After calling several World Cup matches for the network earlier this summer, soccer play-by-play voice Ian Darke is headed to ESPN full time.
ESPN officially announced Friday that it has hired Darke as the primary play-by-play voice for soccer telecasts on the network. Darke will make his debut on September 25 for the Manchester City/Chelsea English Premier League match.
Darke will serve as the voice of several high-profile upcoming events — including the 2011 Women’s World Cup, 2013 Confederations Cup and 2014 Men’s World Cup.
In addition, he will call Premier League matches, USA national team matches and “marquee Major League Soccer events.” It was not immediately clear whether that includes the MLS Cup.
Darke called several 2010 World Cup matches for ESPN, including several involving the USA national team.
(ESPN)
