NBC Sports Network to bring in additional MLS announcers

This coming weekend will be one of the most crowded of the year on the American soccer calendar.

In addition to a nearly-full slate of Major League Soccer games. the United States national team plays its first friendly ahead of World Cup qualifying on Saturday night in Jacksonville.

That game and two of the weekend's nine MLS games - Los Angeles at Houston and San Jose at Kansas City - will be on NBC Sports Network. NBC's top crew of Arlo White and Kyle Martino will be in Jacksonville all weekend, so, the network has brought in reinforcements to call the two MLS games.

Those reinforcements are pretty big names too: J.P. Dellacamera and Brian Dunseth.

Dellacamera should be a familiar name to all of you, as he currently is the play-by-play voice of the Philadelphia Union's local broadcasts. He's also the lead announcer for Fox Soccer Channel's CONCACAF Champions League broadcasts, and was FSC's voice of Major League Soccer last year.

Prior to that, Dellacamera spent many years at ESPN. He was the lead voice of Major League Soccer and the U.S. national team, and worked many men's and women's World Cups. He also has called Olympic soccer broadcasts for NBC, so his relationship with the network is not new.

Dunseth worked with Dellacamera at FSC last year, sometimes as a sideline reporter and sometimes as a color analyst. He has worked regularly as a color analyst for Real Salt Lake over the last few years, and this year has also called games for FC Dallas.

Dellcamera's weekend on the road means he won't be on Comcast SportsNet's broadcast of the Union's game at Toronto on Saturday afternoon. Rob Weingarten, who spent five years as the play-by-play voice for the now-defunct Tampa Bay Mutiny, will stand in for Dellcamera. He will be joined by regular color analyst Bob Rigby.

Weingarten also called three seasons of games for the Atlanta Beat in the old Women's United Soccer Association. So he has plenty of soccer experience, but it's been a while since he's broadcast the sport.

By the way, rumor is this won't be Dellacamera's last soccer assignment this year with NBC. I can't say more at this point, but once I can I'll be sure to let you know.