Major League Soccer Unveils Sounders FC 2015 Schedule

Major League Soccer today announced its 2015 regular season schedule, a campaign that sees each of its 20 clubs play 34 matches beginning on March 6 and concluding on October 25. Seattle Sounders FC has 12 contests slated for a national television audience across MLS’ family of networks: ESPN, FOX Sports and Univision, beginning with the Rave Green’s season-opener against defending Eastern Conference champion New England Revolution on March 8 at CenturyLink Field (FOX Sports / 6:30 p.m. PST).

Three of Seattle’s six Cascadia Cup matches against Portland and Vancouver are set to be played at CenturyLink Field, with all three Timbers fixtures airing on national television. Sounders FC faces Western Conference rival LA Galaxy twice on the road in 2015, but will host the final meeting between the two clubs on October 4 in Seattle. Sounders FC’s final six matches of 2015 are against Western Conference opponents, culminating with a pivotal season-ending home clash against Real Salt Lake on Sunday, October 25. Other 2015 season highlights include a May 23 showdown at CenturyLink Field against 2013 MLS Cup champion – and new Western Conference addition – Sporting Kansas City, along with a visit from expansion side Orlando City on August 16.

All non-nationally televised Sounders FC home kickoff times are being announced at a later date, along with the club’s 2015 regional broadcast partner details. Of Sounders FC’s 12 nationally televised broadcasts, six are slated to appear on one of FOX Sports’ platforms, five on ESPN or ESPN2 and one on Univision. Non-national TV MLS matches are being played on Saturdays, with intermittent mid-week matches, and will be broadcast locally and/or via a subscription to a digital out-of-market package.

2015 Sounders FC season ticket packages are currently available here, or by calling 877-MLS-GOAL. Single-match tickets, partial season ticket plans and group package details will be made available in the weeks ahead. 

The 2015 campaign, the first of an eight-year television and media rights partnership with ESPN, FOX Sports and Univision, showcases new, consistent national television schedules, expanded live game streaming and innovative season-ending schedule enhancements – giving fans more opportunities than ever to engage with MLS content.

MLS’ new national television schedule features a Univision game of the week on Friday nights and an ESPN and FOX Sports double-header nearly every Sunday all season long. Univision’s games – primarily on UniMás – are available in Spanish and English both on television and live streamed on the Univision Deportes app. Sunday’s doubleheaders on ESPN and FOX Sports networks showcase back-to-back MLS matches at 5:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. ET, respectively. Both ESPN and FOX Sports are simulcasting their games on their Spanish-language networks (ESPN Deportes, FOX Deportes) and their authenticated digital offerings (Watch ESPN, FOX Sports GO).

Newly created schedule enhancements ensure that fans have access to the league’s most meaningful games during the season’s climax. MLS and its broadcast partners have introduced flex scheduling for the second-to-last weekend of the regular season which will allow Univision, ESPN and FOX Sports to decide to telecast late in the season the matches that matter most to fans.

In addition to the flex scheduling option in week 33 of the season, the last day of the 2015 regular season will see MLS unveil a new, exciting scheduling format – dubbed “Decision Day” – which is one final flurry of action to settle the standings and determine who is in, and who is out, of the MLS Cup Playoffs. Games across each conference are being played simultaneously, with the most meaningful playoff-race games broadcast nationally. Five games in the Eastern Conference will be played concurrently on Sunday, October 25 at 5:00 p.m. ET, with one match airing on FOX Sports 1 and one match on UniMás. Immediately following, all five Western Conference matches are being played at 7:00 p.m. ET, with one game airing on ESPN2 and one game on UniMás. All other games are being showcased across network and league digital platforms to ensure fans do not miss a minute of the action.

This year, 12 teams can qualify for the MLS Cup Playoffs, as the sixth-place team in both conferences has a chance to vie for a trip to MLS Cup 2015, and for the first time ever, every minute of the playoffs is being telecast live on national TV. The Knockout Rounds now consist of four single-elimination matches taking place on Wednesday, October 28 and Thursday, October 29.

The Conference Semifinals are scheduled over two consecutive weekends, October 31–November 1 and November 7–8. Following a FIFA break from November 9–17, the Conference Championship matches begin on November 21 and 22, with the second legs slated for November 28 and 29. The Conference Semifinals and Conference Championship matches will again be two-game aggregate goal series. Of the two clubs that reach MLS Cup, the team with the better regular season record will host the championship game, on December 5-6 or December 12-13. Full postseason schedule details will be announced at a later date.

2015 Sounders FC MLS Regular Season Schedule