Tyler Terens knew joining Apple TV’s collection of announcers calling MLS games was a big deal. But the enormity of Apple’s endeavor struck him on a conference call like a soccer ball to the face.
“I was on my first leaguewide call with all the other talent where I was like, ‘Holy cow, this is huge,’ ” Terens said. “That was when it started to settle in how much time and thought had gone into this over the past few months.”
Terens had been the Fire’s TV voice on WGN since 2020, and he was a hit from the start with a strong voice, explicit description and excitement. But with MLS making all of its games available worldwide on Apple TV, local announcers are a thing of the past. The league is following the NFL’s model, switching crews most weeks but with some repeats given that an MLS season is twice as long as an NFL season.
That will happen this month for Terens, who’s scheduled to call three consecutive Fire games starting Saturday night, when the club hosts Cincinnati at Soldier Field. The match is available only with a subscription to MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.
“It’s incredible how quickly this all came together, because you’re basically launching a network,” Terens, 29, said. “Not only a network but on a streaming service. And it came together so seamlessly, at least on my end, but there was so much hard work that went to it.”
Terens was one of almost 200 broadcasters MLS spoke to last fall about calling games. The league is overseeing the production of matches and studio programming with support from IMG and NEP Group. Terens said the result is a feeling of “grandiosity.”
“Everything feels big, it feels national, which is exactly what it is,” he said. “And from my standpoint, this is every commentator’s dream, to be a national voice of a league and to be in a different city every weekend calling different games.”
In the first three weeks of the season, Terens called games with analyst Devon Kerr in Washington, D.C., Orlando and Cincinnati. But Terens, who still lives in Chicago, knows how special the connection can be between fans and a broadcaster dedicated to their team. A native of Scotch Plains, New Jersey, Terens grew up listening to TV announcers Mike Breen of the Knicks and Gary Cohen of the Mets.
“Those are my guys,” Terens said. “Knowing what it means to adore the voice of your team, I get a fraction of that. I love to hear from fans. They’ve been so nice in saying that they miss me on the call. I know change is difficult for everyone, particularly a sports fan, but from what I’ve seen and heard, it seems like Fire fans have embraced it.”
Terens is embracing how to be a national announcer. With one Saturday game most weeks, Terens has his preparation mapped out. Starting Tuesday, he watches previous games of the teams he’ll be calling. He called Cincinnati the last two weeks, and he still has intimate knowledge of the Fire, so this week is easy.
He’ll draw up his boards through Thursday with information from a database on his computer and other materials he has collected over the years. He’ll include player information, club history, stats, trends and other factoids. The game producer will set up calls with coaches and players for Thursday, and Terens has made the effort to meet with coaches in person the night before games.
Terens still works with the Fire. He hosts the club’s weekly “Intercontinental Football Show” podcast, hosts events and appears on social-media platforms. If he’s not calling the Fire’s game, he’ll watch it Monday to stay current. What he saw in the last game, in which the Fire allowed a goal in the 90th minute in a 1-0 loss to Philadelphia, conjured up feelings from so many heartbreakers.
“I had the same feeling most fans had, like, I can’t believe this happened again,” Terens said. “But like I’ve always said, it can be really easy to lump it all in together, particularly as a tortured Mets, Jets and Knicks fan. I am all too familiar with that.
“But I thought up until the second yellow card on Fabian Herbers [in the 50th minute], the Fire played the Eastern Conference champions evenly, and that’s in a new formation. For them to go on the road, implement a new three-back system and to perform like they did is telling of this group.”
Whatever the result Saturday, Terens is looking forward to returning to his old stomping grounds.
“To be able to be back at Soldier Field, I just adore calling games there,” he said. “I get goosebumps every single time I walk out on the field. It doesn’t matter how many times I do it.”
Remote patrol
ESPN 1000 will celebrate its 25th anniversary next Friday with a live broadcast from noon to 6 p.m. at the House of Blues. The highlight is the anticipated reunion of Dan McNeil, John Jurkovic and Harry Teinowitz, who hosted the popular “Mac, Jurko and Harry” show – aka the “Afternoon Saloon” – from 2001 to 2009. Also expected to appear are Jay Cutler, Mark Giangreco and Eddie Olczyk.
Marquee Sports Network will air 40 live Cubs-affiliated minor-league games and 12 “Road to Wrigley Live” whiparound shows this season. The first game broadcast is scheduled for April 6 and will feature Single-A Myrtle Beach. The first whiparound show is April 7.
Ryan Dempster and Siera Santos will join Kevin Millar as the new co-hosts of MLB Network’s “Intentional Talk.” The show will debut at 4 p.m. March 31. Dempster will continue to appear on Marquee Sports Network.
