Major League Soccer and Cascadia Cup supporters, your life is now complete for the year. Or it may now be completely disrupted.
It’s your call.
The MLS finally released its official schedule for the 2011 regular season on Thursday, including all the details for national broadcasts on the ESPN family of networks and Spanish-language broadcasts on Galavisión and TeleFutura.
And rivalry matches will be a big theme this year. We’ll have the SuperClassico, the I-95 corridor clashes, the Rocky Mountain Cup and, of course, the Cascadia Cup broadsides. All brought to you by your very own professional soccer league.
First things, first. Here are the dates for the Cascadia Cup:
- Saturday, May 14 Seattle Sounders FC vs. Portland Timbers, 11 p.m. (ESPN2, Deportes, ESPN3.com)
- Saturday, June 11 Seattle Sounders FC vs. Vancouver Whitecaps, 10 p.m.
- Sunday, July 10 Portland Timbers vs. Seattle Sounders FC, 5 p.m. (ESPN, Deportes, ESPN3.com)
- Saturday, Aug. 20 Portland Timbers vs. Vancouver Whitecaps, 10 p.m.
- Saturday, Sept. 24 Vancouver Whitecaps vs. Seattle Sounders FC, 7:30 p.m.
- Sunday, Oct. 2 Vancouver Whitecaps vs. Portland Timbers, 4:30 p.m.
League officials stressed that certain matches are subject to change, due to other national television implications. MLS remains in discussions with other potential national broadcast partners in the United States and Canada and will release details soon which could affect certain dates on the schedule.
CHECK OUT THE COMPLETE SCHEDULE
Check out the key televised rivalry maches
All 18 clubs will play their season openers during the week of First Kick, with eight games on Saturday, March 19, and one on Sunday, March 20, when the LA Galaxy host the New England Revolution.
ESPN will continue its coverage of MLS with a total of 21 regular-season games 17 on ESPN2, four on ESPN and all 21 on ESPN Deportes, ESPN3.com and ESPN Deportes Radio.
Among those is the first-ever MLS showdown between the Seattle Sounders and expansion Portland Timbers at Qwest Field in Seattle on May 14 on ESPN2 (11 pm ET). ESPN2 will also broadcast the 2011 AT&T MLS All-Star Game from Red Bull Arena on July 27.
READ: COMPLETE ESPN SCHEDULE
ESPNs coverage will also include key matches like the Timbers home opener at PGE Park against Chicago (April 19), the LA Galaxy hosting the New York Red Bulls (May 7), Sporting Kansas Citys first match in their new stadium (June 9), Portland hosting Seattle (July 10) and Colorado hosting Real Salt Lake in a late-season Rocky Mountain Cup matchup at Dicks Sporting Goods Park on Oct. 14.
ESPN2 will also broadcast a July 4 doubleheader, when Real Salt Lake host the New England Revolution and the LA Galaxy host Seattle Sounders FC.
READ: COMPLETE GALAVISION AND TELEFUTURA SCHEDULE
The Univisión family of networks will broadcast 30 MLS regular-season games live: 20 on Galavisión and 10 on TeleFutura. Sporting Kansas City and the New York Red Bulls, respectively featuring Mexican stars Omar Bravo and Rafael Marquez, will appear multiple times on Galavisión/TeleFutura broadcasts, as will Chivas USA and the Houston Dynamo two clubs with strong Hispanic fan bases.
Here’s the complete 2011 Sounders Schedule:
Day Date Opponent Time (PT) TV
Tue. March 15 L.A. Galaxy 6:30 p.m. ESPN/ESPN Deportes
Sat. March 19 at New York Red Bulls 4:30 p.m.
Sat. March 26 Houston Dynamo 7:00 p.m.
Sat. April 2 at San Jose Earthquakes 7:30 p.m.
Sat. April 9 Chicago Fire 1:00 p.m.
Sat. April 16 at Philadelphia Union 1:00 p.m.
Fri. April 22 at Colorado Rapids 6:30 p.m.
Sat. April 30 Toronto FC 7:00 p.m.
Wed. May 4 at D.C. United 4:30 p.m.
Sat. May 7 at Columbus Crew 4:30 p.m.
Sat. May 14 Portland Timbers 8:00 p.m. ESPN2/ESPN Deportes
Sat. May 21 Sporting Kansas City 7:00 p.m.
Wed. May 25 FC Dallas 7:00 p.m.
Sat. May 28 at Real Salt Lake 6:00 p.m.
Sat. June 4 at Chicago Fire 5:30 p.m.
Sat. June 11 Vancouver Whitecaps FC 7:00 p.m.
Sat. June 18 at Toronto FC 4:00 p.m.
Thr. June 23 New York Red Bulls 7:00 p.m. ESPN2/ESPN Deportes
Sun. June 26 New England Revolution 1:00 p.m.
Mon. July 4 at L.A. Galaxy 7:30 p.m. ESPN2/ESPN Deportes
Sun. July 10 at Portland Timbers 2:00 p.m. ESPN/ESPN Deportes
Sat. July 16 Colorado Rapids 1:00 p.m.
Sat. July 23 Philadelphia Union 7:00 p.m.
Sat. July 30 at Houston Dynamo 5:30 p.m.
Sat. August 6 at Sporting Kansas City 5:30 p.m.
Sat. August 13 Chivas USA 1:00 p.m.
Sat. August 20 at FC Dallas 6:00 p.m.
Sat. August 27 Columbus Crew 1:00 p.m.
Sat. Sept. 10 Real Salt Lake 1:00 p.m.
Sat. Sept. 17 D.C. United 6:00 p.m.
Sat. Sept. 24 at Vancouver Whitecaps FC 7:30 p.m.
Sat. October 1 at New England Revolution 4:30 p.m.
Sat. October 15 San Jose Earthquakes 7:00 p.m.
Sat. October 22 at Chivas USA 7:30 p.m.
2 Comments
Mr. Holmes,
I’m really enjoying your coverage of the boys, and the new site you and Art have launched. Please keep working hard, bring an objective and un-biased opinion, but fully praise when deserved. This organization is fun to cover, and at times the local writers only look at the successes and ignore their failures. I believe you will do the fans the favor of full coverage.
Thank you
Ain’t it funny how only when the sounders play a major market team or the Mighty Mighty Timbers that ESPN feels like covering them? It’s almost like ESPN is controlled by ACES… and the only time they’re on ESPN 1 is when they come to PiGgiE Park. Fascinating.