A Pair Of World Cup Tidbits For The Day

A couple of World Cup announcements, one of them all but a formality, the other an ESPN bombshell.

THe first one (the formality) is your UEFA playoff match-ups. Remember, each match-up will be a home-and-home series with the team with the best aggregate score advancing to the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Without further ado, here are your match-ups (these additions have also been noted in my FIFA World Cup Qualification post).

Republic of Ireland vs. France
Portugal vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina
Greece vs. Ukraine
Russia vs. Slovenia

Okay, so what happens if there is a tie? Instead of me explaining it and getting even more of a headache, I'll quote from fifa.com

The team scoring more goals on aggregate wins the play-off. If the scores are level on aggregate, away goals count double. If the teams are level on away goals, or if both matches end goalless, extra-time of two periods of 15 minutes each will be played at the end of the second match. If the score is level after extra time, penalty kicks will be taken to determine the winner.

Well then! That's certainly one way to complicate matters.

But on to the ESPN bombshell. It looks like the WWL has found their lead PbP guy anbd it's not JP Dellacamera. Mercifully, it's not the 2nd coming of Dave O'Brien. Instead, ESPN has decided to foolishly give the job to the person they claim is their biggest soccer enthusiast, Rob Stone! They have all but hired Sky Sports' own Martin Tyler to work the World Cup for them! From SI's Richard Deitsch.

SI.com has learned that Martin Tyler, the venerable British announcer who was voted the FA Premier League Commentator of the Decade, has been hired by ESPN to be the lead play-by-play voice for the network's English-language coverage of next summer's tournament in South Africa. The formal announcement is expected this week.

"They made an approach and I was delighted to accept," Tyler said by phone from his home outside of Surrey, England. "The World Cup is a real challenge for any broadcaster because of the games every day. It's a test of stamina and skills. You expect the very high standards of the players at the World Cup, and I expect to be judged by the very high standards of the American audience."

Tyler has worked for the London-based Sky Sports network since its launch in 1991 and has called many of the Premier League's biggest matches. Since Sky does not own broadcast rights to the World Cup, Tyler has often contacted with other networks, including calling the last five World Cups for SBS Australia. He is also the voice (along with longtime Sky Sports partner Andy Gray) for EA Sports' FIFA video-game series.

Tyler said he does not plan to change his style for an American audience.

"I think I've been acquired for what I am and not what I might become," Tyler said. "The thing that I'd liken it to is what we have in reverse over here. We wouldn't put U.K.-based commentary on the NBA or NFL. The description of an American sport comes from American voices and I think maybe those who have made the decision about me would like to get, if you like, a more global feel to what is a global game. Of course the words are only incidental to the pictures in television. But you can help by pushing the odd phrase in the right direction."

For those that don't know, Tyler is widely considered as one of the best PbP guys in all of soccer, and even though I have never heard him do a live broadcast, I have just watched several clips on YouTube, and I like what I hear. Here are some videos of some of his best work.




Great stuff! Now, can you imagine the uproar if ESPN re-hired Marcelo Balboa to work with Tyler???

Martin Tyler to call World Cup games for ESPN! (Stupid Sideline Reporters)