TV/English Radio Talent
Neil Sika - TV Play by Play
Neil Sika is the play-by-play announcer for Columbus Crew SC's broadcasts. Entering his 13th full season, Sika served as the club's radio announcer from 2007-2014 before joining TV broadcasts in 2015. He began calling games for the Black & Gold in 2004 and formerly served as the voice of Ohio State hockey (2003-08) and baseball (2004-05). Sika's credits include work for Spectrum Sports, the Big Ten Network, Pac12 Network, CBS Sports Network, ESPN3, and Sirius XM's coverage of the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
Dwight Burgess - TV Color Analyst
Dwight Burgess is the color analyst for Columbus Crew SC broadcasts and returns for his 23rd season with the club, bringing more than three decades of soccer-specific broadcast experience. Burgess has called the action for a variety of national and international soccer events, including XM Satellite Radio’s 2006 FIFA World Cup coverage. He spent two years as the radio play-by-play announcer for Ohio State men’s basketball and hockey. Currently the head men's soccer coach at Wittenberg University, he also has ample soccer coaching experience, having started as the Assistant Head Coach at The Ohio State University for two years before progressing to Capital University. Burgess led Capital’s men’s and women’s programs to six conference championships and three NCAA Tournament berths combined.
Born in Washington, D.C. and raised in Centerville, Ohio, Burgess also played in back-to-back OHSAA Final Four matches while at Centerville High School. He split his college tenure at DePauw University and at University of Dayton. He was twice selected to development camps for the U.S. Men’s National Program for soccer, scored two goals in international friendlies and earned multiple state, regional and national honors in his playing career. Burgess was a member of the champion squad that secured victory at the Ohio State Olympic Games as well.
Chris Doran - English Radio Play-by-Play
Chris Doran returns to the radio booth with two decades of Major League Soccer broadcast experience. His start with MLS came in 2000 as Crew SC's substitute radio host before assuming the same role full-time in 2002 with the Chicago Fire. In 2004, Doran transitioned to television and over a decade served as sideline reporter and analyst for Chicago's regional TV package. He returned to Crew SC regional coverage in 2013, as an analyst and matchday host through the 2016 campaign. Doran’s radio roots trace back to Bloomington, Indiana as he served as the radio voice of the Indiana University soccer program, calling three College Cup titles for the Hoosiers - including Jerry Yeagley's final championship at MAPFRE Stadium in 2003. Since 2007, Doran's served as an analyst for the Big Ten Network and play-by-play host for FOX TV's coverage of UEFA and CONCACAF championship games.
Juan Valladares - Spanish Radio Play-by-Play
Returning to the booth for Crew SC’s Spanish audio stream on ColumbusCrewSC.com, Juan Valladares originally joined Crew SC as a sideline analyst during the 2009 and 2010 seasons. He worked in radio from 1994-1996, providing coverage of professional soccer before becoming a co-anchor on Channel 25 TV in Honduras from 1995-2002, followed by working for Radio America Deportiva from 2002-2008. He then joined the Azteca America broadcast team to work on “Passion de Futbol” as co-anchor in 2009 and assisted in coverage of CONCACAF Gold Cup coverage in 2009 and 2010 and FIFA World Cup Qualifiers nationwide from 2010-2013.
