Jake Leonard 
St. Louis CITY SC now has a radio broadcast partner per a media release from the team Wednesday.
The newest expansion team in Major League Soccer is partnering with Audacy St. Louis for all English-language broadcasts of CITY SC games. Those games will air on KYKY Y98.1 FM (Y98) with additional programming on legendary sports talk radio station KMOX 1120 AM.
The deal also includes CITY SC games broadcast in Spanish on KXOK 102.9 FM, which is a not-for-profit station.
Meet the CITY SC English commentary team
The news release would introduce the English radio broadcast team for the 2023 season on Y98.
Local viral play-by-play broadcaster Joey Zanaboni will offer the play-by-play calls.
Joey Zanaboni’s colorful and exciting play-by-play broadcasts have generated more than 10 million views on social media in the last three years. He has served as a play-by-play broadcaster for the Fredricksburg Nationals (Single-A), St. Louis Ambush (MASL), ESPN, and the MLB Network. His work has been featured by outlets as diverse as SportsCenter, NPR, CBS This Morning, and MLB Network and includes play-by-play for major college events like the 2022 Big 12 Conference Championship tournament presented on ESPN. The St. Louis native was described by the Washington Post as “a broadcaster you have to hear to believe.”
St. Louis soccer coaching legend and CITY Academy director Dale Schilly will hold down the fort on color commentary.
Dale Schilly is one of the most recognized coaches in St. Louis soccer history, after serving as the head coach of St. Louis FC and AC St. Louis. Before joining St. Louis CITY as Academy Director in December 2021, he was Technical Director and Vice President of the local club St. Louis Scott Gallagher, where he had helped develop young soccer talent in St. Louis since 1994. Schilly has been doing color commentary for soccer broadcasts since 2018, and most recently commentated on the 2022 CITY2 v. Bayer Leverkusen game at CITYPARK on ESPN+. When he’s not in the booth, Schilly currently serves as the St. Louis CITY Academy Director.
Meet the CITY SC Spanish commentary team
On the Spanish side will be Santiago Beltrán and Héctor Vega of Líder Sports Media, who will be providing commentary on KXOK.
Santiago Beltrán is a native of Manizales, Colombia who moved to the United States in 2004 to complete his undergraduate studies in Industrial Engineering in Houston, Texas, and moved to St. Louis in 2006. Over the past six years, Santiago has been covering St. Louis soccer. He started as a host for a Spanish sports show on La KeBuena Radio and joined the station’s broadcast of USL’s St. Louis FC as a color commentator. In 2019, Beltrán co-founded Líder Sports Media and started his journey as a Spanish play-by-play announcer for St. Louis FC, St. Louis Ambush, and St Louis CITY2. He is currently a co-host for Líder City on KXOK 102.9 FM.
Héctor Vega is a former youth national team and professional soccer player in Mexico with 20 years of experience in media including writing, producing, and hosting for Univisión, Televisa, and Multimedios. Héctor has extensive experience commentating for St. Louis’ indoor and outdoor professional teams. In 2019, he co-founded Líder Sports Media and has served as a color commentator for St. Louis FC, St. Louis Ambush, and St Louis CITY2. Vega is currently a co-host for Líder City, a show covering St. Louis soccer on KXOK 102.9 FM and the first Spanish program on an FM station in St. Louis.
“Our mission to elevate soccer in St. Louis”
Dennis Moore, the chief revenue officer for CITY SC, provided some comments on the partnership with Audacy St. Louis for the radio carriage of their games.
“We wanted radio broadcast partners who share in our mission to elevate soccer in St. Louis and throughout our region. We are thrilled to bring Audacy St. Louis and KXOK on board,” said Moore. “KMOX’s legacy of top-notch sports talk radio production combined with the high energy and fun of Y98 allows us to reach deeper into the regional St. Louis sports audience and help introduce MLS and professional soccer more widely in our market.”
“Reflective of St. Louis and our brand, we want our radio broadcasts to deliver a mix of fresh and unexpected with deep history and technical knowledge of the game,” Moore adds. “We think the combination of Zanaboni and Schilly will give fans a great reason to turn on the radio or choose local radio broadcast when streaming on Apple+.”
“We are beyond excited to be the official English language radio broadcast partner for St. Louis CITY SC,” said Audacy St. Louis Senior Vice President and Market Manager Becky Domyan. “Our dual purpose of serving our community will be amplified on our local brands across the diverse reach of our Audacy St. Louis portfolio. We will be providing game broadcasts, exclusive content personality experiences, and activations across the region. This will both grow the game and make a positive impact in our community.”
“KXOK 102.9FM is proud to be your home for the Spanish radio broadcast of St. Louis City SC,” said Mark Langston, KXOK President and General Manager. “We are excited to share the spirit and action of the beautiful game with all listeners in our region.”
As part of the radio partnership, fans will be able to select St. Louis’ radio broadcasts for home matches as one of the audio options in Apple’s MLS streaming options, through the Apple TV app and the new MLS Season Pass.
“The opportunity to listen to local radio while streaming on Apple TV makes this partnership even more important for the fan experience, as we know here in St. Louis, sports broadcasters bring a local connection that resonates deeply with fans,” said Moore.
St. Louis CITY SC’s radio broadcast for the 2023 MLS season opener against Austin FC will kick off on Saturday, Feb. 25 at 7:30 p.m. Central.
