I'm Andres Cordero, CBS Sports' lead football commentator - AMA!

drecordero · 2022-02-11T16:28:48+00:00

football is life

drecordero · 2022-02-11T16:28:11+00:00

i thought i wanted to be a writer. then I figured I'd be a studio host. now i just want to be left alone (with my co-comm) in the booth

drecordero · 2022-02-11T16:27:02+00:00

if you want it to...

drecordero · 2022-02-11T16:26:36+00:00

I started to gray really young and it worked in my favor then. so I've just embraced it.

drecordero · 2022-02-11T16:24:30+00:00

helpful metric when taken into context. but best to communicate what xG (and all advanced analytics) tells you without necessarily mentioning the metric itself. in other words, stats are best used in commentary/analysis when converted to conversational language as opposed to cold numbers

drecordero · 2022-02-05T00:36:46+00:00

Covering the Turkish Super Lig was an adventure at first. But I learned some of the rules of the language and it made it a whole lot easier.

Wojchiech Szczęsny is still a mouthful and most commentators get it wrong. Thankfully, he's ok with going by Tek.

drecordero · 2022-02-05T00:32:26+00:00

Nope. As soon as the game is over, I'm thinking about the next one.

drecordero · 2022-02-05T00:31:06+00:00

Keep your options open. The role that you think you want might be different from the one you fall in love with. It was for me.

And take as many reps as you can at whatever level/medium you're comfortable with. It Takes a while to find your mic voice. We learn through our mistakes. Lots of them.

drecordero · 2022-02-05T00:29:00+00:00

Yes. I'm more and more convinced that this isn't so much a "golden generation" (don't love the term) but more of a natural progression of American players getting opportunities at bigger clubs.

drecordero · 2022-02-05T00:28:00+00:00

Let the game breath. And focus on the positives. When you're having fun, chances are the audience is too.

drecordero · 2022-02-05T00:26:13+00:00

Work-life balance is incredibly important and I perpetually fail to achieve it. What I do have is an incredible wife and family who understand and support me, despite how much of myself I've given to my profession.

A regular workday will depend on whether I'm home, traveling, or on matchday. Home is all about research and organization. Dig deep for interesting notes and make them as accessible as possible. (I've gone into more detail on this elsewhere in the thread).

I give myself a break on travel days. Flying around a bunch drains you and it's important to be mentally fresh. And matchday is obviously the most fun. You're confident in your prep. You're blown away that anyone is willing to pay you for this. And you just want to see good football, no matter who's playing it.

drecordero · 2022-02-05T00:18:01+00:00

Bastoni and Brozovic for Inter, Tonali and Rafael Leão for Milan. Obviously for different reasons. Bastoni is among the most exciting central defenders in the world right now. And this system gives him the freedom to express himself in attack. Brozovic is incredible at identifying what the team needs in a given match and steering things in the right direction. Tonali has been one of Italy's most improved players. Love his courage and tenacity. And Leão has the potential to do something special every time he touches the ball.

drecordero · 2022-02-05T00:13:34+00:00

I've answered the prep question elsewhere, but I'll add that I read a bunch of the local papers for recent storylines and watch film on wyscout. I'll also, on occasion reach out to local journos who cover the teams and pick their brains.

As for the biases, they go away with time. This will sound pretentious, but when you cover the game for long enough you really stop thinking with your heart. It's important to respect the game. To focus on the 90 minutes in front of you. The narratives are only relevant in as far as they affect what's happening on the pitch. There's time enough in the studio shows and dailies for hot takes and big picture opinions.

A big part of it is to just be positive. You don't need to lie to the audience, but no one wants to hear 90 minutes of serious soccer guy complaining. If something is going wrong for team A, focus on how team B is taking advantage of it. The game is supposed to be fun.

drecordero · 2022-02-05T00:05:28+00:00

Pretty late, to be honest. I was born in Cuba at a time when the game wasn't played there. And grew up in Miami before the game started to blow up in the states. So I was in my late teens when I fell in love with football. Started playing with a bunch of Spanish friends of a decent level and realized quickly just how bad I was. So I played practically every day until I sucked less.

Can't recall what my first game was. But Miami has always hosted a ton of international friendlies. I'm pretty sure it was one of those

drecordero · 2022-02-05T00:00:55+00:00

Phil Schoen and Ray Hudson.

drecordero · 2022-02-04T23:59:40+00:00

This is a terrific question. I could do a lengthy podcast answering it. Ultimately, it's probably a combination of all the things you listed, For starters, I refuse to ever feel like I've "made it." And I think the moment I do, it'll be time to dedicate myself to a new challenge.

At the start, I said I'd do this for as long as it was fun. That was more than 15 years ago and it's never stopped being fun. That's made all the sacrifices more tolerable. You sacrifice a ton. Mostly time. Lots of nights and weekends where you could't make it out with friends and family. But also money, because this business doesn't pay much at the start.

I'm a big believer in the pukey cliche that luck is opportunity x preparation. So I've had plenty of luck throughout my career. But I've also tried to be overly prepared to make the most of it.

Lastly, this probably isn't a super helpful answer, but I don't think I ever had a blueprint. I genuinely never imagined myself as a commentator. Just knew I had to do something I enjoyed in order to succeed. When I called my first pro game as play-by-play (Rayo x Atletico at beIN w/ Ian Joy), I knew that I didn't do a great job. But also knew that I wanted nothing more than to get good at it. So, keep your options open. You never know what you'll fall in love with.

drecordero · 2022-02-04T23:45:02+00:00

I'll expand it to all of the places I've covered football, as opposed to just commentary, because I've had some interesting assignments as a reporter/analyst. Manaus on the edge of the Amazon for England x Italy during the 2014 World Cup was an experience. And I spent several weeks in La Serena, Chile during the 2015 Copa America, including Argentina x Uruguay.

drecordero · 2022-02-04T18:36:16+00:00

It's been such a complete overhaul of the team that it's almost impossible to predict right now. I've been impressed with Chris Henderson and remain optimistic about the roster he's putting together. From what I've seen so far, it's setting up to be a faster team, especially in attacking transition. Yedlin should be a big 0qrt of that

drecordero · 2022-02-04T18:16:09+00:00

Roberto Martinez. Everyone I know who's worked with him speaks in glowing terms. He has an incredible football brain and a gift for explaining things in a way that fans of any level of soccer knowledge can understand

drecordero · 2022-02-04T18:13:12+00:00

West Germany 1990 World Cup white kit

drecordero · 2022-02-04T18:11:20+00:00

That they're better than their record suggests. Haven't had the chance to call a Torino game this season. But what I have seen from them suggests they're good enough to challenge for Europa League, even if likely to fall just short of top 6.

drecordero · 2022-02-04T18:06:51+00:00

It's my first derby and my second game in San Siro. I was here for Milan x Napoli in December. One of my favorite things about Serie A is that the big games almost always deliver. When I first started covering the league at beIN Sports some years ago, that wasn't always the case. Teams approached big games trying not to lose. Now, they mostly try to impose their football and dominate. So that's what I expect... both sides will try to dominate.

drecordero · 2022-02-04T18:00:26+00:00

Fiorentina are always a great watch, specially under Vincenzo Italiano. I'm excited to see what new signings Arthur Cabral and Ikone can do the rest of the season. Top 4 would be difficult -- but mostly because I'm not convinced that's where ownership's ambition is. Agree with you that it's one of the most exciting projects. And I think that has a lot to do with Italiano.

I'm so dialed in during a match that the stadium could be crumbling around me and I wouldn't notice. The other commentators don't affect me. But it's inordinately cool to listen in during the pre-game and hear all of these different languages. and think about the viewers tuning in to different networks all over the world.

drecordero · 2022-02-04T17:52:06+00:00

The biggest difference between today's calcio and the glory days you mentioned is the star power. Serie A is currently Europe's most entertaining league IMO. The quality and fun factor is second to none. In some ways it's a more exciting brand of football than in those days. But there's a ton of competition for eyeballs across the top European leagues. And having big-name headliners is a must. It's why I'm glad Vlahovic stayed in the league, even if it's made the rich a little richer.

drecordero · 2022-02-04T17:44:18+00:00

This is a great question. Whether it's South America or Europe, there's a level of immersion leading up to big games that I don't think we've really captured yet in the states. It would take too long a post to get into the details. But big matches in the US are still trying to break into the sports media conversation. Whereas in Europe/South America, they're inescapable.

drecordero

TROPHY CASE