Jim Williams: SIRIUS lets Giorgio Chinaglia loose

Jim Williams, The Examiner
Sep 27, 2006 5:00 AM (4 hrs ago)
Current rank: # 1 of 5,380 articles

BALTIMORE - Don’t know who Giorgio Chinaglia is? Tell you what: Drop by Baltimore’s “Little Italy,” and they will tell you all about the former Lazio star, who was one of the best strikers in the world during the mid-1960 and ’70s.

Heard of Chelsea of the English Premiership? Soccer fans from Bel Air to Bethesda and throughout the rest of Maryland have made Chelsea their team of choice with a statewide fan club that numbers nearly 2,000.

So what are Chinaglia and Chelsea doing together? “True Blue,” one of the world’s most popular soccer teams, lists SIRIUS as its official radio home, and Chinaglia, one of soccer’s most outspoken and beloved analysts, hosts the pre-game show.

Prior to every Chelsea match on SIRIUS, Chinaglia and Charlie Stillitano, the former general manager of the New York/New Jersey MetroStars, will host the “Chelsea True Blue Show,” an hour-long segment. The program will include interviews with players, full match commentary, live feeds from post-match press conferences and listener call-ins.

I spoke to Chinaglia recently about all things soccer.

Jim Williams: Why do you think U.S. fans follow European soccer?

Giorgio Chinaglia: “I think soccer is alive and well in America, but I think fans are watching Chelsea, Manchester United, FC Barcelona, and Real Madrid. The fans also like the MLS and Baltimore is the best city for the indoor game, but Americans love to watch the best sports in the world, and if you’re a soccer fan then you want to follow the European leagues.”

JW: Is the English Premiership the best of the European leagues?

GC: From top to bottom, it is the best league in the world. That said, it is really a four-team race with Chelsea, Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal all doing battle for the championship. The favorites have to be Chelsea, with World Cup stars like Andriy Shevchenko and Michael Ballack joining John Terry and Frank Lampard on the Chelsea roster this season. Now is the perfect time for soccer fans to follow one of the best teams in the world.”

Chinaglia and Stillitano also will host a weekly soccer talk show exclusively on SIRIUS that covers the best teams and leagues worldwide. Chinaglia, with his star-studded Rolodex, will have the best soccer show on radio. “The Football Show” will debut today from 5 to 8 p.m. on SIRIUS channel 125.

SIRIUS is the home of soccer on radio, with at least three Premiership games every weekend and three hours of soccer talk every day.

Jim Williams is a seven-time Emmy Award-winning TV producer, director and writer. You can reach him at jwilliamsexaminer@gmail.com.

Examiner