Boston's Derek Rae ready to call World Cup action

During the course of this World Cup, you’ll hear many wonderful voices as part of FOX’s coverage: from American soccer mainstay JP Dellacamera and ’94 World Cup goalkeeper Tony Meola to Mark Followill and the soft-spoken Brit Warren Barton, there is plenty of experience when it comes to describing the action on the various pitches throughout Russia.

But one of the voices you’ll hear tops them all, as his rich Scottish tenor wraps you in a warm blanket and comforts you in the knowledge that you’re listening to a true pro at work.

And the best part of it? He’s one of you.

Starting with today’s Morocco-Iran match in Group B, longtime Boston resident Derek Rae will call a total of 10 group stage matches — and possibly more during the knock-out stages — alongside former US women’s national teamer Aly Wagner in what is his eighth World Cup.

Born and raised in Aberdeen, Scotland, Rae emigrated to the United States in 1991, prior to the ‘94 World Cup. He served as FIFA’s press officer for the matches played at old Foxborough Stadium, while he lived just off Commonwealth Avenue in Brighton.

During those early days in the States, Rae caught Red Sox games during the Roger Clemens/Wage Boggs-era in the early 90s.

“The bleacher seats were about six dollars back then,” Rae said in an email exchange with BostonSportsJournal.com Thursday afternoon. “I haven’t been to Fenway for several years, but hopefully I can put that right once things quiet down after the World Cup.”

After meeting his now-wife Beth, Rae moved to the North End, and he would call Revolution matches on television during the club’s early years in Major League Soccer. The Rae clan would go back to London for eight years to cover European games, but he’s been back in the Commonwealth for the last year.

Rae started calling games at a rather young age.

“For years beginning at age 11,” the 51-year-old said, “I would take a tape recorder to Pittodrie Stadium in Aberdeen. (Aberdeen FC) were on the verge of becoming one of the best teams in Europe and managed latterly by (Manchester United legend Sir) Alex Ferguson. Eventually, at 14, I got on air covering the games on hospital radio, which is a dedicated service for patients in local hospitals.”

After a long correspondence, Scotland radio commentator David Francey — Rae’s broadcasting hero — would submit the youngster’s air checks to BBC Scotland when Rae was a student at Aberdeen University at age 19.

“My second game was England vs. Scotland at Wembley,” he said.

At 20, he was the United Kingdom’s Sports Broadcaster of the Year.

“It all happened very suddenly,” he recalled.

Since then, Rae has been one of the great voices in world football, working for both ESPN — he called matches during the Bristol, Conn. outfit’s 2014 World Cup coverage in Brazil — as well as England’s BT Sport.

FOX approached Rae to call matches for this World Cup last September.

“I was actually on a cruise ship in Norway at the time. David Neal, the executive producer, had made contact through a mutual friend,” he said.

One of the interesting (read: controversial) things about FOX’s coverage of the 2018 World Cup is that it only sent two teams — Dellacamera and Meola, and John Strong and Stuart Holden — to Russia. The rest of the teams, including Rae and Wagner’s partnership, will work out of FOX’s Los Angeles studios, calling matches off a monitor in a darkened room.

While many have criticized FOX for this, Rae says it’s no problem for him as he did it during his days with ESPN.

“This undoubtedly makes the job harder. But the task is to make it work,” he said.

During the last month or so, Rae has called on his Twitter followers — well over 37,000 — for what they thought about the nations involved in this year’s World Cup. It was all a part of his research to call the matches, which is “a never-ending process” to this pro.

“It starts when we get our list of games,” Rae explained, “and from that point on I’m scribbling furiously every day. But of course, I work full time as an international football commentator all around the world, so unlike some who divide their time with other sports, this is what I do.

“I like to know everything about every player even if there’s almost no chance I’ll use that nugget of information. Iran are intriguing due to the way US sanctions have greatly affected the players and their ability to prepare. The team is forced to get on with it under difficult circumstances, so it represents a different story challenge. That’s one example. But ultimately it’s a football tournament and the greatest sports show on earth. It’s a privilege to broadcast it.”

Rae and Wagner will call the following group stage matches:

Morocco v Iran, Friday, June 14, 11 am, FOX
Costa Rica v. Serbia, Sunday, June 16, 8 am, FOX
Tunisia v. England, Monday, June 17, 2 pm, FS1
Colombia v. Japan, Tuesday, June 19, 8 am, FS1
France v. Peru, Thursday, June 21, 8 am, FS1
Nigeria v. Iceland, Friday, June 22, 11 am, FOX
England v. Panama, Sunday, June 24, 8 am, FS1
Iran v. Portugal, Monday, June 25, 2 pm, FOX
Iceland v. Croatia, Tuesday, June 26, 2 pm, FS1
Senegal v. Colombia, Thursday, June 28, 10 am, FOX