The top soccer analyst voice on ESPN announced he’s leaving the network after nearly 13 years.
In a statement posted on his Twitter account, Taylor Twellman revealed on Friday he was leaving Bristol, thanking ESPN for everything and sharing how grateful he was to work with and be friends with so many at the network.
Thank you @ESPN! pic.twitter.com/3FECcq1kCo
— Taylor Twellman (@TaylorTwellman) January 6, 2023
After retiring from professional soccer in 2010, Twellman hit the ground running almost immediately at ESPN. He quickly became their top soccer analyst, working such events as the FIFA World Cup, UEFA European Championship, FA Cup, MLS Cup, and the U.S. Open Cup, in addition to various MLS and U.S. Soccer matches.
Twellman occasionally branched out of the soccer world, hosting and participating in their various ESPN studio shows like SportsCenter and Get Up. In retirement, Twellman was one of the first on-air talents to shine a light on concussions in sports and remains one of the top advocates for concussion awareness. Twellman had to retire early due to concussions and started ThinkTaylor to promote concussion awareness in youth sports.
While Twellman didn’t announce his next venture, it’s not difficult to speculate what that could be. Warner Bros. Discovery is going to start airing men’s and women’s U.S. matches in January, while MLS is in the process of hiring multiple commentators for their debut on Apple in February. One or both places make sense as a landing spot for Twellman. We’ll have to wait and see what he does next.
About Phillip Bupp
Producer/editor of the Awful Announcing Podcast and Short and to the Point. News editor for The Comeback and Awful Announcing. Highlight consultant for Major League Soccer as well as a freelance writer for hire. Opinions are my own but feel free to agree with them.
Follow me on Twitter and Instagram @phillipbupp