When you think of soccer on television in the United States, the one name that comes to mind is John Paul “JP” Dellacamera. It seems like if there’s a big match, he’s there calling it. As of this year, his portfolio contains, 7 Women’s World Cups, including the one he’s calling right now. Dellacamera has also called 10 Men’s World Cups. That puts him in the lead spot on the Mount Rushmore of American soccer broadcasters.
Dellacamera is called upon to lend his voice to other major soccer events in the Fox portfolio. The She Believes Cup has been his domain for the last several years, Dellacamera was the lead broadcaster for the 2018 Concacaf Women’s Championship and matches for the 2016 Copa America Centenario and UEFA Europa League. Dellacamera is the 2018 winner of the Colin Jose Media Award which honors journalists whose careers have made significant long-term contributions to soccer in the United States. That’s who he is and what does in a nutshell.
Dellacamera grew up in the Boston area and counts Curt Gowdy as one of his early influences. Gowdy was a multisport announcer.
“He did baseball and football play-by-play. Don Earle was, at that time, the voice of the Boston Bruins. They were probably the first two early voices I heard that made me think seriously about a future in broadcasting.” Dellacamera told the Sports Broadcasting Journal in 2020. “Back then, hopeful future broadcasters wanted to be the next Gowdy.”
Dellacamera followed suit and became one of the more famous announcers that broadcast a multitude of sports. It’s soccer though, that he’s really best known for and does it at a very high level.
ROAD TO FOX SOCCER
Dellacamera began his legendary broadcasting career in 1978 calling North American Soccer League matches. In the 1980’s he called play-by-play for the original Major Indoor Soccer League on ESPN and FNN-Score. He’s been calling the sport for 30 plus years, working on ESPN television and radio during his time at that network. He also worked for a time with NBC on their soccer coverage, including the 2004 Summer Olympics and the 2008 Summer Games.
In 2010, Dellacamera went to work for Major League Soccer’s expansion team in Philadelphia. He called Union matches through the end of their local TV contract after the 2022 season.
Dellacamera left ESPN in 2011 to join Fox Soccer as their lead MLS play-by-play commentator. However, in November of that year, the NBC Sports Network signed a deal with the league to broadcast all league matches starting in the 2012 season. So, in the meantime, Dellacamera called play-by-play for the New York Cosmos on ONE World Sports in 2013 when games didn’t interfere with his Union broadcasts.
Fox re-gained rights in time for the 2015 MLS season and Dellacamera reunited with the network. It’s crazy, but Dellacamera was so much a part of the sport, wherever soccer went, so did he.
Earlier in his career, Dellacamera was a hockey announcer. In the early 90’s he worked with the Chicago Wolves for a couple of seasons as the franchise’s first play-by-play guy. He moved to the NHL in 2003 with the Atlanta Thrashers (now the Winnipeg Jets) and was also part of ESPN’s hockey coverage in the mid to late 2000’s.
BIG CALLS
He famously called the 1999 FIFA Women’s World Cup final between the United States and China. The match ended in a scoreless tie after regulation. It went to penalty kicks and each player’s attempt built more and more drama. USA goalkeeper Briana Scurry was up to the task on third kick of the shootout. Dellacamera was up to it as well, saying simply, “The shot, save, SCURRY!” He let the crowd’s frenzy tell the rest of the story.
Later in that match, the United States would win on the Brandi Chastain connected on her penalty kick, and again, Dellacamera was simple yet eloquent. “Goal!” once again the pictures took over the call as he laid out. The USWNT clinched the title in the Rose Bowl, with Chastain celebrating by taking off her jersey top and being mobbed by her teammates.
He famously called the “Shot Heard Round the World” in 1989 as Paul Caligiuri’s goal helped the USMNT qualify for its first World Cup in 40 years. It took place in a qualification game between the US and Trinidad and Tobago. Caligiuri’s goal was the only one of the game. It allowed Team USA to make it to the 1990 FIFA World Cup.
WHY IS HE SO GOOD
Not everyone can call soccer. I’ve tried it a few times and it’s a challenging game to broadcast. The action is limited at times, but a seemingly meaningless moment can become huge in the blink of an eye. Dellacamera strikes a nice balance between maintaining interest in a match during the slow periods and the right amount of excitement for each big occasion.
His voice really fits the sport. It’s hard to explain exactly what I mean. The best way I can describe it? His cadence matches the action, or lack of action on the pitch. Just like in baseball, you can’t be up all the time on a called strike one in the 2nd inning of a scoreless game. Dellacamera has a way of drawing out his words, to give him the chance to rise or back off a developing play in the contest.
There’s a steadying way about the way he calls a game. He’s always in control, prepared and knowledgeable. The simplistic way in which he makes big calls, is masterful. I gave you a couple of examples earlier in the column, of Dellacamera’s ability to rise to the biggest of occasions with only a few words. It’s very impressive.
Much like in other sports, when you hear Dellacamera on the call, you know it’s a big event and that you’re in for an entertaining and informative broadcast. You don’t get to call as many big events as he does, without being a consummate professional and good, very good at what you do.
DID YOU KNOW?
For six years he covered NBA and college basketball games for ESPN and other various networks. He has been the TV voice of the University of Kansas and Creighton University, in addition to calling games in the Atlantic 10 and the Missouri Valley Conference.
Dellacamera was one of the few hockey play-by-play broadcasters to use the word “goal” in his goal calls. Possibly due to his extensive work in soccer, Dellacamera will say “takes the shot, goal.” Earlier in his career he did play-by-play for both the EHL Long Island Ducks and NAHL Long Island Cougars.
He is regarded by many as the original voice of U.S. Soccer with a broadcasting career spanning 40 years.
