What in the hell? I love Gus, and I love the World Cup, but don't follow soccer other than that. I don't know how soccer fans feel about Gus doing soccer games, but this doesn't seem like a good fit at all.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/soccer/news/20130205/gus-johnson-world-...
I love Gus Johnson
Euro 2012 was great
Euro 2012 was great.
I even liked Bob Levy with Ballack and Lalas with the studio coverage.
Ian Darke and Martin Tyler are the gold standard right now for soccer commentators.
For the love of Goc, no more Taylor Twellman.
Greetings from Bolivia.
"It's special how the real true people hang together. And if you don't support the program you're not a true Michigan guy. It's that simple." - Gary Moeller
All British announcers all the time.
No one can convey the game to both enthusiasts and uninitiated alike like they can, IMO.
"Everyone gets dumped Gabe. Let me give you some advice: a little coverup on your Adams Apple will make it appear smaller. Which will make you appear less like a transvestite."
Ian Darke should be an
Ian Darke should be an honorary American for this call.
Greetings from Bolivia.
"It's special how the real true people hang together. And if you don't support the program you're not a true Michigan guy. It's that simple." - Gary Moeller
Goosebumps
I get goosebumps still watching this.
2013 will be the year.
I wake up at 7 AM every
I wake up at 7 AM every Saturday for Darkey and Macca. They are the best broadcasters in soccer that ESPN has to offer.
On the other hand
If we ever expect soccer to become Americanized, hearing it exclusively in European accents doesn't help.
*
I don't know all that much about it, but I loved listening to Ian Darke last World Cup. The absolute WORST is that Dellacamera guy or whatever his name is. He calls the game like a really bad American football announcer.
"That's some catch, that Catch-22," he observed.
"It's the best there is," Doc Daneeka agreed.
Just be thankful Dave O'Brien
Just be thankful Dave O'Brien didn't last more than one World Cup. Heck, even one was too much.
I remember when he did the
I remember when he did the World Cup for the cup before the last one. ESPN did a good job last World Cup with Darke, Adrian Heatley, and Martin Tyler.
For me, I'd prefer a British voice, then Spanish (even though my ability to properly comprehend the Spanish language eroded years ago after I graduated from High school), then American. But if I want an American to call the game, it would be Gus.
Gus is also new...but I feel like this will be different from the O'Brien fiasco. For one, Johnson is being "groomed" and is conducting copious amounts of research at the moment to prepare for the role. The WC he'll be calling isn't for some time, so one would hope that he would be properly prepared when it does commence.
Is he the guy who tries to
Is he the guy who tries to give "native" pronunciations of Spanish and Portuguese names and ends up sounding like he has phlegm in his throat? That guy is annoying.
Max Bretos?
Max Bretos?
Blasphemy.
Blasphemy.
I don't think it's an awful
I don't think it's an awful idea, to be honest. Most of the American viewers of the world cup wont know much about soccer, so it doesn't matter that Gus doesn't know that much either, especially if he gets paired with a good commentator. I would prefer we just leave it to the pros and use european guys, but if Fox is set on using american commentators who don't know much (and from watching Fox Soccer they sure as hell seem to be), may as well be Gus. If he learns enough about the sport to commentate well he could bring a lot of excitement to the game.
COYS and lets go Detroit FC!
Being set on American commentators
who don't know much is the problem though. ESPN has proven that you can put on world-class coverage of major soccer tournaments, and still get really good ratings, by using knowledgable pros and taking the sport seriously. Using Gus Johnson is just going to piss off a huge portion of the people who are actually likely to tune in to significant portions of the World Cup.
There is no time, sir, at which ties do not matter.
I understand, and agree
I understand, and agree completely. As a big soccer fan I'd love to hear some real commentators, and Fox could make that happen easily. However, I still understand the move. Big time soccer fans are going to watch regardless, even with a less informed american commentator. Less interested viewers may be turned off by commentators with thick british accents talking in terms they don't understand, and for the World Cup that's going to be like 90% of the american audience. I'd love a real commentator, but if it's going to be an uninformed american I'd love for that uninformed american to be Gus Johnson.
COYS and lets go Detroit FC!
I dunno
I think he's too shouty for soccer. As a friend just pointed out, he's going to be like the Spanish commenter from the Simpsons, shouting "HOLDS IT!"
There is no time, sir, at which ties do not matter.
GGGOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL
Too shouty for soccer?
"I love him, he's a great coach, he's a great mentor, he's a great friend. He's every single thing you want a college coach to be, and he does it flawlessly." -David Molk
Yeah, I think this is right.
Yeah, I think this is right. I have no doubt he can learn the game, he's got five years and has already been calling MLS games. I just think Johnson, like most American announcers, are taught to fill dead air, when a lot of time there's not a lot going on in a soccer game. At those times, the announcer needs to be more conversational. At other times, he just needs to convey the barest information, who the ball is passed to, and then he needs to explode in excitement or disgust when something happens.
Gus's mode is pretty much shouty all the time. He's perfect for NCAA basketball, particularly the tournament, when you're often tuning in for the end of the game. Or for boxing. But I fear that he's so trained in calling sports with more constant action that he won't let the game breathe. For example, can you imagine Gus Johnson calling a baseball game?
I'll never really understand
I'll never really understand why Ray Hudson doesn't do major network soccer broadcasts. He is outstanding. Think Gus Johnson's energy but more opinionated and colorful.
Disgruntled former moderator. I got a lot of problems with you people!
Oh man
I can't stand Ray Hudson. He makes games on Bein Sport unwatchable. Phil Schoen would be fine as the play-by-play guy if they have to use an American though. He actually knows the game.
There is no time, sir, at which ties do not matter.
I think he's tremendous.
I think he's tremendous. Different strokes for different folks, I guess.
Disgruntled former moderator. I got a lot of problems with you people!
I like him...
... but I can see why people don't. He is a little like Dick Vitale.
Do Something. If it works, do more of it. If it doesn't, do something else.
If anything, Gus and Ray are
If anything, Gus and Ray are more like each other. Both can be hilarious, both have immense passion, and both are extremely fun to listen to. Vitale is just straight up trash. He has had the same one liner for the last 25 years. Hudson has a hundred one liners.
My favorite Hudson figure of
My favorite Hudson figure of speech, referencing Messi's tenacity: "LIKE A ZOMBIE HUNTER LOOKING FOR A TWINKIE"
Hudson honestly seems like he
Hudson honestly seems like he is trying to hard. I agree with the posters above, if Fox wants to be successful, just copy ESPNs coverage of Euro 2012.
Ray Hudson is the truth. All
Ray Hudson is the truth. All you Ray haters annoy me. Nobody calls a game like him. I literally laugh my ass off for 90 minutes. He gets away with saying the most outlandish Stuff during games. Favorite Ray quote as coach at DC as to why his team couldn't score, "without penetration, it's masterbation. And we were just playing with ourselves out there, man". How can can you hate that shit, it is hilarious.
I think Fox soccer should hire Gus and Ray.
I miss Ray almost as much as
I miss Ray almost as much as I miss the la liga games with their move to BeIN. sadface.
Damn, Gus has to be one of
Damn, Gus has to be one of the most versatile sportscasters in the game today.
He's done basketball, football, hockey, boxing, MMA, and now soccer.
HOKEAMANIA RUNNIN' WILD
Formerly, TheLastProphet
Yes, Gus.
The more Gus the better.
The guy is good at what he
The guy is good at what he does. He has 5 years to learn the soccer way, I trust he can do it! I've only been a fan of League soccer for 5 years and I probably could do a full broadcast, especially if I studied up on the 2 teams.
Michigan FB, Michigan BB, Michigan HKY, 49ers, SF Giants, Sac Kings, Red Wings
Yes, but...
He's doing the Madrid-United match next week and the Arsenal-Bayern match the following week. He'll get a crash course in high level play very quickly and should get lots of feedback since I'd expect a decent audience for both games. I'll be interested to see how he does.
Dang. I didn't realize he was
Dang. I didn't realize he was doing those matches. I was looking forward to Madrid-United match because they harbor my two favorite players but now I have a new interest... Gus's performance!
Michigan FB, Michigan BB, Michigan HKY, 49ers, SF Giants, Sac Kings, Red Wings
Sounds like ...
the kiss of death for Gus Johnson ! Sorry but nil to nil games are not exactly in Gus' wheelhouse !
Go Blue!
No place on earth I'd rather be on a football Saturday than Michigan Stadium !
Not even Gus Johnson could
Not even Gus Johnson could make soccer exciting. Props for the effort though Fox.
HELLO HEISMAN!
Stellar drop in jackass. If
Stellar drop in jackass. If you hate soccer why comment on it.
I bet you're a ton of fun at
I bet you're a ton of fun at parties.
"The straightest line from A to B is straight: From A to B"
"When you have Denard Robinson, you can have everything"
~George Walden
Gus Johnson and Bill Raftery Commentating the World Cup
Not a fan of Gus
Not a fan of Gus Johnson. He's yelling at pretty much every play. It's like he's never seen a QB throw a ball. Maybe he'll stick with soccer.
"I have seen the top of the mountain. And it is good."
His excitement is genuine and
His excitement is genuine and warranted unlike the Dick Vitale's of the world.
Even though you don't appreciate his enthusiasm you do recognize he's one of the most well-prepared and thorough broadcasters in the business, yea?
Gus doing "Dennis Bergkamp"
Found a link to some classic Gus Johnson sayings: http://www.gusjohnsongetsbuckets.com/
It seems like he could be good, as long as he has a good analyst with him. It seems like Gus could do a pretty good Dennis Bergkamp recreation too.
butbutbut
So does this mean.... Gus is on the take from organized crime too?
I can imagine this working
I can imagine this working out--it really depends on how Gus approaches it. Or, maybe, how Fox approaches it. If they're trying to liven things up for non-soccer-fans it'll be a disaster, but I used to really enjoy Max Bretos and Allen Hopkins in the early FSW days and they were both pretty enthusiastic, in their own way.
I'm glad they're giving him some years to learn the sport and its tempo; it might be a sign they'll do it the right way.
He already does PBP for the
He already does PBP for the SJ Earthquakes.
MLS, I know, but soccer nonetheless.
"Welllllllll..."
I saw him do PBP of the
I saw him do PBP of the Earthquakes a few months ago on Youtube, he did a good job. Too lazy to fetch the link.
Please no. We don't need
Please no. We don't need another Joe Buck. On second thought, Buck isn't particularly good broadcasting in general, regardless of sport, so the comparison isn't that apt.
"The straightest line from A to B is straight: From A to B"
"When you have Denard Robinson, you can have everything"
~George Walden
but this is a terrible idea. Dear Fox: do exactly what ESPN did for Euro 2012. Thanks.
There is no time, sir, at which ties do not matter.