My Life Now Is Complete

[mike412]

Ray Hudson now follows me on Twitter.

He had tweeted about how impressive 16-year-old Fati’s debut for Barcelona was. I tweeted a reply that although it only was a 10-minute sample, he showed an “intuitive knack for finding open space.”

Hudson “liked” my tweet and started following me. He sent me a direct message that after he read my reply he looked at about a week’s worth of my tweets and liked the way I write, so he followed me.

If any soccer fans don’t know who Ray Hudson is, he is the most colorful (by a mile)
Soccer commentator:

“Magisterial!”

“Watching Messi play soccer is like watching Da Vinci paint the Mona Lisa.”

“We who are mere mortals can only look at that goal and think this is how the gods play this game.”

“He didn’t need to look up before he shot. He knew where the goalposts were, and they aren’t moving.”

The BEIN Sports announcers usually don’t go to the matches. They do them from a studio in Miami. Last year, they sent Hudson to Barcelona for a week before El Clasico. His stories from there — and not just about the Camp Nou — were some of the funniest television I have seen.

 

[anon_d97v9o3a8b6xr]

Well done. Ive enjoyed reading your takes here, although I don’t fancy Spanish Soccer like you.
I’ve been apart of Soccer for over 40 years. Both myself as a player and a dad to girls who play. It is truly the most beautiful game to be involved in.
The game becomes even more beautiful from the commentators. With the right pair discussing players and tactics to describing the build up and eventually a goal, it is truly an on the edge of your seat sport. Thanks to few whistles and constant play.
If you ever get a chance to catch the Tour de France, they too have, should say had the best commentary. Unfortunately Paul Sherwen passed away recently, but listening to Sherwen and Ligget during the Armstrong era is absolutely amazing.
These commentators just elevate the game and sport even more. I’ll try and find a few tour moments to share.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

Ray Hudson now follows me on Twitter.

He had tweeted about how impressive 16-year-old Fati’s debut for Barcelona was. I tweeted a reply that although it only was a 10-minute sample, he showed an “intuitive knack for finding open space.”

Hudson “liked” my tweet and started following me. He sent me a direct message that after he read my reply he looked at about a week’s worth of my tweets and liked the way I write, so he followed me.

If any soccer fans don’t know who Ray Hudson is, he is the most colorful (by a mile)
Soccer commentator:

“Magisterial!”

“Watching Messi play soccer is like watching Da Vinci paint the Mona Lisa.”

“We who are mere mortals can only look at that goal and think this is how the gods play this game.”

“He didn’t need to look up before he shot. He knew where the goalposts were, and they aren’t moving.”

The BEIN Sports announcers usually don’t go to the matches. They do them from a studio in Miami. Last year, they sent Hudson to Barcelona for a week before El Clasico. His stories from there — and not just about the Camp Nou — were some of the funniest television I have seen.

I used to like listening to him but I dont get beIN anymore. He is very entertaining but sometimes a bit over the top. Is his only job calling games for beIN for American audiences?

 

[mike412]

I used to like listening to him but I dont get beIN anymore. He is very entertaining but sometimes a bit over the top. Is his only job calling games for beIN for American audiences?

He is over the top for sure, but to use one of his favorite terms, “gloriously” so. He is a commentator for BEIN and also does commentary for the other leagues on BEIN, such as the French league. He has a daily radio show on Sirius FM too called “The Football Show.” He did some work for ESPN during the 2002 World Cup. He was a little too earthy I think for Disney/ESPN. After a draw between the US and Costa Rica in which the American defense had broken up a bunch of attacks, they asked him if GK Brad Friedel should be thanking his defenders. His response was something like “If it was me, I’d be kissing their bums in the shower.”

He is a former Newcastle United player and MLS player and coach. Born in NE England, he still has that “Geordie” accent (Yorkshire and SE Scotland), which I find delightful. Funny as hell. If you get Sirius, the radio show is often very good. Phil Schoen, his partner on BEIN, also is on but Ray is co-host with another guy who I’m really not familiar with, Charlie Stillatano.

 

[Fk_Pitt]

Ray Hudson now follows me on Twitter.

He had tweeted about how impressive 16-year-old Fati’s debut for Barcelona was. I tweeted a reply that although it only was a 10-minute sample, he showed an “intuitive knack for finding open space.”

Hudson “liked” my tweet and started following me. He sent me a direct message that after he read my reply he looked at about a week’s worth of my tweets and liked the way I write, so he followed me.

If any soccer fans don’t know who Ray Hudson is, he is the most colorful (by a mile)
Soccer commentator:

“Magisterial!”

“Watching Messi play soccer is like watching Da Vinci paint the Mona Lisa.”

“We who are mere mortals can only look at that goal and think this is how the gods play this game.”

“He didn’t need to look up before he shot. He knew where the goalposts were, and they aren’t moving.”

The BEIN Sports announcers usually don’t go to the matches. They do them from a studio in Miami. Last year, they sent Hudson to Barcelona for a week before El Clasico. His stories from there — and not just about the Camp Nou — were some of the funniest television I have seen.

That’s pretty cool. I listen to him on Sirius XMFC. In the mornings from 6-12pm (eastern) is brilliant stuff. Listening to that beats local and national sports radio by a mile. I often turn off XMFC in the afternoon when they do the United States of Soccer broadcast (9am for you). It was ok to listen to during the Gold Cup and women’s World Cup, but mostly they talk MLS and USL, which I can’t get into.

 

[anon_4dfwm2pijbr0a]

Love listening to Rocky Ray on Sirius. I don't think anyone has a bigger bromance on a pro athlete as he has on Messi. Although Rodney Marsh and Tommy Smyth, The Grumps, are absolutely amusing. Sirius has a nice soccer lineup with the exception of that stupid soccer coaching show they have.

 

[anon_4dfwm2pijbr0a]

That’s pretty cool. I listen to him on Sirius XMFC. In the mornings from 6-12pm (eastern) is brilliant stuff. Listening to that beats local and national sports radio by a mile. I often turn off XMFC in the afternoon when they do the United States of Soccer broadcast (9am for you). It was ok to listen to during the Gold Cup and women’s World Cup, but mostly they talk MLS and USL, which I can’t get into.

I like the United States of Soccer, very informative about MLS which I'm not crazy about but none the less...and love the US National Team talk. I'm absolutely smitten with Emily Olsen when she chimes in.

 

[Fk_Pitt]

Love listening to Rocky Ray on Sirius. I don't think anyone has a bigger bromance on a pro athlete as he has on Messi. Although Rodney Marsh and Tommy Smyth, The Grumps, are absolutely amusing. Sirius has a nice soccer lineup with the exception of that stupid soccer coaching show they have.

My favorite on XM is Neil Barnett, of course, being that he’s a Chelsea guy. But I do love the grumps.

 

[anon_d97v9o3a8b6xr]

I switched to YTTV, games on all the time.

 

[mike412]

I switched to YTTV, games on all the time.

Unfortunately, no BEIN. So I have to stick with Sling.

 

[Joe the Panther Fan]

I haven't had BeIn and listened to him for a while now, but what I remember in listening to him is that there has probably never been an announcer for any sport anywhere in the world more into himself than he is.

He's like the Mexican announcer who does the gooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooal thing after every goal, except 90 minutes of that.

 

[mike412]

I haven't had BeIn and listened to him for a while now, but what I remember in listening to him is that there has probably never been an announcer for any sport anywhere in the world more into himself than he is.

He's like the Mexican announcer who does the gooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooal thing after every goal, except 90 minutes of that.

Andres Cantor.

 

[Joe the Panther Fan]

Andres Cantor.

Yes

 

[pitt90seven]

ray follows me as well. he's pretty liberal about who he follows, as i'm not worth following, whatsoever. but congrats nonetheless.

That’s pretty cool. I listen to him on Sirius XMFC. In the mornings from 6-12pm (eastern) is brilliant stuff. Listening to that beats local and national sports radio by a mile. I often turn off XMFC in the afternoon when they do the United States of Soccer broadcast (9am for you). It was ok to listen to during the Gold Cup and women’s World Cup, but mostly they talk MLS and USL, which I can’t get into.

this is the same for me. jason davis is kind of annoying and i don't care about the MLS and while i was a USMNT fan for a long time (exclusively as i didn't follow pro teams), the T&T loss broke me. i "follow" the USMNT but honestly don't care anymore. the team is a hopeless lost cause and devoid of any entertainment value as far as watching them. it's pure dreck.

MLS is inching forward. i've at least started to watch (spring after BB and summer b/c i baseball is the only thing on and the dumbest sport the almighty ever created).

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

the T&T loss broke me. i "follow" the USMNT but honestly don't care anymore. the team is a hopeless lost cause and devoid of any entertainment value as far as watching them. it's pure dreck.

MLS is inching forward. i've at least started to watch (spring after BB and summer b/c i baseball is the only thing on and the dumbest sport the almighty ever created).

This is how I feel about the USMNT. I used to be a legit huge fan. After the T&T loss, the only matches I have watched are the Gold Cup ones. A big part of my fanhood for them has gone away and I dont think will ever come back. Its almost as if you need that build-up to the WC then the WC to keep those juices flowing. 8 years between WC's is just too long to maintain fanhood.

I agree with you about MLS but without a home team, I can never get real excited for it.

 

[pitt90seven]

This is how I feel about the USMNT. I used to be a legit huge fan. After the T&T loss, the only matches I have watched are the Gold Cup ones. A big part of my fanhood for them has gone away and I dont think will ever come back. Its almost as if you need that build-up to the WC then the WC to keep those juices flowing. 8 years between WC's is just too long to maintain fanhood.

I agree with you about MLS but without a home team, I can never get real excited for it.

the USMNT style of play is horrible. now that i'm into international club soccer, i just can't watch it. even against terrible teams, it's still garbage. you'll never see us play with any attacking intent. it's just awful and i won't waste my time on it anymore.

 

[Fk_Pitt]

the USMNT style of play is horrible. now that i'm into international club soccer, i just can't watch it. even against terrible teams, it's still garbage. you'll never see us play with any attacking intent. it's just awful and i won't waste my time on it anymore.

Actually, I think they’re trying to play differently, but they just don’t have the talent. Did you see them the other day vs Mexico try to build out of the back? What an embarrassment and the ball ended up in the back of our net.

But you’re right. It’s hard to watch them play anyone other than Mexico when you’re used to watching good soccer. But then again, maybe that’s indicative of international soccer??

It’s like youth players playing for their various club teams and then all coming together in the Fall to play for their HS teams where the soccer isn’t as good because your teammates are all coming from different clubs at various levels. and on top of it the chemistry isn’t as good and cohesion lacks.

 

[Joe the Panther Fan]

the USMNT style of play is horrible.

Style of play is not the problem. Some of the best teams in the world play the way the US is trying to play. The problem is that those teams practice and play that way 10 months out of the year, and national teams play and practice together a few weeks a year. And the US doesn't have the talent to make it work when playing someone as good or better than themselves. It works pretty well, though, when they are playing teams that they are better than. For instance the 6-0 beating they put on TnT up in Cleveland this summer.

The real issue for me is that Greg Berhalter seems to be one of those coaches who says "this is the way we are going to play, and we are going to play that way no matter what." And that's just stupid. The best coaches adapt their game plan to the talent they have on hand and what the opponent does well and what they don't do well. He reminds me of a certain local football coach in that regard. It's stupid to try to play out of the back when the opponent, say Mexico, wants to run a high press with three and sometimes four guys pressuring your back line all over the field.

I fear we are going to see more of the same tonight against Uruguay, when the way that Berhalter wants to play will play perfectly into the hands of the way that Uruguay wants to press a team. And then Berhalter will come out after the beating again and talk about how the guys are really starting to get his system.

 

[PotterCountyNative]

Problem with the USMNT is changing coaches, and the USA being such a melting pot, youth coaches teach different styles. Look nationally, England plays a power game and hits you all over the field and pushes it forward; Italy counterattacks, tries to get a goal, and then goes in a shell for you to crack; Brazil just has speed that pressures you all over the field; Germany dissects you. Alas the USMNT, we change coaches with different philosophies all over, with lower level coaches that profess a game differently at all levels. It produces no consistency on how the players are developed and the way the team plays.