Marisa Pilla has been the Philadelphia Union’s host for three years but now she’s making a national leap to Fox Sports 1,writes Jonathan Tannenwald for the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Pilla grew up watching Italian soccer games on TV in Bucks County with her late father.

She knew in high school she wanted to get into sports broadcasting.

Now, after three years as the Philadelphia Union’s pregame and halftime host, plus work as a sideline reporter in the Big East and Ivy League, Pilla has become the latest Philadelphia-area native to make it big in sports broadcasting.

She has been hired by Fox Sports 1 to be a sideline reporter at some MLS games this season, and in July was picked by the National Women’s Soccer League to be the lead sideline reporter for ESPN’s 14-game slate of national broadcasts.

Pilla’s had a variety of roles before jumping over to the Union.

“I was looking to make a move to a bigger job, and I found this opportunity with the Union, and I thought, ‘Hey, I might as well just apply, I could move home,’” she said. “Things really worked out, because not only am I back home, but I’m covering a sport I really love, and it’s given me a lot of other opportunities.”

Read more about Pilla’s new career here.

[uam_ad id=”62465″]