MLS Cup 2005 reaches TV, radio audiences in English, Spanish

The 2005 MLS Cup between the New England Revolution and the Los Angeles Galaxy on Sunday, November 13 at Pizza Hut Park in Frisco, TX (3:30 p.m. ET) will be televised live on ABC Sports with a SAP (Supplemental Audio Programming) option for Spanish language commentary. The broadcast will be carried live in 124 countries including Latin America, the Pacific Rim, Africa, Israel and the Middle East. MLS Cup 2005 will be available live in English and Spanish via audio online at the League's website, www.MLSnet.com.

TELEVISION
Calling the game action are television soccer personalities JP Dellacamera, who will handle play-by-play duties for his fourth MLS Cup, and analyst Eric Wynalda, completing his second year as lead analyst for ABC/ESPN2 MLS coverage. Dellacamera has called five consecutive World Cups and was the lead play-by-play announcer for soccer games of the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece. Wynalda is one of the first MLS veterans to be inducted into the U.S. National Soccer Hall of Fame.

U.S. Women's National Team star Brandi Chastain, who completed her first year as sideline reporter during regular season coverage on ESPN2 and ABC, will add commentary from the field. The host for the pre-game and halftime segments is ABC soccer commentator Rob Stone, who finished his third season of play-by-play duties for ESPN2 broadcasts.

In addition, MLS will provide Spanish language SAP (Supplemental Audio Programming), presented by ESPN Deportes, for the ABC Sports broadcast of MLS Cup 2005. Randall Alvarez will serve as play-by-play announcer for his first MLS Cup, and Eduardo Biscayart, also working his first MLS Cup, will serve in the role of color analyst.

An 85-man crew will work the broadcast, which will be delivered by 20 cameras, including two which are super slo-mo, a Jib, and robotic goal cameras. These cameras will feed 12 replay sources, including six that are digital. For the second consecutive year, the broadcast will feature Dartfish Stromotion technology, presented by Panasonic, on replays. This technology allows viewers to isolate and track a player or ball across the field by compounding video into a frame-by-frame image.

The RadioShack MLS Cup 2005 Halftime Show will feature Java/Atlantic recording artist The Click Five as they perform their hit songs "Just The Girl" and "Catch Your Wave" from their smash album Greetings From Imrie House. The announcement of the 2005 Sierra Mist Goal of the Year and the RadioShack MLS All-Time Best XI will also be featured during the broadcast.

ABC Sports, in its 10th season of MLS coverage, and ESPN are the League's primary national English-language television outlets. The combined networks - ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC Sports - present the most comprehensive soccer coverage in the United States, featuring Major League Soccer, the Men's and Women's World Cup, U.S. National Team soccer and the NCAA Men's and Women's soccer championships.

Viewers will be able to log on to www.MLSnet.com and cast their vote for the Honda MLS Cup MVP. Fans will account for 50% of the vote.

RADIO
MLS Cup 2005 will be broadcast live on the Internet in both English and Spanish by logging onto www.MLSnet.com.

Talent - ABC SPORTS

JP Dellacamera - Play-by-play (4th MLS Cup) -- Prominent soccer voice JP Dellacamera returns for his fourth consecutive MLS Cup. After four seasons in the MetroStars television booth, he brings significant experience working soccer, basketball, and hockey telecasts over a well-respected career that spans 29 years. He has served as the lead voice for soccer broadcasts for NBC's coverage of the 2004 Summer Olympics. JP called his fifth consecutive men's World Cup in 2002 for ESPN, in addition to his duties with the MetroStars on MSG. JP has a storied soccer history with the ABC/ESPN networks, calling MLS games in addition to the UEFA Champions League, EURO '96, Italian Serie A and the last two Women's World Cups.

Eric Wynalda - Analyst (4th MLS Cup) -- A veteran of three World Cups ('90, '94, '98), Wynalda finishes up his second season as color analyst providing expert commentary based on his unequaled playing history, as was seen during ABC and ESPN2 broadcasts as well as the 2005 Sierra Mist MLS All-Star Game. The former striker holds the all-time scoring record in U.S. National Team history with 34 goals in 106 appearances. The Honda/Futbol de Primera Player of the Decade, Wynalda is one of only two men in U.S. Soccer history to start in three consecutive World Cups. With an international club career that saw him play professionally in the German Bundesliga and in Mexico, Wynalda returned to the U.S. and joined the San Jose Clash in MLS' inaugural season. He made history by scoring the first MLS goal in the inaugural game on April 6, 1996.

Rob Stone - Host (8th MLS Cup) -- The lead play-by-play commentator for Major League Soccer on ESPN2, Stone will be working his eighth MLS Cup. He has been part of ABC/ESPN's soccer coverage since 1998, serving as the host of World Cup Tonight during Korea/Japan after a stint as the network's lead reporter at World Cup France '98. A native of Simsbury, Connecticut, Stone played collegiate soccer at Colgate University, where he was captain, all-conference and team MVP.

Brandi Chastain - Field Analyst (1st MLS Cup) -- Chastain's high-level playing experience and dynamic personality provided viewers with keen insight and thought-provoking commentary during her debut television season. A key member of the 1991 and 1999 FIFA Women's World Cup championship team, Chastain played in 192 U.S. Women's National Soccer Team matches, scoring 30 goals and adding 27 assists. She skyrocketed to fame after converting a clutch penalty kick in the 1999 World Cup Final, which landed her on the cover of Sports Ilustrated, Time and Newsweek. Chastain is also a two-time Olympic gold medal winner (1996, 2004).

Talent - ABC SPORTS - SAP EN ESPANOL

Randy Alvarez - Play-by-play (1st MLS Cup) -- Randy Alvarez is a well-known personality to ESPN viewers as the host of ESPN's original monthly interview program, Perfiles. Since joining ESPN in March 1992, Alvarez has covered virtually all the biggest leagues in world soccer. In addition to MLS, Alvarez has broadcast Brazilian, Dutch, Italian, Spanish, Scottish and English leagues, Alvarez has lent his expertise to such renowned events as the UEFA Champions League - including the 2000 final in Paris and the 2001 final in Milan - the European Championships in 1996 and 2000, and qualifying games for the last three World Cups. A native of San Jose, Costa Rica, and lifelong soccer devotee, Alvarez honed his soccer skills playing at different levels in his native country, later earning a soccer scholarship to the University of New Haven. While earning a degree in Broadcast Communication and Journalism from Southern Connecticut State University, he wrote for a variety of local newspapers and magazines. Alvarez later broke into broadcasting in New Haven, Connecticut, as a consultant on the Matías Cabrera Show and as a producer/host on the program Expreso Latino.

Eduardo Biscayart - Color Analyst (1st MLS Cup) -- Eduardo Biscayart is a soccer personality for ESPN International, who has worked on programs such as Goles de España and Fuera de Juego. Born in 1969, Biscayart began his career in journalism writing for track and field magazines in Argentina, as well as covering the Pan-American Games (1991, 1995 and 1999) and the 1996 Olympics. In 1997, he joined ESPN International and covered a range of sports, including boxing, cycling and soccer. In 2002, Biscayart covered the FIFA World Cup for Univision as a reporter, and in 2003, began broadcasting soccer games on Gol TV.

ABC SPORTS PRODUCTION

Technical Equipment
• 20 total cameras

• Includes 2 super slo-mo cameras

• One 24 ft. Jib camera

• One "Starcam" for player isolation

• Telestrator

• 12 replay sources including six digital

• Dartfish Stromotion available on replay

Sound
• Broadcast in stereo and SAP

• Will blanket the field of play for effects utilizing goalmouth, sideline, bench, and wireless mics

• Four parabolic mics will be on the field and dispersed throughout the stadium

Talent Behind the Scenes (All Emmy award winners)
• Michael Cohen - Executive producer of SUM / MLS (10th MLS Cup)