There was a lot to dislike about New York City FC’s loss to Charlotte FC tonight. Poor defending, lack of creativity, zero chemistry: The 3-2 scoreline might be a surprise given that NYCFC haven’t allowed more than two goals in one game all season, but the result isn’t.
Even then, the most irritating part of tonight’s game had nothing to do with what happened on the field. Rather, it was the voice of Tyler Terens, the Apple TV play-by-play announcer assigned to this match.
Terens called the game with the shrill, piercing tone of somebody working through a too-long joke at a packed bar during happy hour. His voice climbed to a pitch that cuts clean through a crowd, then simply stayed there. That kind of public speaking might be useful in an auditorium without a PA system, or when you’re chatting with your friend on a subway platform and an express train goes screeching by, but you don’t need it when talking to the captive audience watching at home on MLS Season Pass.
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Is this too harsh of an assessment? Possibly. The quality of the play on display by NYCFC certainly didn’t help the mood — Terens can’t be blamed for the team’s inability to win on the road.
Still, listening to him was work. This is just one opinion, but the best announcers talk to you like they’re telling a story. There’s pacing, there’s tone. There are long conversational passages that set the mood, then amped-up moments that reflect the excitement on the field. There’s a music to it.
That was missing tonight. But Terens is young still, and could grow into his job over the course of the season.
In that regard, Terens has much in common with the NYCFC squad that lost tonight.
