Soccer coverage in the United States has made leaps and bounds recently, but despite the increase in coverage, why are there so few great American soccer studio analysts? Yes, there are plenty of world-class ones on US television. However, most of them are foreign. The ones who are American are fairly decent, but many of them are too reluctant to speak their mind. For instance, name one American soccer studio analyst who is vocal and honest about the problems that exist in Major League Soccer. The list is a short one.

The role of a soccer studio analyst is to give opinions. Not just any opinions, but to speak his or her mind, sharing insightful analysis that adds to the conversation about the sport or a specific game. Not every analyst can do it, but the best ones provide unique thoughts that elevate the game. The worst ones just talk, talk, talk without providing anything insightful.

So, instead of naming the studio analysts needing improvement, let’s focus on the best ones that you’ll find on American TV.

Top 10 studio analysts to watch

In alphabetical order by last name:

Karen Bardsley

Former goalkeeper Karen Bardsley was born and bred in the United States. Bizarrely, though, she hasn’t yet had many opportunities to share her analysis on US television. Now based in the United Kingdom, she has been one of the stars of BBC’s radio coverage of major competitions recently such as the World Cup. We’d love to see her get more chances to appear on US television.

Nico Cantor

The versatile Nico Cantor can speak intelligently on a variety of topics about world soccer. Whether it’s CBS’ Morning Footy, The Golazo Show, or coverage of South American fútbol, he’s an expert on all things soccer, which is rare to find among American studio analysts. What we especially like about Cantor is that he doesn’t regurgitate the same talking points about MLS that hold back some of his colleagues. He speaks freely without being worried about the repercussions.

Maurice Edu

If you break Maurice Edu out of his MLS comfort zone, he’s a good analyst who reads the game very well. Just like many of his Apple TV colleagues, though, he doesn’t appear on television enough to analyze non-MLS games. We want to see him on CBS more often in the studio instead of being a co-commentator on Apple TV.

Herculez Gomez

Herc Gomez is one of the few American analysts who is outspoken. Despite his tendency to schill for too many brands on social media, he is one of the top analysts on US television. His successful Futbol Americas show on ESPN+ alongside Seb Salazar is unique. In a perfect world, though, we would love to see Gomez in the studio more often to deliver his analysis on games and big topics instead of just US/Mexico-related topics.

Kasey Keller

You’re not going to get a lot of passionate outbursts out of Kasey Keller’s mouth, but what you will get is a lot of wisdom from the former USMNT goalkeeper. Yes, his delivery is dry, but if you listen to what he says, it’s often highly intelligent analysis where he cuts through the noise. We’d love to see him more on TV too instead of just La Liga broadcasts and ESPN FC episodes.

Sacha Kljestan

MLS 360 on Apple TV has a lot going for it, and Sacha Kljestan is the shining star. He caught us by surprise when he debuted in 2023. We had no idea he was such a good analyst. Not only that, but he’s entertaining too, as well as possessing a good sense of humor. While he can be protective and overly sensitive when MLS is criticized, he’s still worth watching. Just like several of his colleagues on this list, though, we’d love to see him outside of the MLS bubble, analyzing games for other networks where he would be more visible.

Michael Lahoud

Other than Karen Bardsley, former professional soccer player Michael Lahoud is the one person on this list who flies under the radar. Whenever we’ve watched him on Scoreline or guest appearances on CBS, he’s been solid. He thinks differently than a lot of the other carbon-copy analysts. He’s got plenty of enthusiasm as well as feel-good vibes. To us, he’s a natural, and his love of soccer shines through the broadcasts when he’s on.

Marco Messina

It’s difficult to pick one person from the CBS Serie A studio crew since the entire team does good work, but one person who stands out is Marco Messina. You can tell he loves the game from the bottom of his heart. So the mix of unbridled joy combined with his knowledge of the sport is infectious. Full credit to CBS for taking the risk by hiring him in the first place. It’s been a wise move for a network that is willing to take risks.

Tab Ramos

Out of all of the studio analysts, Tab Ramos is the one who we’d like to see more of on US television. His appearances are often limited to Spanish-language television. Yet, every time we see and hear him on English-language broadcasts, his honesty and razor-sharp opinions always make him a breath of fresh air to listen to. Ramos never holds back. He is the real deal and has the experience as a professional footballer and coach to back him up.

Nigel Reo-Coker

Nigel Reo-Coker is everywhere. He’s on The Golazo Show, as well as guest appearances on Morning Footy, in addition to being in the studio for many of the EFL games this season. On top of that, he’s on BBC Radio 5 Live all the time on their soccer analysis and discussion shows. At the heart of it, Reo-Coker is a smooth talker. He’s able to share his opinions and gets straight to the point. If you listen carefully to what he says, he’s always offering solid analysis while avoiding the cliches that a lot of other pundits keep on repeating.

Honorable mentions: Tony Meola, Mike Grella, and Aly Wagner.

There is yet to be an American, particularly one with playing experience, who can lead analysis of soccer coverage on US TV. Several of the better ones have stepped away from TV roles to focus on other parts of the sport. Those include Oguchi Onyewu and Eric Wynalda.

Hopefully, over time, the United States will develop a respected analyst who will be the top voice in American soccer.

PHOTOS: IMAGO.

Additional insight and analysis by Christopher Harris