The Philadelphia Union’s broadcast team will have a new look next year, with the club announcing Thursday that Danny Higginbotham has joined as their primary color analyst for the 2021 and 2022 MLS seasons.
Higginbotham, a former Premier League player and international broadcaster, joins Hall of Fame broadcaster JP Dellacamera, who’s in a play-by-play role for Philadelphia. Higginbotham takes over the role long occupied by Tommy Smyth.
“The attraction for me, to Philadelphia Union, was because it reminds me so much of Stoke City Football Club during their Premier League years where, as a club, we were always traditionally the underdogs but thrived off of that label, mixed with the development innovation of Southampton,” Higginbotham said in a release.
“The Union mirrors the city in the work ethic and endeavor of the Philadelphia locals. The dynamics of the club and what everybody is doing is great to see as well with the willingness to produce their own players and giving them the chance to shine whilst also being competitive on the pitch as shown with winning the Supporters’ Shield.”
Higginbotham joins Philadelphia after broadcasting with Sky Sports, NBC, CBS, and ESPN for Premier League and Champions League games. The former defender’s playing career began with Manchester United, then continued with other English clubs such as Derby County, Southampton, Stoke City and Sunderland. He also earned three caps for Gibraltar’s national team.
That wide-ranging background gives the 41-year-old a unique lens on the Union, and he’s already at work preparing for the club’s next season.
“In 11 seasons of calling Union soccer games I have worked with some great analysts as well as great people. I have no doubt that in 2021, Danny Higginbotham will fall into both of those categories,” Dellacamera said in a release. “I know he is anxious to get his Union broadcasting career started.”
Higginbotham recently settled in the Greater Philadelphia area with his wife, marking a new venture for them stateside. It’ll also bring a distinct voice to Union broadcasts, all as the club looks to build off its 2020 Supporters’ Shield and enter the 2021 Concacaf Champions League.
