The 2015 Major League Soccer schedule was unveiled Wednesday morning. With two expansion teams and a realigned Western Conference, there will be lots of enticing matches for Sounders FC fans. Here are five games to look forward to in 2015, in chronological order.
2015 Sounders FC Schedule
April 26 vs Portland Timbers
Sounders FC will host Portland for the first matchup of the season between the two rivals. When they met in April of 2014, the Rave Green came from behind to earn a point in a thrilling 4-4 result at Providence Park. Seattle won the following three matchups – including a victory in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup – to finish 3-0-1 against the Timbers across all competitions last year. The largest attendance mark of the 2014 season came when the Sounders won 2-0 over Portland in front of 64,207 at CenturyLink Field in July.
June 6 at Sporting Kansas City
The upcoming season could be the start of a new rivalry for the Sounders, as Sporting Kansas City returns to the Western Conference for the first time since 2004. Seattle will face Kansas City three times in 2015 after just one regular-season matchup in each of the last three seasons. This fixture on June 6, the first of the year against the 2013 MLS Cup champions, concludes a pivotal stretch of four matches in 15 days for Sounders FC.
September 19 at Vancouver Whitecaps FC
Seattle’s trip to BC Place in late September could very well decide the 2015 Cascadia Cup. Last season, Sounders FC needed just a draw with the Whitecaps in order to hoist the trophy at CenturyLink Field. However, Vancouver stole a 1-0 result and won the Cascadia Cup for the second straight year. Sounders FC was just 0-2-1 against the Whitecaps last season and has not won at Vancouver since September of 2011, when the club’s 3-1 victory clinched the Cascadia Cup.
October 4 vs LA Galaxy
With just a few games remaining, the Sounders will host the team they dueled for the Supporters’ Shield and Western Conference title last season. Landon Donovan has retired, but this matchup still features the top two finalists for the 2014 MLS MVP award and a bevy of All-Stars. This will also be the first trip to Seattle for Steven Gerrard, the Galaxy’s newest Designated Player. If the final month of last season was any indication, this match is one you will not want to miss.
October 25 vs Real Salt Lake
This will be a historic day not only for Sounders FC, but also for soccer in the United States. As part of the league’s first-ever “Decision Day,” regular-season finales across each conference will be played simultaneously on October 25, with Western Conference action kicking off at 4:00 p.m. PST. It’s the first year MLS has implemented this procedure, one that is similar to the Barclays Premier League’s “Survival Sunday.” Garth Lagerwey’s former club will be in town for the first time since he was appointed Seattle’s General Manager and President of Soccer.
