The experience of watching soccer can be enhanced with the right voice. Fans of the LA Galaxy have grown up hearing the voice of play-by-play broadcaster Joe Tutino for years, as he has been involved with the club since its inaugural season.
Tutino, for the uninitiated, does the local TV broadcast for Spectrum SportsNet and will the radio play-by-play for the Galaxy when games are nationally televised. In his 27 years with the Galaxy, he’s become a well-liked figure among the Galaxy fan base
In an interview with The Striker, he reflected on his beginnings in broadcasting and with the LA Galaxy, the different eras of Galaxy history and today, and what the admiration and appreciation from fans mean to him.
The beginnings
He wasn’t given the play-by-play role immediately, but started out as the team’s first public address announcer.
“The epiphany for me was not necessarily as a broadcaster, it was actually as a writer," he explained. "And I realized in high school, it was my sophomore year, and I was sitting in my fourth period history class and I realized, okay, I’m trying to figure out what I want to do what am I going to do? and okay, I love sports and I thought, You know what, I think I could write it.
“I walked into my counselor's office who, at that point, probably thought I was in trouble or something, coming in in the middle of fourth period. And I said, 'I'd like you to put me in the journalism class, because I think I can be a sports writer.'”
Like that, Tutino began to get into sports writing and pursue that for the rest of his time in high school. He started talking to local colleges with good journalism programs in San Diego, but was also confused about what to do next.
“I was talking to San Diego State University, and even San Diego City College, [which has] a very good journalism program. And I wasn't getting the answers I wanted. Because I wanted to take the correct route of getting into the business,” he stated. It led to him pivoting his career to sports. “While I was a little frustrated, I saw a commercial for Columbia School of Broadcasting, which is out of Hollywood, and there was a satellite campus in San Diego. And I said, 'You know what, I tend to know and see plays happening in NFL or soccer ahead of time, and I thought maybe I can go down that road.'”
“Fortunately for me, the director of the school in San Diego was a friend of my brother's," he explained. "And while my parents weren't very happy with the selection I made, I decided, 'You know what, I'm going to go the broadcast route."
His switch to broadcasting led to internships with Major Arena Soccer League side San Diego Sockers, NBC San Diego, and Columbia San Diego Radio, and play-by-play of the Columbia soccer team. After graduating from the Columbia School of Broadcasting, Tutino was hired to be a producer of the first 24-hour sports radio station on the West Coast, XTRA Sports 690.
Once the LA Galaxy was announced as one of Major League Soccer’s original ten teams, Tutino wanted to get involved. “I was a pain in the butt to the Galaxy even before they played their first game," he recalled. "Once the team was announced, and I figured out who the owners were, I was calling them and talked to Danny Villanueva, who was part owner of the club at the time, and told him that I wanted to do the play-by-play,” Tutino recounted.
"Once the season got underway, they asked me, 'So, do you want to do the public address? We're not doing any English radio or English television outside of a few games, but do you want to do the public address for the very first game?'"
That was the club’s first MLS game against the New York MetroStars in April 1996, which Tutino did indeed voice.
At the same time, Tutino was calling games for the Anaheim Splash of the Continental Indoor Soccer League, building more experience with play-by-play soccer. On Tutino’s radio station, he started the “Galaxy Talk” show to discuss the LA Galaxy alongside Rick Davis.
From 1997 to 1999, the pair did the radio play-by-play, and eventually mid-way through the 1999 season, the duo began doing TV broadcasts.
“We were together broadcasting through 2005 but we were on TV through the 2002 championship, to which the Galaxy at that point decided they needed to have to broadcast teams and they asked me which I preferred. I said 'Well, I want to do all the games,' and at that time, they were doing just 10 games on television. And I said I prefer to do all the games, and therefore I stay on radio,” stated Tutino. His work to get noticed by the LA Galaxy at the beginning of the franchise now lead him to be a recognizable voice among Galaxy fans.
Calling History
Tutino has witnessed and called every LA Galaxy game and, with that, the team's five championships. He’s also seen different eras of the Galaxy, but two stand out the most to him.
“Under Sigi Schmid, and the first championship that led into the opening of the stadium," he recalled. "Then, unfortunately, the Galaxy had had a few bad seasons and were trying to find their way and then when Bruce [Arena] came in and we saw things change completely and the arrow point up again with the LA Galaxy and that was a really special time."
Tutino counts the 1999 MLS Cup against D.C United, the 2001 MLS Cup against San Jose Earthquakes, and LA’s first championship in the 2002 MLS Cup final among his most memorable games. That MLS Cup match had Tutino broadcasting in an unorthodox location.
“2002 was a good game. I mean, we were broadcasting from behind the goal. In fact, on the winner, we were broadcasting behind Kevin [Hartman’s] goal,” noted Tutino.
Carlos Ruiz would score the game-winner to deliver LA’s first championship, one of the goals Tutino remembers the most. “There's the Ruiz goal we talked about, Landon's 135th goal, and there's [Zlatan] Ibrahimović’s 500th goal. Those are the ones that really come to mind for me,” he said
He’s seen legends such as David Beckham, Landon Donovan, Robbie Kean, and Zlatan Ibrahimović take center stage for the Galaxy and MLS.
Tutino’s current partner in the booth is another legend he's chronicled along the way, Cobi Jones. He’s been Tutino's longest color commentator during his time calling LA Galaxy games.
“I think the chemistry with Cobi is great. I mean, they said a few games ago. I mean, he's my brother with the LA Galaxy family. And in this particular case, it's weird an interesting situation because I called all his games and then all of a sudden, he shows up in the broadcast booth and Cobi Jones the retired player is not the same as the Cobi Jones who was on the field,” said Tutino.
Both bounce off each other well and keep the viewers of the match engaged with their commentary and analysis. The pair makes you feel like they’re next to you on the couch talking about the game.
“We see the game very similarly," Tutino noted of his longest broadcast partner, paired together nine years. "And it makes my job really easy. Because I can throw out a comment, and Cobi knows exactly where I'm going and I can more often than not pick up where he's going and I think that's what makes for a great team in the broadcast booth."
When looking at this current LA Galaxy team, Tutino — who has called every game this season on TV or radio — believes there is a lot more left for themselves and the fans to learn as LA gets ready to face Nashville SC on Saturday.
“We're still learning what this team is really about at this moment," he assessed. "And I think that they're still learning of what their potential is."
With an experienced MLS manager in Greg Vanney and game-changers on the roster, could we be seeing the start of a new LA Galaxy era? Tutino thinks that could unravel this postseason.
“I think it's going to be a special day for the Galaxy and their fans. The opportunity to see that again. I think I think there was a time here were maybe even during this season. A lot of the Galaxy family were questioning where this club is and will see those days again and this is just the start.
“This is just the tip of the iceberg of seeing those days again,' he added. "We're going to learn a lot about the LA Galaxy, from manager to players, to guys coming off the bench. How these guys now take this baton as they step into an era, a place where, the great Galaxy teams of the past have led this lead this group into glory. The question is, can they handle that? Can they handle the pressure at home?”
Tutino's legacy
Although he’s never played in front of Galaxy fans on the pitch, Tutino is revered as a treasured figure among the Galaxy faithful — a man who has witnessed and called the team's highest achievements and has also been with the team through the lows.
Galaxy fans have shown appreciation to their local broadcaster and he appreciates their support over the years.
“It means the world to me," he reflected. "When I say the Galaxy is my second family, it is ... 27 years of my life has been with the LA Galaxy and that's more than half of my life. It's a very important part of my life, and understanding where we are right now, it's bothersome this may not be able to continue, although I'm hopeful that it does.”
Apple TV taking over broadcast operations of Major League Soccer in 2023 has left many local broadcasters unsure about their future calling games, and the streamer has not yet announced broadcast crews working the 2023 season.
However, Tutino will get to broadcast the Galaxy’s upcoming playoff game against Nashville SC. The LA Galaxy announced Wednesday that Spectrum SportsNet will air the game this weekend in what may be the last broadcast for Tutino and Cobi Jones together.
“Being in the stadium and feeling the energy of a stadium has always been part of my broadcasts," he noted. "I know when the team is playing well, feeling the energy from the stadium and obviously my eyes tell me that too, but it's all part of the broadcast — everything that's happening in the building. I walk the stadium before the game on purpose and that's to feel out what's going on, walk around to the tailgates to say hello and thank you because it's an important part of getting the temperature for everybody."
While walking around the grounds and taking in the atmosphere at Dignity Health Sports Park, he’ll run into many fans who recognize his voice.
“It's also important for me to say thank you," he added, "and that's the opportunity that I have is to go out during the pregame and at least walk by and say hello and go from there."
“If I’m available after the game and people walking out want to have a chat, I'm always happy to do so. I think the LA Galaxy is a very important part of my life and it's very important in the lives of a lot of former players. I think for players that have played and won championships and been on those rosters and played a number of years for the LA Galaxy, they all understand what I'm saying.”
The Galaxy has a rich 27-year history in Major League Soccer, and Joe Tutino is most definitely a part of it.
