Geoff Shreeves, technically, got his start in America. His first proper job was in the early '90s, for CNN. He cut his teeth in an American place. And it only makes sense, then, that nearly 35 years later, he's back - albeit in a different capacity. Shreeves - the voice many recognize for his role in the EAFC video game series - is now an analyst for CBS Sports Golazo.
And much has changed over the years. These days, he says, fans know the game.
"American soccer fans are so knowledgeable that actually, as an analyst or a pundit, you have to work doubly as hard because they know their stuff so well," he tells GOAL.
Shreeves will be talking Premier League, Champions League, even lower league stuff. It's a good season to do so, too. The Premier League title race, for one, could be a classic, Shreeves says.
"Look at the Premier League table right now," he said. "Look at Bournemouth, look at Sunderland. It's fantastic. I think we're in for a vintage Premier League this season. Last season, you have to admire what Arne Slot did at Liverpool. But they won it pretty much at a canter, and the bottom three were gone quite early. I said at the start of the season, I think we're seeing much greater competition at the top spot."
And that's just the Prem. Lower down, things could get even more interesting. Wrexham, after cruising to promotion last year, are going to have a far tougher go of things in the Championship.
"They wouldn't say it publicly, but the owners of Birmingham and Wrexham, if you offered them mid-table this season, at the start of season, they'd snatch your hand off," he said. "It's a massive leap."
Shreeves talked the changing role of soccer in America, Premier League title favorites, and who might win the Champions League in the latest edition of Mic'd Up, a recurring feature in which GOAL taps into the perspective of analysts, announcers and other pundits on the state of soccer in the U.S. and abroad.
NOTE: This interview has been lightly edited for brevity and clarity.