ESPN’s 20th season of televising Major League Soccer will begin Sunday, March 8, at 5 p.m. ET, with the live presentation of Orlando City SC vs. New York City FC, two highly-anticipated expansion teams playing their first league match on ESPN2, ESPN Deportes and WatchESPN from Orlando’s Citrus Bowl.
The season-opening match will feature two FIFA World Cup champions – Orlando City SC’s Kaká (2002 with Brazil) vs. New York City FC’s David Villa (Spain in 2010). It will mark the beginning of the network’s new eight-year rights agreement with the league (through 2022).
2015 MLS on ESPN highlights:
· Appointment viewing: For the first time in the history of Major League Soccer on ESPN, 29 of the 33 matches will be aired on Sunday at 5 p.m. – all but two matches on ESPN2;
· All 33 regular-season matches will be carried on ESPN2, ESPN, ESPNEWS as well as ESPN Deportes and available via WatchESPN;
· 24 of the 33 matches involve at least one 2014 MLS Cup playoff team, including five showcasing the defending MLS Cup champion Los Angeles Galaxy;
· An ESPN network will air one additional match during the season – bringing the total number of regular-season “MLS on ESPN” telecasts to 34;
· New York Red Bulls vs. Los Angeles Galaxy and on Sunday, April 26 – the only match this season between the two powerhouse teams;
· Portland Timbers leads the league with six ESPN appearances each. Six teams have five games each on ESPN networks: 2014 MLS Cup champion Los Angeles Galaxy, New England Revolution, New York City FC, New York Red Bulls, Orlando City SC and Seattle Sounders;
· Four key matches in August: Los Angeles vs. Seattle (Aug. 9), Seattle vs. Orlando City SC (Aug. 16), Los Angeles vs. New York City FC (Aug. 23), and Seattle Sounders vs. Portland Timbers (Aug. 30);
· In the last two weekends of the season, ESPN will televise matches with MLS Cup Playoff implications as part of the new Major League Soccer flex scheduling (Oct. 18) and “Decision Day” (Oct. 25) initiatives.
