Shep Messing

RED BULLS ANALYST

One of the premier American soccer players in the mid-1970s and 1980s, Shep Messing knows more than just a little bit about goaltending and the game of soccer. Since 2001, he has applied his expertise as an analyst for New York Red Bulls (previously the Metro Stars) telecasts on MSG Networks.

Messing launched his broadcasting career in 1986 calling the action during the World Cup in Mexico. Since then he has called the 2002 World Cup in Korea, the 2006 World Cup in Germany and the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. Additional broadcast work includes hosting the “MSG Soccer Report” on MSG from 2002 to 2006, and calling the 2008 Beijing and the 2012 London Olympic Games for NBC.

Messing started his professional playing days as the netminder for the New York Cosmos, playing alongside world-renowned players Pele, Franz Beckenbauer and Georgio Chinaglia. Together, they led the Cosmos to victory in the 1977 Soccer Bowl.

Following his stint with the Cosmos, Messing had the distinct honor of being the first player to sign with the Major Indoor Soccer League when he joined the New York Arrows in 1978. He spent six years with the New York Arrows, where he grabbed virtually every goalkeeping title and helped lead the team to the MISL Championship in each of the Leagues first four seasons. Messing’s stellar collegiate and amateur career also included appearances with the U.S. team in the Pan Am Games (1971) and the 1972 Olympic Games. In 1993, he was inducted into the New York Sports Hall of Fame.