USL Announces Broadcast Teams for USL Championship Final on ESPN2, ESPN Deportes and SiriusXM Satellite Radio
October 31, 2022 – United Soccer League Championship (USL) News Release
TAMPA, Fla. – Five familiar faces, bringing extensive broadcast and soccer experience, will present the USL Championship Final to viewers and listeners on ESPN2, ESPN Deportes and SiriusXM Satellite Radio on Sunday, Nov. 13 at 8:30 p.m. ET.
For a second consecutive postseason, the English-language announce team for the Championship Final will feature play-by-play announcer Mike Watts, the USL’s lead voice on ESPN since 2015, lead analyst Devon Kerr, and field level analyst Sarah Gorden. Audio of the trio’s call on ESPN will be simulcast on SiriusXM FC (Ch. 157).
Similarly, for a second consecutive postseason the match on ESPN Deportes will be presented by Jesús Eduardo Acosta and José Armando Rodríguez, who together bring nearly 30 years of experience announcing fútbol, including serving this season as the Spanish-language announce team on national USL on ESPN broadcasts.
“We are delighted to once again have a group of announcers with such impressive credentials and deep familiarity with the USL in the broadcast booth for the Championship Final,” said USL Executive Vice President of Media Michael Cohen. “The qualities all five bring have seen them held increasingly in high regard among fans and their peers, and each will convey the storylines, tactics, key moments and magnitude of this event to the passionate audience we expect to tune in.”
Watts will provide commentary for his seventh USL Championship Final this season. The match caps a year in which Watts has added to his reputation as one of the top soccer play-by-play announcers in North America. Watts has led coverage of Concacaf’s most prominent club and national competitions since 2016, including calling the 2021 Concacaf Nations League Final and 2021 Concacaf Gold Cup Final, and the 2022 Scotiabank Concacaf Champions League Final. In addition, Watts also works on ESPN’s soccer portfolio, Cincinnati Bengals television broadcasts, Westwood One’s College Football Game of the Week, and is a public address announcer at Madison Square Garden.
The USL Championship’s lead analyst since 2018, Kerr is also co-host of USL All Access on Sirius XM FC alongside Watts. Kerr serves as lead analyst for the NCAA Men’s College Cup, and as an analyst for Concacaf events such as FIFA World Cup Qualifying and the Scotiabank Concacaf Champions League. Earlier this year, he joined Watts for the broadcast of the 2022 Concacaf Champions League Final. Also this year, Kerr was the only individual to provide analysis of each round of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, including at field level pregame from the final from Exploria Stadium. Kerr also appears on ESPN, NCAA, EA Sports and MLS platforms. He played collegiately at Stetson University and competed in the Germany’s Regionalliga with Altona 93.
Gorden will serve as the pitch level analyst, drawing upon her experience working for Big East productions. A standout defender throughout her career in the professional ranks, the Angel City FC player has previously been called into two U.S. Women’s National Team camps.
Acosta served as the Spanish-language voice of Phoenix Rising FC in 2017 & 2018, and of New Mexico United in 2019 before becoming a member of the USL Championship’s national broadcast crew in 2020. He also called the 2019 USL Championship Final. In addition, he is part of the Fútbol de Primera Radio crew, where he has participated as a play-by-play voice for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, the 2019 and 2021 Gold Cup, and the Qatar 2022 CONCACAF World Cup Qualifiers.
Rodríguez has called USL Championship games since 2016 and has earned assignments on top soccer events such as Concacaf Nations League, Concacaf Champions League and Concacaf Olympic Qualifying. In addition, Rodríguez writes regularly for Deporte Total USA about numerous sports and big events such as the Super Bowl, MLB All-Star Game, International Champions Cup, and more.
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