Dave Johnson will return as the voice of D.C. United matches, only now on radio instead of TV.
“It was extremely important to our club to provide a local avenue for our fan base to consume our matches,” Danita Johnson, United’s president of business operations, said in a statement, “and to do so with Dave leading the charge is special.”
The team’s play-by-play man since MLS launched in 1996, Johnson saw his 26-year TV run end last fall when the league ditched local broadcasts — NBC Sports Washington in the D.C. market — to sign a 10-year deal with Apple TV Plus to carry all regular season and playoff matches with a stable of announcers.
Apple TV Plus will feature commentary in English and Spanish and an option to choose the local radio broadcast.
“It’s been half my life,” said Johnson, 58, who is also the longtime radio voice of the NBA’s Washington Wizards. “D.C. United is in my blood and in my heart and soul. Even with the [TV] change, I still wanted to be involved and connected to the fans.”
Johnson and analyst Devon McTavish were heard on WONK and iHeartRadio last year as part of an audio simulcast with NBC Sports Washington coverage.
Bruce Murray, a Germantown native and former U.S. national team forward, will join Johnson in the booth at the start of the season, the team said. Other color commentators, including McTavish, could work games as well, a team spokesman said.
In an interview with The Washington Post last summer, Murray said was diagnosed with mild dementia and likely has chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, a degenerative disease found in people with a history of repetitive brain trauma.
Murray, 57, was United’s TV analyst many years ago.
Johnson and Murray will not travel to away matches, instead calling the action off TV monitors in an Audi Field studio.
United will open the season Saturday night at home against Toronto FC.
