Game Day Prep - From The Sideline

Danielle Slaton for Goal Five

2019 is off to a big start. The She Believes, Algarve, and Cyprus Cups are already in the books and the Women’s World Cup is less than 100 days away! The NWSL kicks off next month, and we are in week two of the MLS season. Champion’s League games, both in UEFA and Concacaf are heating up, and the Gold Cup is right around the corner as well.

On a personal level, 2019 may be one of my busiest years yet, as I will cover a number of games and events on TV. As such, I thought it might be interesting to share a little bit about my various roles and how I prepare.

For MLS, I have a couple different roles. When I call the local San Jose Earthquakes games, I am an analyst, but located on the sideline. We have a 3-person broadcast team, but I am not standing next to my broadcast partners. It presents an interesting challenge because I am not only trying to listen in on what coaches are communicating and what folks are saying on the benches (there can be a lot of chaos down there, especially when subs are happening in the second half), but I’m also trying analyze the game effectively and communicate smoothly with my partners who I cannot see, as they are upstairs in the television booth. To be honest, being located on the sideline is not the best vantage point to observe shape and movement, but you do get a better sense of the speed and intensity. My job is made slightly easier due to the fact that I am calling the games for a Bay Area audience, so I have the luxury of focusing on the home team more than the away team. It makes my research a little less cumbersome, though my goal every game is to teach the local viewers something interesting about the opponent.

I get to cover a handful of nationally televised games on FS1, and for, that I play a more traditional sideline role. I am the ears and eyes on the field and my job is to share with the viewer what coaches are saying and what is being communicated from both benches. I am constantly looking for ways to provide a fresh twist on the commentary and add in my analyst insight when appropriate. The preparation work in this role is extensive, especially when you realize that on a good day, only about 15% of what you prepare actually ends up on air. I love that I get to do this and I know it’s good for me, though right now, it’s one of the hardest roles I play. I am often out of my comfort zone and it’s a real area of growth. I am still working to find the right balance between investigative reporter and knowledgeable analyst, and though I have a long way to go, I am proud of the progress I am making.

I am also looking forward to being in the booth this summer and participating in the Women’s World Cup. My favorite thing about television is telling stories and when participating in a tournament over the course of an entire month, you can develop storylines more and peel back the layers as the tournament progresses.  It’s as if we are making a mini-series, with 52 episodes along the way, but we’re doing it all without a script or knowledge of how the end of the series will unfold. We have to be prepared for any ending or development. It’s a hardest and best thing all wrapped into one.

Right now, as I prepare (yes, it’s a 6-month research assignment before the tournament even begins), my goal is to watch as many games as possible in order to learn about the tendencies, styles, personalities of each of the teams I’ll be covering. It can be a challenge to find games, as some teams around the world don’t play or broadcast their games very often. But it’s all about arming yourself for any possible situation that might arise, watching games with an analytical eye, and then explaining that to the viewers in a thoughtful, articulate, and creative way. I hope you’ll get to see some of my work this summer and I can’t wait to share some cool soccer stories with you along the way.

We look forward to Danielle's insights and analysis this summer during the World Cup.  We knows she's going to kill it!