CHICAGO (March 3, 2020) – Chicago Fire FC today announced its 2020 broadcast team for the 24 locally aired matches on WGN-TV, Chicago’s Very Own, and ESPN+. New to the broadcast booth for the Fire are play-by-play commentators Arlo White and Tyler Terens and color analyst and U.S. Soccer Hall of Famer Tony Meola.
The Fire will make its 2020 debut on WGN-TV and ESPN+ on Saturday, March 7 when the team travels to play New England Revolution in Foxborough, Mass. Coverage begins at 12:15 p.m. CT with a live pregame show on ESPN+ presented by CIBC. Coverage on WGN-TV will begin at 12:30 p.m. CT.
Of the club’s 34 MLS regular season matches, all 24 local broadcasts are being carried on WGN-TV and ESPN+, with 18 matches in prime time. Ten Fire games will air on national broadcasts across ABC, ESPN, FS1, Univision and UniMás.
Arlo White
The 2020 season marks White’s first campaign as a member of the Chicago Fire’s broadcast team. A native of Leicester, England, White has served as the lead play-by-play voice for NBC Sports Group’s Premier League coverage since the network acquired the exclusive U.S. media rights beginning with the 2013-14 season. White will call Fire matches during the Premier League offseason (mid-May to mid-August). He will also call football matches for NBC Olympics during the upcoming 2020 Tokyo Games. He previously worked at the 2016 Rio and 2012 London Games.
The New York Times profiled White in a 2015 story, stating in the headline that he “pairs proper English accent with unbridled American verve.”
Prior to relocating back to the United Kingdom to call Premier League matches on-site for NBC Sports, White served as the play-by-play voice for NBC Sports Group’s MLS coverage and U.S. National Team games. Prior to joining NBC, White was the play-by-play voice of Seattle Sounders FC.
“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,” said White. “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.”
Tony Meola
The 2020 season marks Meola’s first campaign as a member of the Chicago Fire’s broadcast team. A native of Kearny, N.J., Meola served as one of the top two broadcast teams – on-site in Russia – for FOX Sports at the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
Since 1990, Meola has served as a football broadcaster in various capacities. He has covered the FIFA World Cup as a color analyst for TNT (1990), ESPN (1998), beIN SPORTS (2014) and FOX Sports (2018).
Meola can be heard daily on SiriusXM FC’s Counter Attack radio show, a program he has co-hosted since 2013. In addition to his World Cup duties, Meola has contributed to FOX Sports’ coverage of MLS, UEFA Champions League, Europa League, U.S. Men’s National Team, FIFA U-17 World Cup and FIFA U-20 World Cup.
Meola, the 2000 MLS Most Valuable Player – and still the only goalkeeper to win the award – has also worked as a color analyst for YES Network and Concacaf, calling Concacaf Champions League and Concacaf Nations League matches.
One of the best American players of all-time, Meola was inducted into the United States Soccer National Hall of Fame in May 2012.
“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.”
Tyler Terens
The 2020 season marks Terens’ first campaign as a member of the Chicago Fire’s broadcast team. A native of Scotch Plains, N.J., Terens, 26, comes to the Fire after calling more than 500 football matches including Concacaf Champions League, Concacaf Gold Cup, Concacaf Nations League, Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, USL and NCAA. He also spent the past two seasons as the voice of Phoenix Rising FC, covering all home and away matches as well as hosting Concacaf’s Scotiabank Concacaf Champions League Show.
Terens played four years of college soccer at Hobart College in Geneva, N.Y., graduating in 2016. He then honed his craft calling matches for schools such as Princeton, Holy Cross and Stevens Institute of Technology.
“I have always loved playing football but my passion for Major League Soccer was fostered by my uncle, a life-long Chicago Fire season ticket holder,” said Terens. “I remember watching Josh Wolff, Ante Razov and John Thorrington and getting my first introduction to MLS. To be joining a club that has such a storied history and is close to my heart – and my family – is surreal. I am honored to work alongside two quintessential professionals in Arlo and Tony. I can’t wait to help bring a passionate, informed and fun broadcast to Fire fans.”
