The veteran broadcaster discusses the state of the Bundesliga and connecting with the next generation of fans via EAFC
As he speaks about the various levels of his love for the Bundesliga, Derek Rae often dips into his knowledge of the German language. He was born and raised in Scotland, but Rae can mix these terms in with ease. He's been doing this for a long time. His love affair with German soccer goes back decades.
On one particular occasion when discussing Borussia Dortmund, he uses the word "Stallgeruch." Literally, it means "the smell of the stable." But it isn't a word meant to be translated directly. It's a word often associated with Dortmund, who have generally shunned outsiders to instead lean on those that understand their stable's particular smell to lead them.
"In other words," Rae says, "unless you can understand that, unless you know that smell of the stable, you're not qualified to be there."
Few know the smell of the Bundesliga stable better than Rae. The veteran ESPN announcer fell in love with German soccer years ago and that love has taken him all over the world. One of the game's most famous commentators, Rae has covered everything from World Cups and Champions League finals to MLS and Scottish Premiership matches.
He's been the voice features in billions of virtual matches, too. If there's a corner of the earth hosting a soccer game, real or otherwise, Rae – famously the voice of the EAFC video game – has likely been there to talk about it. And for those that know him, you can bet he said everyone's name correctly.
The Bundesliga, though, is his home. He's commentated on the German matches since 2009 and is now ESPN's lead for their coverage of the league. When given the chance to dive deep into his love for German soccer, Rae's eyes light up. He loves this sport and everything that comes with it: The feelings, the moments, the culture, all of it.
For him, nothing quite captures all of that and bottles it all together quite like the Bundesliga. He'll be busy again with Bayern Munich against RB Leipzig, which kicks off Saturday at 9:30 a.m. ET, live on ESPN+.
So, with the league potentially being decided this weekend, Rae discussed Bayern Munich's progress, criticism of Harry Kane, Gio Reyna's future and more in Mic'd Up, a recurring feature in which GOAL US taps into the perspective of broadcasters, analysts, and other pundits on the state of soccer in the U.S. and abroad.
Getty Images SportON HARRY KANE, BAYERN MUNICH
GOAL: When it comes to Bayern, any given team is always going to be compared to the ones before them. As someone who has watched this team all season long, what has impressed you most and what are your takeaways of where this club is as they prepare to be champions again?
RAE: I think it will all take a few years, in retrospect, to be able to assess how good or otherwise this particular Bayern side is. I think normally when Bayern win only one trophy, and it looks like it will be the Bundesliga, you would say that's a slightly disappointing season because they have very high standards for themselves. I do think there's been an element of back luck, and I don't like to talk about luck. But when it comes to their cup elimination at the hands of Leverkusen, the Champions League – some of the performances were incomplete. But as Joshua Kimmich said recently, I think, on the whole, Bayern were better in most games. But against Inter, they were ultimately on the losing side.
This first season with a new coach, with [Vincent] Kompany, I think he's made their football on the whole quite watchable. But it's an incomplete assessment because I want to see what he does next season and what kind of squad he has to work with next season. His ideas are there. He had to stake a step back and sort out the high line after Barcelona exposed it – and Frankfurt did a good job against it, as well, in the autumn. I think this will go down as a building season just because there has been so much turmoil these last couple of years. I would say, right now, it's difficult to know whether this is one of the very best Bayern teams or one of the poorest, but my suspicion is that it's somewhere in the middle.
GOAL: He's suspended this weekend, so he may not play a part in the match that actually wins them this thing, but what does this all mean for Harry Kane, given the trophy criticisms he's always been associated with? And, just on a human level, as a fan of the game, does it feel a little bit nice to see him finally have a trophy that everyone would generally agree he has more than earned?
RAE: I think anybody with a generosity of spirit would feel that way. He is a terrific footballer and a good guy, and I think that's maybe an overlooked aspect of it. Ask anybody at Bayern about Harry Kane and they'll tell you what a great person he has been and what an addition he's been to the Bayern dressing room. The fact that he's had to wait so long is a real pity, a real shame, because we know what a great player he is and what a team guy he is. But he's been in the wrong place, sadly, from the point of view of actually winning trophies. When I look at Harry Kane, if anything, I would say I underestimated just how good he is. I'm not saying I didn't think he was good, but, since coming to Bayern, I think I've seen an extra string to his bow.
And I've seen the way he is appreciated, but doesn't make it about himself. To be a top striker, there's an element of egomania where you have to be selfish, and he has some of those qualities, but he brings other players into it, too. It's a pity. And I was commentating on his game last week when he got that suspension and I knew that meant he would miss Leipzig. But in the grand scheme of things, I don't think it's a huge problem because they won't lift the trophy on Saturday anyway. I'm sure he'll be there. I'm sure he'll run onto the pitch with everyone else if it happens. I'm sure he'll be in Munich playing when Bayern do actually get to lift the Meisterschale.
AdvertisementGetty Images SportON BORUSSIA DORTMUND'S IDENTITY
GOAL: This season hasn't been the best for one of Bayern's traditional rivals, Dortmund, and it seems the club is going through a shift in identity. For years, Dortmund have had a guy in their squad that you could look at and point at as someone that was going to be world-class, with Erling Haaland and Jude Bellingham being the big examples recently. Where do they stand now that they don't have that? Where is the club heading?
RAE: I think they have gone away from that, maybe partially by design because I think they were partially fed up hearing that they are a "stepping-stone club." You get Haaland for a year or two, Bellingham for a year or two, and then they move on. Now, the new stepping-stone club, and I would say not just in the Bundesliga but in Europe, is Eintracht Frankfurt – who have stepped into that role with [Randal] Kolo Muani or [Omar] Marmoush or now with Hugo Ekitike. I think they're the club that a young player might look at and say that's where I'd rather go!
I feel like Dortmund have not done as good a job in identifying targets and finding the right fee to pay for them and then understanding how you can sell the player on to use that for your own benefit. I'm not sure [summer signings Serhou Guirassy and Waldemar Anton], as good as they are, have upside in terms of selling them on. I can definitely see that with Maxi Beier, but he's someone where, hopefully, he's at Dortmund for a little while. I think the big problem in Dortmund is that, if you go player by player – and I did this quite recently – and you compare and contrast them with Bayern or Leverkusen, there really aren't that many Dortmund players that would get in either side. And I think that does tell you all you need to know.
Getty Images SportON GIO REYNA
GOAL: Everyone has their own opinions on Gio Reyna, from why it hasn't worked to what he should do next. As someone who has watched him go from Dortmund's next star to a player that looks set to leave this summer, what do you make of it all?
RAE: I do have to mention the injuries, and I know that's a convenient excuse, but he's missed a lot of important games at a big point in his footballing life. Dortmund, at some point, has to say that they can't trust him or also put his own welfare first as well. The injuries certainly came at the wrong time for him. I think also the problem with a player like Reyna is that he is a very good, talented footballer, but you can make the argument that he's a bit of a luxury for certain teams and there aren't many teams that can build around a player like that. It does happen, but you sometimes have to go further down to find a team where you can have one exceptional player surrounded by workers that can compensate.
I'm not saying that Reyna is a lazy player, he's not, but no one would say workrate is one of his biggest strengths. It's his vision, passing and creativity that a side would look at when he's at his best. His next club needs to be the sort of club that will give him license – and I think he made a bad choice with that going to Nottingham Forest. I think he was possibly slightly overrated a few years ago, and I think he definitely was by a lot of American fans. I even got complaints from fans as if I was making the decision!
What I would say is that there is nobody in Dortmund these last few years who has been asking 'Why is Reyna not in the team?' That's not a big topic there. The time for a departure was actually sooner than this, but injuries got in the way. For him to prosper, he needs a team that can build around him as a playmaking figure and, unfortunately, that means you drop down to another club or another league that isn't as good. If I were in Reyna's shoes, you have to say to yourself that, wherever you go, you have to play football more.
GOAL: Reyna aside, it wasn't the best year for Americans in the Bundesliga, largely due to injuries. What stood out to you with the Americans in the league this year?
RAE: It certainly hasn't been the best year. You had [John] Tolkin with Kiel getting injured shortly after he got there. James Sands at St. Pauli another one. I've not given up on [Kevin] Paredes. I commentated on him the other week against Mainz and I thought he had a really good game. I thought he buzzed around. He's somebody that I think has a future, but whether we're talking about a front-line player for the USA, I don't know. I know they rate him highly at Wolfsburg. You're right, though. It has not been a season for the annals in terms of American players in the Bundesliga.
AFPON THE BIGGEST MOMENT OF HIS CAREER
GOAL: You've done just about everything you can do as a commentator and called games at every level imaginable. Is there a game or a moment that sticks out?
RAE: The one that stands out and will always stand out, and I doubt it'll ever be topped, was the 2005 Champions League final in Istanbul. I was working for ESPN in those days and the final was a big part of our coverage. It was a ragtag Liverpool that was not even a particularly good team, and how they even got to that final was a minor miracle. Milan were the cream of the crop and the team we all looked to and said that anyone who wanted to win the Champions League would have to face Milan. I went into that final thinking about how great it would be to commentate on it, but I was pretty sure Milan were going to win.
Milan are up 3-0 and I spent halftime flicking through my notes, making sure I had the biggest margin of victory in a European final ready. Lo and behold, before we knew it, it was 3-3. I remember looking around the commentary area and seeing all of these greats from the past. Oliver Bierhoff was just in front of us and he was so animated as a former Milan player not happy about what was going on.
What I'm most proud of, though, is that I had my research done. I say that because, just over 20 years earlier, Liverpool had taken part in the European Cup final against Roma and that had gone to penalties as well. The goalkeeper, Bruce Grobbelaar, had done this little jelly-legged sort of act on the line, moving his legs in a weird manner. That stayed with me. So [Jerzy] Dudek is in this penalty shootout doing the Grobbelaar, as I would put it, and I remember saying it on commentary: "Dudek is taking a leaf out of Grobbelaar's book from that final all those years ago." I'm so happy I said that because, as it turns out, Dudek had actually taken inspiration from Grobbelaar. He'd been watching his videos. When it all comes together like that, you then have to find the words. That is one that will stay with me.