When WGN signed a broadcast agreement with the Chicago Fire two weeks ago, they did so without having an announcer team in place.
One match into their 2020 season and less than a week away from the first WGN telecast, the network announced Arlo White and Tony Meola will join the effort in making the Fire a more integral part of Chicago’s sports scene. White is the lead play-by-play announcer for NBC’s coverage of the English Premier League, while Meola is a former starting goalie for the United States national team who played in three World Cups.
White will work Fire telecasts during the Premier League offseason, until his first match sometime in May. When White is unavailable, New Jersey native Tyler Terens will serve as the Fire’s play-by-play voice. The 26-year old Terens spent the last two seasons as an announcer with the Phoenix Rising FC. As for White, the popular soccer broadcasting voice is a native of England, but became a Chicago sports fan after the first time he visited the city more than thirty years ago.
“I wouldn’t be exaggerating if I said that my first visit to Chicago in 1986, as a wide-eyed 13-year-old visiting my uncle and auntie, had a profound impact on the course of my life,” White said in the press release. “It ignited a love of this city and of the United States. I’ve been obsessed with all things Chicago and Americana ever since. If you’d told that English teenager that 30-odd years later he would have the opportunity to call football matches for the Fire’s return to Soldier Field? Well, I think he’d have cried tears of joy. I’ve been back to the city countless times since that first trip. I just love being here. It feels like my home away from home. This is an exciting year for Chicago Fire FC, and I am delighted to bring my experience to the Soldier Field booth.
“I’d also like to thank NBC Sports for allowing me to pursue this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity with the Chicago Fire in a city that I adore, during the Premier League offseason.”
Joining White is one of the best American soccer players ever in Tony Meola. A 2012 United States Soccer Hall of Fame inductee, Meola has worked as a broadcaster since retiring and can be heard weekdays on SiriusXM FC’s Counter Attack radio show.
“I’m excited to join the Fire broadcast team and look forward to working with Arlo and Tyler this year,” said Meola. “This season will be an exciting one for the club with a new Head Coach, a homecoming at Soldier Field, a new broadcast partner in WGN and the continued passion of the fans. I am looking forward to a great season.”
White and Meola are replacing longtime play-by-play voice Dan Kelly and analyst Frank Klopas in the broadcast booth for the Fire. Last October, Kelly announced he wouldn’t be returning to the booth and Klopas joined the club’s coaching staff as an assistant.
Brandon Contes is a former reporter for BSM, now working for Awful Announcing. You can find him on Twitter @BrandonContes or reach him by email at Brandon.Contes@gmail.com.
