regularly in August 1994 (as a replacement for Major League Baseball, which had a player strike and had to cancel the World Series that year), I have always believed that the development of home-grown North American sportscasters is one small but essential element to the growth of soccer as a televised sports entertainment product.

Through the 13 years (1995-2007) I spent running soccerTV.com, the 5 years (2002-2006) I spent on the voting panel of the Fútbol de Primera Radio U.S. Player of the Year Award, and through several freelance sports reporting opportunities (the last soccer match I covered was Match #2 of the infamous “loser goes of business” 2001 Major League Soccer (MLS) Semifinal series between the San Jose Earthquakes and the Miami Fusion), I have interacted with North American sportscasters and sports television executives who are involved with soccer coverage.

Over the years, I have gone out of my way to offer unsolicited, constructive advice to these professionals, starting in late 1994 when I left two messages in the voice mailbox of an ESPN play-by-play announcer who had difficulty pronouncing French and German names during UEFA Champions League telecasts, continuing through the past decade (example), and more recently to several Canadian broadcasters who were involved with the production of FOX Soccer Report from Winnipeg, Manitoba.

SEE MORE: CONCACAF Cup: Mexico’s defense looks surprisingly settled ahead of USA playoff.

For the first time in 21 years, I have finally noticed what I believe to be a team of home-grown North American soccer broadcasters who can match the quality of many British-born announcing teams.

I watched the FOX Sports 1 broadcasts of both the San Jose Earthquakes vs Real Salt Lake and the Seattle Sounders vs Los Angeles Galaxy MLS matches on the past two Sundays. Even though neither match was what one would consider to be an example of the so-called “beautiful game,” I watched both matches live in their entirely because I wanted to listen to what the broadcast team of John Strong, Alexi Lalas, and Julie Stewart-Binks had to say.

SEE MORE: FOX Sports hires John Strong as commentator to strengthen its soccer coverage.

Ever since John Strong started broadcasting soccer at the national sports network level a few years ago, I have noticed the quality of his play-by-play commentary. When FOX Sports President/COO/Executive Producer Eric Shanks experimented with Gus Johnson in 2013, I emailed Mr. Shanks the following:

“While I fully understand the reason you assigned Gus Johnson to call high-profile soccer matches (and I respect Johnson for taking on reputation risk by venturing into soccer), FOX Sports already has an American soccer announcer that the hardcore audience likes and respects: John Strong (who calls CONCACAF Champions League and UEFA Europa League matches). I know several die-hard American soccer consumers (including but not limited to British-Americans), notably WorldSoccerTalk.com publisher Christopher Harris, who like what Strong has brought to the American soccer community: a young professional broadcaster who works hard and respects the audience.”

To his credit, Mr. Shanks listened to his audience. He and FOX Sports EVP of Production John Entz signed John Strong to an exclusive agreement in January 2015 and assigned him to call high-profile soccer matches originating from stadiums in North America, including MLS, the CONCACAF Gold Cup, and the upcoming high-stakes CONCACAF Cup encounter between eternal rivals USA and Mexico.

As for Alexi Lalas, he has continued to deliver sharp and opinionated analysis since he arrived at FOX Sports in January 2015 after spending the past decade working for ESPN. Even if one were to disagree with his analysis or his opinion on certain topics, one would have to respect his fearless approach to soccer broadcasting, the same fearless approach he brought to the pitch when he played as a defender on the U.S. Men’s National Team during World Cup USA 1994.

Finally, to Julie Stewart-Binks, who cut her teeth as a sportscaster while she worked as a sports reporter and weekend sports anchor at CTV affiliate CKCK-TV in Regina, Saskatchewan. Having watched many of her sports reports (on her YouTube channel) for CTV and sister sports TV network TSN, I noticed her range of sports knowledge, her TV production stills, and her work ethic right away, as many of those reports were “one-man-band” efforts in which she worked by herself without a photographer or a field producer.

However, “JSB” had one major flaw, which she had to correct before she would be able to succeed at the national sports network level. In what was probably her worst performance of her career, she mispronounced at least 7 names during her only on-camera appearance on FOX Soccer Report from Winnipeg a few months before she moved on to CKCK-TV:

I understand that her on-camera performance on FOX Soccer Report cost her an opportunity to interview and audition with a niche start-up U.S. English-language soccer-centric sports TV network in the middle of 2012.

Fortunately for “JSB,” she landed in August 2013 at FOX Sports 1, a much bigger start-up sports TV network which offers a wider portfolio of sports TV products (most notably ice hockey, a sport which she grew up with as both a player and a spectator) that fully utilizes her versatility and range. When given the opportunity to be a touchline reporter, JSB studied enough soccer over the past two years to be able to ask coaches and players intelligent questions to the point where she has earned the respect of tough, but fair critics such as myself.

In my opinion, John, Alexi and Julie have now established themselves as the top home-grown North American soccer broadcasting team. As long as they continue to respect their audience, as long as they continue to work hard, and as long as they continue to raise the bar with each performance, they should remain at the top for years to come.

Many of us will have a choice of watching the USA vs Mexico CONCACAF Cup match on either FOX Sports 1 or Univision this Saturday October 10 (kickoff at 6:30pm Pacific/9:30pm Eastern.)

In the past, I would have chosen to watch a match of this magnitude on Univision in Spanish.

I will be watching FOX Sports 1 this Saturday.

Before you make your choice, please watch the “highlights” of the FOX Sports 1 broadcast of the Seattle vs Los Angeles MLS match from this past Sunday, and then decide for yourself:

A reliable industry source has informed me that former Canadian Women’s National Team, Vancouver Whitecaps Women, and UCLA women’s soccer player Kara Lang is under serious consideration by Rogers Sportsnet in Toronto for an anchor position on the new soccer newscast premiering September 1, 2012 at 10pm Eastern Time on FOX Soccer (U.S.) and Sportsnet World (Canada).

According to the source, Lang recently auditioned on camera as anchor of the new show.

According to Wikipedia, Lang is a native of Calgary, Alberta and grew up in Oakville, Ontario. She made her debut with the Canadian Women’s National Team in 2002 at the age of 15. She retired from all competitive soccer in January 2011 due to recurring knee injuries. You can see a video clip of her press conference where she announced her retirement from playing here (skip to minute 5:33).

Lang has worked for Rogers Sportsnet as an analyst and sideline reporter, covering multiple sports in Canada and the U.S. including women’s international soccer and NCAA men’s college basketball. She will be working as a soccer analyst for CTV in Canada during London 2012.

About the author: Oliver Tse founded and operated soccerTV.com from 1995 to 2007 before selling the domain name and trademark at auction. Oliver also founded and operated Oliver Tse Management Group from 2006 to 2009 for the purpose of securing product endorsement opportunities for poker players and broadcast talent who appeared on televised poker events such as the World Series of Poker (WSOP) and World Poker Tour (WPT). Oliver can be reached via LinkedIn at http://www.linkedin.com/in/olivertse888

The new nightly international soccer newscast to be produced by Rogers Media in Toronto, Ontario, Canada for airing on FOX Soccer (USA) and SPORTSNET WORLD (Canada) is expected to premiere on Saturday September 1, 2012 at 10pm Eastern Time. The new show will replace FOX Soccer Report and SPORTSNET WORLD Connected.

About the author: Oliver Tse founded and operated soccerTV.com from 1995 to 2007 before selling the domain name and trademark at auction. Oliver also founded and operated Oliver Tse Management Group from 2006 to 2009 for the purpose of securing product endorsement opportunities for poker players and broadcast talent who appear on televised poker events such as the World Series of Poker (WSOP) and World Poker Tour (WPT). Oliver can be reached via LinkedIn at http://www.linkedin.com/in/olivertse888

Editor’s note: Earlier this week, FOX Soccer unveiled their Euro 2012 coverage plans with FOX Soccer Report being the main focal point of its coverage during June and early July. FOX Soccer also announced their Mobile Viewing Party (MVP) campaign for Euro 2012, where they’ll have a bus in 11 American cities. More info about MVP can be found here.

EXCLUSIVE: A reliable industry source has told me that Rogers Media in Toronto has been selected by FOX Sports Media Group to produce a yet-to-be-named soccer newscast, presumably starting October 1, for airing on FOX Soccer in the U.S. and Sportsnet World in Canada.

The new Toronto-based show will replace BOTH Fox Soccer Report and SportsNet World Connected.

My original source who gave me the tip that FOX Sports officials met with Rogers in Toronto in April was spot on.

Shaw Media will shut down the production of FOX Soccer Report from 201 Portage Avenue in Winnipeg by no later than September 30.