November 15, 2024
Apple and Major League Soccer add 31 broadcasters to MLS Season Pass team

Apple and Major League Soccer today announced a third wave of on-air personalities who will join MLS Season Pass, the unprecedented subscription service that launched Feb. 1 on the Apple TV app in more than 100 countries and regions.

Along with the 49 other dynamic storytellers who were previously introduced as part of the MLS Season Pass team, today’s 31 additional announcers are now part of one of the largest on-air talent groups for a single sports property. The first group had 18 announcers, while the second round had 31 announcers as well.

The full production plan, along with talent pairings and assignments, will be announced prior to the start of the MLS 2023 season, which begins February 25.

What is MLS Season Pass?

MLS Season Pass features live broadcasts and replays of every match of the MLS regular season, Audi 2023 MLS Cup Playoffs and Leagues Cup – all in one place with consistent match times and no blackouts. It will also feature pregame shows, a whip-around show that provides live look-ins from every match and features discussion from all the key moments, plus a postgame wrap-up to close each night. Learn more

All matches will feature commentary in either English or Spanish, while matches involving Canadian teams will also offer commentary in French. Pregame shows and the postgame wrap-up will be available in English and Spanish. Fans in the US and Canada will also have the option to select their home team’s radio for broadcast audio on the Apple TV app where available. Learn more

Andrés Agulla, who has been covering international soccer for more than two decades, joins the MLS Season Pass team as a Spanish language analyst. The Coronel Pringles, Argentina native joined ESPN in 2003 and served as a soccer analyst, covering the likes of UEFA Champions League, Europa League, Italian Serie A, La Liga, Bundesliga, FIFA World Cup, Euro Cup, Gold Cup, among others. He was nominated for an Emmy in 2016. Prior to ESPN, Agulla worked for Panamerican Sports Network, as the play-by-play voice for Formula 1 as well as the host and producer for Velocidad Maxima, a weekly F1 show. He began his broadcasting career at 13, working on local sports programs on Channel 5 and Channel 2 in his hometown. Five years later, he joined a Buenos Aires production company, Carburando, where he became a play-by-play announcer for F1, CART and TC2000.

Chelsea Cabarcas will serve as a Spanish language studio analyst for MLS Season Pass. She has worked as an in-stadium host for NYCFC matches and as an analyst for MSG’s coverage of the NWSL. She covered the 2022 FIFA World Cup as a Morning Breakfast Show host for 433 and Qatar Airways, interviewing legends every day and providing daily updates on matches. In 2016, Cabarcas was the video host for ONE World Sports and Cosmos TV, where she created feature packages and postgame interviews with New York Cosmos players and coaches, including the live postgame “Man of the Match” interview. Born in New York City and raised in an athletic Colombian family, she was a member of the Colombian U-17 women’s national team at age 15, and soon thereafter was invited to compete with the senior squad at the 2012 and 2016 Olympics.

Calen Carr, who serves as a match analyst for MLS Season Pass, played for eight seasons with the Houston Dynamo and Chicago Fire, winning the U.S. Open Cup and starting in two MLS Cup finals with Houston Dynamo, including scoring the opener in the 2012 final vs LA Galaxy. A native of Oakland, Calif., Carr makes regular appearances on Sky Sports News, and has worked outside of sports at outlets like VICE News. He is the host and producer of The Movement MLS docuseries that follows the unique and impactful stories on MLS soccer culture, available now on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.

Maximiliano Cordaro brings 20 years of sports journalism experience to MLS Season Pass, where he will serve as a Spanish language analyst. As a soccer analyst-commentator, he has experience covering some of the world’s biggest events such as FIFA World Cup, Copa América, UEFA Euro, Champions League, World Cup Qualifiers, Copa Libertadores, among others. Born in Italy and raised in Venezuela, Cordaro has worked for prestigious media outlets including Meridiano Televisión and Unión Radio in Venezuela, CNN, and Telemundo. As a reporter for CNN en Español in Europe, he covered the UEFA Champions League and covered the 2018 World Cup for DeltaTre. He came to the United States in 2019, serving as a producer and soccer analyst for Deportes CNN. He currently works as a sports anchor for Telemundo 48 in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Vincent Destouches, a well-known soccer voice in Canada, joins the MLS Season Pass team as a French-language analyst. He spent the previous eight seasons (2015-22) as CF Montréal’s color commentator for TVA Sports. He has also served as the lead soccer analyst for TVA Sports, covering more than 350 matches across Major League Soccer as well as the UEFA European Championship, Champions League, and Europa League. He has also been providing soccer commentary and stories for 98.5FM in Montréal since 2010 and has served as contributing reporter for L’actualité, a Canadian French-language news and general interest magazine since 2009.

Paul Dolan, a former Vancouver Whitecaps and Canadian national team goalkeeper and member of the Canadian Soccer Hall of Fame, was the youngest goalkeeper to play in a FIFA World Cup game at Mexico ’86. After retiring, he was an assistant/goalkeeper coach of Canada’s men’s national team and went into broadcasting calling USL games on FOX Soccer Channel and then MLS games on TSN and Sportsnet since 2011. He serves as a match analyst for MLS Season Pass.

Miguel Gallardo is a Spanish language analyst for MLS Season Pass after spending the last five seasons as an analyst and color commentator with Orlando City SC on FOX 35 Plus and ESPN+. He also covered matches for the Florida Cup International Series in both English and Spanish. Prior to going into broadcasting, Gallardo had a 12-year career as a goalkeeper for Tigres, UANL Mex 1A (Ascenso), Orlando City, and Jacksonville Armada.

Sonny Alejandro Guadarrama, known as Sonny G, is a Spanish language analyst for MLS Season Pass, who has served in the same capacity for Austin FC. A native of Austin, Texas, Guadarrama played for both the United States youth national team and Mexico’s youth national team, which led him to a successful 11-year professional stint in Liga MX. He returned to Texas in 2018 to play in the USL, first with San Antonio FC before closing out his career with Austin Bold from 2019-21. In 2022, he founded the Sonny Guadarrama Academy (SGA), providing a high-performance training and academic environment for Austin’s soccer youth.

Pablo Mariño, a native of Buenos Aires, Argentina, will serve as a Spanish language analyst. He has covered international soccer for more than 20 years, serving as a TV host and analyst for Univision, DIRECTV Sports Latin America, beIN Sports and Telemundo/Peacock; covering Liga Mx, LaLiga, the English Premier League, Serie A, Copa Oro, Copa América, Eurocopa, El Clasico and FIFA Men’s World Cups.

Tony Meola, a U.S. soccer legend, joins MLS Season Pass as an analyst after spending the previous three seasons as the color commentator on Chicago Fire FC’s local broadcasts. He has worked in broadcasting for FOX Sports, covering Major League Soccer and the 2018 FIFA World Cup, as well as beIN Sports’ coverage of Copa América. Born in Belleville, NJ, he is considered one of the greatest American players of all time. He made 100 appearances in goal for the U.S. men’s national team and was a member of three FIFA World Cup teams (1994, 1998 and 2002). Meola burst onto the MLS scene at the league’s birth in 1996, starring in goal for the New York MetroStars. Overall, he spent 11 years in MLS with New York and Kansas City. In 2000, Meola had a career year in which he swept nearly every honor available, including League MVP and Goalkeeper of the Year while leading Kansas City to the 2000 MLS Cup title. Before the formation of MLS, Meola played briefly in England for Brighton & Hove Albion and Watford.

Melissa Ortiz serves as an English and Spanish language studio analyst for MLS Season Pass. She worked at the 2022 FIFA World Cup as a digital analyst and host for FOX Sports and is currently a sideline reporter covering the U.S. men’s and women’s national teams for Warner Media. She also covered the CONMEBOL World Cup qualifiers in 2021. Born in West Palm Beach, Fla., Ortiz played collegiately at Lynn College, where she was the CSSC Player of the Year and Offensive Player of the Year before launching her professional career with Iceland’s KR Reykjavik in 2013. She was a standout with the Colombian women’s national team, making 28 appearances and two goals from 2009-16. Ortiz played in the 2010 FIFA U20 World Cup, the 2012 Summer Olympics, the 2014 CONMEBOL Copa America and helped Colombia qualify for the 2015 FIFA World Cup, 2015 Pan-American Games, and 2016 Rio Olympics. She was rostered to play in the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup, but an Achilles tear sidelined her for a year. She rejoined the national team for the 2016 Olympics as an alternate and played in the Colombian Women’s Professional League in 2017 before retiring and launching her full-time career in broadcasting.

Nigel Reo-Coker is a match analyst for MLS Season Pass. He joined the broadcast industry after a 16-year playing career, and has worked as a commentator for BBC, Sky Sports, and CBS Sports. Born in Southwark, London, Reo-Coker began his professional career in 2002 with Wimbledon before transferring to West Ham United in 2004. As team captain in 2004, he helped lead West Ham to promotion to the Premier League. He played eight seasons (2005-12) in the Premier League, making over 200 appearances and serving as team captain for the three teams he played for – West Ham United, Aston Villa and Bolton Wanderers. At the international level, Reo-Coker was the captain of England’s U-21 squad for the 2007 UEFA European Under-21 Championship. He was also in England’s standby squad for the 2006 World Cup. In 2013, he came to MLS where he played for the Vancouver Whitecaps, Montreal Impact and Chivas USA.

Walter Roque, born in Caracas, Venezuela, is a Spanish language analyst for MLS Season Pass. He has been in the media industry for more than 20 years, covering some of the biggest soccer events in the world, including two FIFA World Cups (2014 and 2018). He worked at DirecTV Sports from 2007-15 and has been working as a commentator for the Premier League and FIFA events on Telemundo since 2019. He covered South American qualifiers for the FIFA World Cups for radio and television, including Germany 2006, South Africa 2010, Brazil 2014, and Russia 2018. He also covered Copa América in Venezuela 2007, Argentina 2011, Chile 2015, USA Centenary 2016, FIFA U20 World Cup in Egypt 2009, Copa Libertadores, and Copa Sudamericana.

Carlos Ruiz, a native of Guatemala City, Guatemala, is a Spanish language analyst for MLS Season Pass. During his 22-year professional playing career, he established himself as a lethal goal scorer and the greatest player in his country’s history. Nicknamed El Pescado, he played for five MLS clubs, including the LA Galaxy, FC Dallas, Toronto FC, Philadelphia Union and D.C. United, scoring 88 goals in 182 regular season matches and his 16 postseason goals rank second in MLS history. His 133 appearances are the most ever for the Guatemalan national team and he is the all-time leading scorer with 68 goals, including a FIFA record 39 goals scored in World Cup qualification. In 2002, Ruiz was named MLS MVP and earned the Golden Boot Award (24 goals) after leading the Galaxy to its first MLS Cup title, scoring the winning goal in overtime. After retiring in 2016, Ruiz transitioned to the broadcast booth working for beIN Sports, Univision and Fútbol de Primera (radio), covering LaLiga, Ligue1, Süper Lig, Gold Cup, UEFA Nations League, Concachampions, Copa América, Copa Libertadores, Copa Sudaméricana, Concacaf Qualifications, CONMEBOL Qualifiers.

Claudio Suarez, one of the greatest players the Mexican national team has ever seen, comes to MLS Season Pass as a Spanish language analyst after working with FOX Deportes. Suarez, who earned the nickname “El Emperador” (The Emperor), spent 24 years as a defender with the Mexican national team and made 177 appearances, the third most all-time. He played in three FIFA World Cups (1998, 2006 and 2010) and missed a fourth (2002) due to injury. The Texcoco, Mexico native served as team captain and led Mexico to the 1999 FIFA Confederations Cup title. He also claimed Concacaf Gold Cup titles in 1993, 1996 and 1998. Suarez spent 18 years in the Mexican League with three league championships with three different clubs – Pumas, Chivas and Tigres before moving to Chivas USA of MLS from 2006-09. He retired in 2010 and was inducted into the Mexican Soccer Hall of Fame in 2014.

Greg Sutton brings a wealth of broadcasting experience to MLS Season Pass, where he serves as a match analyst. Sutton began his broadcasting career in 2013 as a match and studio analyst for TSN, covering MLS and international soccer. Born in Hamilton, Ontario, Sutton was a goalkeeper for the Canadian National Team from 2004-09. He played in three consecutive Gold Cups and helped Canada to the quarterfinals in the 2009 tournament. He played professionally in North America for 13 years, having suited up for five different MLS teams, including the inaugural seasons for Toronto FC and Montreal Impact.

Mariano Trujillo is a match analyst for MLS Season Pass. He has been a match and studio analyst for FOX Sports and FOX Deportes since 2013, providing coverage of the Concacaf Gold Cup, CONMEBOL Copa America, Liga MX and two FIFA World Cups (2018, 2022). As a player, Trujillo spent 15 years in Liga MX and played 284 matches, registering 35 goals and a pair of assists. He helped Santa Laguna win the summer season championship in 2001. He was a member of the Mexican national team in 2003. Trujillo played three seasons in Major League Soccer with Chivas USA from 2009-11 before finishing his career with Chiapas in 2013.

Martín Zuñíga, who earned the nickname “El Pulpo” (The Octopus) during his playing career as a goalkeeper, joins the MLS Season Pass team as a Spanish language analyst. He played 13 years, including 12 in Mexico’s first division where he won a Liga MX title with Chivas Guadalajara before completing his career in 2005 with Chivas USA. In 1997, he helped the Mexican national team finish third in Copa América. Following his playing career, he joined Azteca America’s coverage of the 2006 FIFA World Cup as an analyst. He later anchored Tu Show Deportivo and Vamos Galaxy for Time Warner Cable before joining FOX Deportes in 2009, serving as an analyst for MLS, Liga MX, Bundesliga, Cup of France, Liga Mx Femenil, Copa Libertadores, UEFA Champions League, and Serie A. Zuñíga earned an Emmy Award in 2012 for live special events with Spectrum Deportes.

Juan Arango, who has proven to be a versatile broadcaster, joins MLS Season Pass as a Spanish-language play-by-play announcer. During his career he covered three FIFA World Cups, four Copa Américas and five Concacaf Gold Cups as a commentator and pundit in two languages. After getting his start as a stringer in Argentina back in 2002, he joined Goal.com as a writer and eventually moved over to television at GolTV. In 2015, Arango became the first U.S.-born commentator to serve at an international tournament for a non-U.S. network when he joined Sportsmax in Jamaica. The following year, he was on duty in Spanish for the Copa América Centenario. In 2018, he served as an analyst with both Sportsmax and Diario SPORT (Spain) for the FIFA World Cup. A year later, he joined TUDN covering Champions League, Europa League, Liga MX and Major League Soccer in both English and Spanish. Arango is also the lead commentator for Copa Libertadores and the Argentine LPF as well as part of the Premier League’s Spanish world feed.

Olivier Brett, born in Quebec City, is a French language play-by-play announcer. Having started his broadcasting career with TVA Sports in 2011, he has become a leading figure of RDS’ soccer coverage since 2015. With over a decade of experience in French and English sports media, he has covered 11 seasons of MLS, four FIFA World Cups, the Euro, UEFA Champions League, the English Premier League, and La Liga.

Ed Cohen joins MLS Season Pass as a play-by-play announcer. He has served as the radio play-by-play voice and a fill-in TV voice of the New York Knicks for MSG Networks. He has also called matches as part of MSG’s coverage of the New York Red Bulls. In addition, Cohen called New York Cosmos games for both MSG and ONE World Sports. Cohen does play-by-play for the U.S. Open Tennis tournament and was part of NBC’s Olympic coverage in both 2016 and 2020. His work also includes college basketball play-by-play on CBS Sports Network and Big Ten Network.

Raul Guzman brings more than 25 years of experience to MLS Season Pass, where he serves as a Spanish language play-by-play announcer. Prior to MLS Season Pass, Guzman joined Univision in 2013, working as a host, commentator, and play-by-play announcer for MLS matches and other sports programming on Televisa, Univision, TUDN and VIX. Prior to his work as a broadcaster, Guzman spent 15 years in journalism with Grupo Reforma and Grupo Editorial Notmusa, serving as a reporter, regional director, and editorial director for various publications.

Jenn Hildreth is a versatile sports broadcaster with 20 years of experience in such roles as play-by-play, studio host and reporter. She handles play-by-play duties for MLS Season Pass. She has established herself as one of the top soccer announcers in the U.S., covering college telecasts for ESPN, including the annual NCAA Women’s College Cup, and has been a leading voice for the NWSL, which she’s called since 2015 on CBS Sports, ESPN, Lifetime and FOX Sports. Her international work includes play-by-play for FOX Sports’ coverage of the FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2015 & 2019; NBC Sports’ coverage of the 2020 Olympic Games (men’s and women’s); and ESPN’s coverage of UEFA Women’s Euro 2022, the US women’s national team and the Women’s International Champions Cup. Additionally, she has called MLS for FOX Sports and men’s college soccer for ESPN. A three-sport athlete at Emory University, she played goalkeeper on the soccer team and lettered in basketball and track & field. Beyond soccer, Hildreth’s experience includes play-by-play duties for college basketball, softball, and gymnastics as well as studio hosting and sideline reporting for the NBA, MLB, and college football.

Jose Hernandez, also known as “Don GoL,” is one of the most respected and well-known Spanish language play-by-play soccer announcers. A native of El Salvador, Hernandez has worked with ESPN, beIN Sports and TUDN/Univision, where he has covered some of the biggest events, leagues, and teams in the sport, including Major League Soccer, FIFA World Cup, UEFA Champions League, La Liga, Serie A, Europa League, Liga MX, Concacaf Champions League, European Cup, Copa América and Gold Cup. Hernandez was involved in 17 “El Clasico” matchups between Real Madrid and FC Barcelona during the time Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo were competing for those clubs. In 2018 he was selected as one of the 10 best announcers in the U.S. by the Spanish newspaper AS. Hernandez started in broadcasting in 1995 working for WUNI-TV27/Univision Boston. He also served as the voice of the New England Revolution Spanish Radio Network, where he called the first MLS Cup Final between DC United and LA Galaxy.

Tony Husband is a familiar voice in Major League Soccer, having served as the play-by-play commentator for Nashville SC’s broadcasts since 2020. Husband previously spent two decades with the BBC during which he commentated on the iconic BBC Sport production “Match of the Day.” The Royal Television Society award winner has also been a play-by-play announcer at the World Athletics Championships and a broadcaster on the Olympics, Wimbledon, NFL, and Major League Baseball.

Rodolfo Landeros brings deep experience as a play-by-play announcer to MLS Season Pass. During his career at FOX Sports, he has established himself as one of their most versatile performers with on-air roles across both Spanish and English language productions. He has been a host, play-by-play announcer and sideline reporter across MLS, Liga MX, and NFL for FOX Deportes. He has also worked multiple Super Bowls, including as host for all Super Bowl LIV coverage from Miami and FOX Deportes’ special ‘NFLeros’ show. Landeros was part of FOX Sports’ broadcast team at the 2022 and 2018 FIFA World Cup and served as a sideline reporter during the 2019 Concacaf Gold Cup and for U.S. men’s national team World Cup Qualifiers. Prior to joining FOX Sports, he worked for Univision Deportes where he provided extensive coverage of the Mexican national team, Liga MX, and the Concacaf Champions League. Before Univision, he spent five years as a reporter and commentator with Televisa Deportes where he covered the Mexican national team during the 2011 FIFA U-17 World Cup Mexico, as well as the 2012 Futsal World Cup in Thailand.

Moisés Linares, a 16-time Emmy Award winner, joins MLS Season Pass as a Spanish language play-by-play announcer. Linares has covered Major League Soccer as the play-by-play voice on radio and TV for DC United since 2014 on El Zol 107.9, Telexitos and NBC Sports Washington. He is also the Spanish voice for the NFL’s Washington Commanders. A first generation Salvadoran-American, Linares was born in Los Angeles after his family immigrated to the U.S. during the civil war in El Salvador in the 1980s. After graduating from California State University Northridge, he has worked in sports since 2008 and is a former reporter and anchor for Telemundo and NBC4 in Washington D.C.

Blake Price, born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, is a seasoned play-by-play broadcaster with more than 20 years of experience in radio and television. A graduate of UBC (English), and BCIT (Broadcast Journalism), Price began his career with Global TV’s Sportsline and SportsPage in Saskatoon and Vancouver, respectively. For 22 years, he worked on both the radio and television side of The Sports Network (TSN) in Canada, including as host of the primetime evening edition of “Sportscentre” and a decade-long run on the “Sekeres & Price” radio show. He also provided live play-by-play of Olympic and World Championship hockey and Canadian men’s rugby. In 2021, Price turned his radio show into a podcast (available on Apple podcasts) and has worked alongside Paul Dolan in the broadcast booth of “MLS on TSN.”

Ramses Sandoval joins the team as a Spanish play-by-play announcer after spending the last eight years with TUDN. Sandoval has served as a bilingual host and lead play-by-play voice for MLS for more than a decade as well as the lead announcer of the U.S. men’s national team with Univision. He also brings vast international experience, covering Liga MX, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Euros, Gold Cup, Concacaf Champions League, multiple World Cups and more.

Bruno Vain is a Spanish language play-by-play announcer for MLS Season Pass. He has been on the call for four FIFA World Cups, Summer Olympics, Champions League, and MLS. His career began in 1994 in his native country of Argentina with Rock & Pop Radio and Torneos y Competencias, a production company through which he hosted shows and broadcast games on Argentina’s major air and cable stations. In 2000, he was recruited by Panamerican Sports Network and relocated to the U.S., where he hosted “PSN Deportivo” and “NBA JAM” and was the main announcer for PSN’s NBA games. He has proudly logged more than 300 interviews with sports luminaries, including Diego Maradona, Michael Jordan, Shaquille O’Neal, Magic Johnson, and many others.

Chris Wittyngham is a play-by-play broadcaster for MLS Season Pass, having worked in Major League Soccer since 2017. The South Florida native initially joined Univision/TUDN’s English language coverage of MLS for SAP and has continued working on their weekly national game of the week as well as television and radio broadcasts for Inter Miami CF. Wittyngham, a graduate of the University of Miami, has covered soccer from all over the world for beIN Sports, ESPN+, and more.