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2 comments
11/22 2010

Ian Darke On The MLS Cup Final: “Oooh, It’s Nerve-Shredding Stuff”

Posted by Dan Levy.

Say what you want about ESPN’s decision to put a Brit in the lead play-by-play chair for American soccer’s finale despite not working much (read: any) MLS action in his career. I’m sure JP Dellacamera or one of the other fine American announcers would have more local knowledge of the players on both teams, the specific situations that got each team to the finale and who we should expect to shine.

Yes, all that is true, but that’s why John Harkes — “the number six,” he might call himself — is in the booth. Darke is there to come up with calls like, “ooh this is nerve-shredding stuff.” That kind of talk always gets me and it always will.

So, for your enjoyment — or if you wonder what the MLS product actually looks like at the championship level — here’s an easy-to-digest ten minutes of highlights.

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I’ll admit I did not watch the match (what with Dexter and the SNF games taking up my TV time) but these highlights sure make me wish I had. There’s something to be said about a sport that survives on the quality of its highlights. Did anyone actually WATCH the Clippers game over the weekend that turned Blake Griffin into a trending topic around the internet? Heck, the first highlights I saw were from a local news telecast, not even ripped from the actual game.

The MLS can — and does — mimmic the NBA (or the NHL) in terms of giving fans easily-digestible highlights and results to create buzz for the product. And when you have action like the last three or four minutes of this clip, it sure as heck makes what could have been a sloppy game look like something I’m mad I missed.

And speaking of the clip, am I the only one who thinks ESPN needs to start a brand of commercials for Harkes & Darke, like they’re two private investigators, solving soccer-related misteries mysteries (note: I hate you, commenters)? Yes, expect a Photoshop soon.

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Posted on November 22, 2010 at 8:54AM
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  1. Tom H.
    11/22 2010

    And for their first case, Harkes and Darke take on the “mistery” of how the normally solid DL can have such a blatant typo in his final paragraph, the one that teases his next blog post.

  2. SMinDC
    11/22 2010

    Loved Darke’s work on this – but he loses points for his Joe Buck-esque “team from the Rockies have climbed the mountain” garbage at the end.

    You’re better than that Ian.