JP Dellacamera to call some New York Comsos NASL games

UPDATE: The Cosmos made the official announcement Tuesday morning.

You may have heard some of the chatter in recent months about the New York Cosmos' rebirth as a team in the North American Soccer League.

If that's news to you, get ready to hear a lot more soon about perhaps the most famous team name in American soccer history.

The owners of the Cosmos brand will be launching a franchise in the second-tier North American Soccer League later this year. It will begin play in August at Hofstra University's football stadium in the Long Island town of Hempstead, N.Y.

Now the word is out that the team will have a national television deal - yes, really. It's not much of one, but Empire of Soccer reported Monday that Cosmos games will be shown on a high-tier international sports channel called One World Sports.

It so happens that One World Sports' parent company, World Sport Group, has Cosmos chairman Seamus O'Brien as its CEO.

Actually, it's not a coincidence at all. You probably figured the link out rather fast.

What really got my attention wasn't the fact that the Cosmos signed a TV deal: it's who they got to call their games.

According to Empire of Soccer, the play-by-play announcer will be JP Dellacamera, the voice of Union games broadcast locally in Philadelphia.

I asked around a few places and was able to confirm Dellacamera's involvement. He'll be joined by former NASL Cosmos goalkeeper Shep Messing. The two used to work together on MetroStars and Red Bulls broadcasts in New York.

My understanding from the people I've talked to is that Dellacamera will only call Cosmos games when they don't interfere with his Union broadcast schedule. So he isn't going anywhere, which is good news for Philadelphia soccer fans.

I talked to Dellacamera separately, and he wouldn't confirm or deny the report. But he did tell me this:

I can't comment on this report as there has been no announcement officially made by the Cosmos or any television network or company. I can say, though, that with my agreement with the Philadelphia Union, they are treated as my primary employer.

While I am allowed to work for other TV and radio companies and teams, I have only asked out of Union games for ESPN, Fox and NBC network games. The Union have been fully supportive each time that I have asked. It is possible for me to do Cosmos games, but not all of them. The Philadelphia Union deal comes first.