The 2009 MLS regular season kicks off Thursday, March 19 with a spirited and historic match – the inaugural game of Seattle Sounders FC. In front of an anticipated capacity crowd at Qwest Field, U.S. goalkeeping great Kasey Keller and Sounders FC will host the MLS Cup 2008 finalist New York Red Bulls, led by striker Juan Pablo Ángel, in a game aired live in high definition on ESPN2.  

 

Today MLS and its national broadcast partners announced the entire regular season schedule for 2009, the League's 14^th season.

 

The complete schedule is listed below. Throughout the year, the most up-to-date version and the team-by-team schedules are available at www.MLSnet.com. 

 

Each of the 15 teams in MLS will play 30 regular season games for a total of 225 games. Fans can watch any of the 225 games live via the national broadcast partners, regional telecasts, the Direct Kick television package or MLSnet.com. Regional broadcast schedules will be announced by the teams as they are finalized.

 

The 15 MLS clubs will face each other twice for a base of 28 games per team. The two remaining games for each team will be against intra-conference opponents, with a priority on rivalry matchups.

 

This year 90 percent of MLS games will be played on weekends (Friday, Saturday or Sunday), compared to about 84 percent in 2008 and 80 percent in 2007. MLS reduced the volume of games on or around Aug. 12, Sept. 5 and Oct. 10 – all World Cup Qualifying dates. Teams will have occasional bye weeks because of the odd number of teams in MLS this season. An effort was made to schedule byes during international competitions for the teams competing in CONCACAF Champions League (Columbus Crew, D.C. United, New York Red Bulls and Houston Dynamo) and SuperLiga (Chicago Fire, New England Revolution, Kansas City Wizards and Chivas USA).

 

First Kick, presented by Dick's Sporting Goods, is the opening weekend of the MLS season and features seven games. After Seattle's inaugural game, Fox Soccer Channel and Fox Sports en Español bring fans an exciting, live Saturday night doubleheader on March 21: First, the past two MLS Cup champions – Houston Dynamo and Columbus Crew – square off, then the Colorado Rapids visit Chivas USA in a Western Conference showdown. Concluding the opening week of MLS action is a match between the two winningest clubs in MLS history, as the LA Galaxy host D.C. United on TeleFutura on Sunday, March 22 at 3 p.m.

 

Most games on ESPN2 will be offered in high definition with the polished play-by-play of JP Dellacamera and expert insight of U.S. national team great John Harkes. Seven games on ESPN2 will air in an extended 2 1/2-hour window. One regular season game, Seattle at Chicago on July 25, will be broadcast on ESPN. All MLS games on ESPN2 will be simulcast on ESPN360 and ESPN Deportes. In this, the third year of an eight-year agreement, MLS and ESPN have mutually agreed to schedule select matches outside the Thursday night window. Thirteen of the 27 games on ESPN2 and ESPN Deportes will air on weekends (Friday, Saturday or Sunday).

 

TeleFutura's MLS broadcasts return to their Sunday afternoon timeslot, usually between games from Mexico's Primera Division, the most successful sports programming on Univision's family of networks. TeleFutura's knowledgeable tandem of Jorge Perez Navarro and Diego Balado will add information, analysis and excitement to the Spanish-language network's 24 regular season games.

 

Fox Soccer Channel is again scheduled to broadcast its complete slate of 33 regular-season games with on-site 30-minute pre- and post-game shows for a live three-hour programming window called "MLS Saturday on FSC," featuring Max Bretos (play-by-play), Christopher Sullivan (color analyst) and Todd Grisham (host) along with sideline reporters including Mark Rogondino, Christian Miles, Brian Dunseth and Steve Bell for thorough, fan-friendly coverage. Most Fox Soccer Channel MLS games are also scheduled to air live in Spanish in two-hour programming windows on sister network Fox Sports en Español, with some airing on a tape-delayed basis.

 

MLS is in discussions with HDNet to continue broadcasting games on the first all-high definition national television network. HDNet has partnered with MLS since 2003.

 

The regular season concludes Sunday, Oct. 25 with two games: Houston at Chivas USA on TeleFutura and the New England Revolution at Columbus. Eight teams will qualify for the MLS Cup Playoffs, which begin Oct. 29 and culminate in MLS Cup 2009 on the weekend of Nov. 21-22 at a site to be announced at a later date.

 

 

 

WEEK 1
Thursday, March 19	Time		TV
New York Red Bulls at Seattle Sounders FC	9 p.m.		ESPN2 / Deportes
Saturday, March 21
Columbus Crew at Houston Dynamo	8 p.m.		Fox Soccer Channel (FSC) / Fox Sports en Español (FSE)
Chicago Fire at FC Dallas	8:30 p.m.
Toronto FC at Kansas City Wizards	8:30 p.m.
Colorado Rapids at Chivas USA	10:30 p.m.		FSC/FSE
New England Revolution at San Jose Earthquakes	10:30 p.m.
Sunday, March 22
D.C. United at Los Angeles Galaxy	3 p.m.		TeleFutura
WEEK 2
Saturday, March 28
Toronto FC at Columbus Crew	4 p.m.
Chicago Fire at D.C. United	7:30 p.m.
New England Revolution at New York Red Bulls	7:30 p.m.		FSC/FSE
Kansas City Wizards at Colorado Rapids	9:30 p.m.
Houston Dynamo at San Jose Earthquakes	10:30 p.m.
Real Salt Lake at Seattle Sounders FC	10:30 p.m.
Sunday, March 29
Chivas USA at FC Dallas	3 p.m.		TeleFutura
WEEK 3
Thursday, April 2
Columbus Crew at Real Salt Lake	9 p.m.		ESPN2 / Deportes
Saturday, April 4
Seattle Sounders FC at Toronto FC	4 p.m.		FSC / FSE
Houston Dynamo at D.C. United	7:30 p.m.
FC Dallas at New England Revolution	7:30 p.m.
San Jose Earthquakes at Kansas City Wizards	8:30 p.m.
Colorado Rapids at Los Angeles Galaxy	10:30 p.m.
Sunday, April 5
New York Red Bulls at Chicago Fire	3 p.m.		TeleFutura
Columbus Crew at Chivas USA	8 p.m.
WEEK 4
Saturday, April 11
FC Dallas at Toronto FC	3:30 p.m.
Chicago Fire at San Jose Earthquakes	4 p.m.		TeleFutura
D.C. United at Real Salt Lake	6 p.m.
Colorado Rapids at Columbus Crew	7:30 p.m.
New York Red Bulls at Houston Dynamo	8:30 p.m.		FSC / FSE
Kansas City Wizards at Seattle Sounders FC	10:30 p.m.
Chivas USA at Los Angeles Galaxy	10:30 p.m.		ESPN2/Deportes
WEEK 5
Friday, April 17
New England Revolution at D.C. United	7 p.m.		ESPN2 / Deportes
Saturday, April 18
Real Salt Lake at New York Red Bulls	7:30 p.m.
Kansas City Wizards at Chicago Fire	8:30 p.m.		FSC / FSE
Seattle Sounders FC at Chivas USA	10:30 p.m.
Los Angeles Galaxy at San Jose Earthquakes	10:30 p.m.
Sunday, April 19
Colorado Rapids at Houston Dynamo	3 p.m.		TeleFutura
Toronto FC at FC Dallas	7 p.m.
WEEK 6
Wednesday, April 22
Chivas USA at Toronto FC	7:30 p.m.
Thursday, April 23
New York Red Bulls at Kansas City Wizards	8 p.m.		ESPN2 / Deportes
Saturday, April 25
Chicago Fire at Columbus Crew	7 p.m.		FSC / FSE
New England Revolution at Real Salt Lake	9 p.m.
Los Angeles Galaxy at Colorado Rapids	9:30 p.m.
FC Dallas at Chivas USA	10:30 p.m.
San Jose Earthquakes at Seattle Sounders FC	10:30 p.m.
Sunday, April 26
D.C. United at New York Red Bulls	3 p.m.		TeleFutura
Kansas City Wizards at Toronto FC	TBD
WEEK 7
Saturday, May 2
Columbus Crew at Toronto FC	4 p.m.
FC Dallas at D.C. United	7:30 p.m.		FSC / FSE
Seattle Sounders FC at Chicago Fire	8:30 p.m.
Real Salt Lake at Colorado Rapids	9:30 p.m.
New York Red Bulls at Los Angeles Galaxy	10:30 p.m.
Chivas USA at San Jose Earthquakes	10:30 p.m.
Sunday, May 3
Houston Dynamo at New England Revolution	3 p.m.		TeleFutura
WEEK 8
Wednesday, May 6
D.C. United at Kansas City Wizards	8:30 p.m.
Los Angeles Galaxy at Real Salt Lake	9:00 p.m.
Friday, May 8
San Jose Earthquakes at New York Red Bulls	7:30 p.m.
Saturday, May 9
Kansas City Wizards at Columbus Crew	7 p.m.		FSC / FSE
Toronto FC at D.C. United	7:30 p.m.
New England Revolution at Chicago Fire	8:30 p.m.
FC Dallas at Houston Dynamo	9 p.m.		ESPN2 / Deportes
Real Salt Lake at Chivas USA	10:30 p.m.
Sunday, May 10
Los Angeles Galaxy at Seattle Sounders FC	3 p.m.		TeleFutura
WEEK 9
Saturday, May 16
Chicago Fire at Toronto FC	4 p.m.
Colorado Rapids at New England Revolution	7:30 p.m.
Houston Dynamo at New York Red Bulls	7:30 p.m.
Seattle Sounders FC at FC Dallas	8:30 p.m.
Kansas City Wizards at Real Salt Lake	9 p.m.
D.C. United at Chivas USA	11 p.m.		FSC / FSE
Sunday, May 17
Columbus Crew at Los Angeles Galaxy	3 p.m.		TeleFutura
WEEK 10
Saturday, May 23
New England Revolution at Toronto FC	TBD
Real Salt Lake at D.C. United	7:30 p.m.
Los Angeles Galaxy at FC Dallas	8:30 p.m.
San Jose Earthquakes at Houston Dynamo	8:30 p.m.
Chivas USA at Kansas City Wizards	8:30 p.m.		FSC / FSE
Seattle Sounders FC at Colorado Rapids	9:30 p.m.
Sunday, May 24
Chicago Fire at New York Red Bulls	3 p.m.		TeleFutura
WEEK 11
Wednesday, May 27
San Jose Earthquakes at Columbus Crew	7:30 p.m.
Thursday, May 28
Chicago Fire at Chivas USA	10:30 p.m.		ESPN2/Deportes
Saturday, May 30
D.C. United at New England Revolution	7:30 p.m.
Colorado Rapids at New York Red Bulls	7:30 p.m.
Toronto FC at Houston Dynamo	8:30 p.m.
Real Salt Lake at San Jose Earthquakes	10:30 p.m.
Columbus Crew at Seattle Sounders FC	10:30 p.m.		FSC/FSE
Kansas City Wizards at Los Angeles Galaxy	10:30 p.m.
Sunday, May 31
FC Dallas at Chicago Fire	3 p.m.		TeleFutura
WEEK 12
Thursday, June 4
New York Red Bulls at D.C. United	7:30 p.m.		ESPN2 / Deportes
Friday, June 5
Houston Dynamo at Chicago Fire	9 p.m.
Saturday, June 6
Los Angeles Galaxy at Toronto FC	3:30 p.m.
Columbus Crew at Kansas City Wizards	8:30 p.m.
Colorado Rapids at Real Salt Lake	10 p.m.		FSC / FSE
Seattle Sounders FC at Chivas USA	10:30 p.m.
Sunday, June 7
San Jose Earthquakes at FC Dallas	3 p.m.		TeleFutura
New York Red Bulls at New England Revolution	6 p.m.
WEEK 13
Wednesday, June 10
Chivas USA at Houston Dynamo	8:30 p.m.		ESPN2 / Deportes
Saturday, June 13
Chicago Fire at D.C. United	7:30 p.m.
Houston Dynamo at FC Dallas	8:30 p.m.		FSC / FSE
New England Revolution at Kansas City Wizards	8:30 p.m.
Real Salt Lake at Los Angeles Galaxy	10:30 p.m.
San Jose Earthquakes at Seattle Sounders FC	10:30 p.m.
Sunday, June 14
Chivas USA at Columbus Crew	3 p.m.		TeleFutura
WEEK 14
Wednesday, June 17
D.C. United at Seattle Sounders FC			11 p.m.
Saturday, June 20
Los Angeles Galaxy at San Jose Earthquakes	4 p.m.		ESPN2 / Deportes
Seattle Sounders FC at New York Red Bulls	7:30 p.m.
Columbus Crew at FC Dallas	8:30 p.m.		FSC / FSE
Real Salt Lake at Houston Dynamo	8:30 p.m.
D.C. United at Colorado Rapids	9:30 p.m.
WEEK 15
Wednesday, June 24
New York Red Bulls at Toronto FC	7:30 p.m.
FC Dallas at Colorado Rapids	9:30 p.m.
Saturday, June 27
New York Red Bulls at Columbus Crew	7:30 p.m		FSC / FSE
Toronto FC at Real Salt Lake	9:30 p.m.
Sunday, June 28
Colorado Rapids at Seattle Sounders FC	4 p.m.
Houston Dynamo at Los Angeles Galaxy	11 p.m.		ESPN2 / Deportes
WEEK 16
Saturday, July 4
D.C. United at Columbus Crew	7 p.m.		ESPN2 / Deportes
Chicago Fire at Colorado Rapids	9 p.m.
New York Red Bulls at FC Dallas	9 p.m.
Houston Dynamo at Kansas City Wizards	9 p.m.
San Jose Earthquakes at Real Salt Lake	9 p.m.
New England Revolution at Los Angeles Galaxy	11 p.m.		FSC / FSE
WEEK 17
Saturday, July 11
Houston Dynamo at Seattle Sounders FC	4 p.m.
Columbus Crew at Chicago Fire	8 p.m.		ESPN2 / Deportes
FC Dallas at Colorado Rapids	9:30 p.m.
Los Angeles Galaxy at Chivas USA	10:30 p.m.		FSC/FSE
Toronto FC at San Jose Earthquakes	10:30 p.m.
Kansas City Wizards at New England Revolution	TBD
WEEK 18
Saturday, July 18
Houston Dynamo at Toronto FC	1 p.m.		ESPN2 / Deportes
Los Angeles Galaxy at New York Red Bulls	6 p.m.		FSC / FSE
Real Salt Lake at Columbus Crew	8 p.m.
Colorado Rapids at D.C. United	8 p.m.
San Jose Earthquakes at Chicago Fire	8:30 p.m.
Saturday, July 18 / Sunday, July 19
Chivas USA at New England Revolution	TBD
WEEK 19
Friday, July 24
FC Dallas at Real Salt Lake	10 p.m.
Saturday, July 25
Chicago Fire at Seattle Sounders FC	3 p.m.		ESPN / Deportes
Toronto FC at Columbus Crew	7:30 p.m.
New England Revolution at Houston Dynamo	8:30 p.m.
Los Angeles Galaxy at Kansas City Wizards	8:30 p.m.
New York Red Bulls at Colorado Rapids	9:30 p.m.
D.C. United at San Jose Earthquakes	10:30 p.m.		FSC/FSE
WEEK 20
Wednesday, July 29
MLS All-Star Game (Opponent – TBD)	9:30 p.m.		ESPN2 / Deportes / TeleFutura
Rio Tinto Stadium, Sandy, Utah
Saturday, August 1
Toronto FC at New England Revolution	7:30 p.m.
Real Salt Lake at Chicago Fire	8:30 p.m.
Kansas City Wizards at FC Dallas	8:30 p.m.
D.C. United at Houston Dynamo	8:30 p.m.		FSC / FSE
Columbus Crew at Colorado Rapids	9:30 p.m.
Sunday, August 2
Seattle Sounders FC at San Jose Earthquakes	3 p.m.		TeleFutura
WEEK 21
Thursday, August 6
Houston Dynamo at FC Dallas	8 p.m.		ESPN2 / Deportes
Saturday, August 8
Los Angeles Galaxy at New England Revolution	6 p.m.		FSC / FSE
Kansas City Wizards at D.C. United	8 p.m.
Seattle Sounders FC at Real Salt Lake	9 p.m.
Chivas USA at Colorado Rapids	9:30 p.m.
Columbus Crew at San Jose Earthquakes	10:30 p.m.
Sunday, August 9
New York Red Bulls at Toronto FC	3 p.m.		TeleFutura
Chicago Fire at Houston Dynamo	8:30 p.m.
WEEK 22
Saturday, August 15
D.C. United at Toronto FC	4 p.m.
FC Dallas at Columbus Crew	7 p.m.
Chivas USA at New York Red Bulls	7 p.m.
Houston Dynamo at Real Salt Lake	9 p.m.		FSC / FSE
Seattle Sounders FC at Los Angeles Galaxy	11 p.m.
Sunday, August 16
Chicago Fire at Kansas City Wizards	3 p.m.		TeleFutura
WEEK 23
Wednesday, August 19
Los Angeles Galaxy at Chicago Fire	9 p.m.		ESPN2 / Deportes
Thursday, August 20
New England Revolution at Seattle Sounders FC	10 p.m.		ESPN2 / Deportes
Saturday, August 22
Los Angeles Galaxy at D.C. United	7:30 p.m.		FSC / FSE
Kansas City Wizards at San Jose Earthquakes	10:30 p.m.
Toronto FC at Chivas USA	10:30 p.m.
Sunday, August 23
FC Dallas at New York Red Bulls	3 p.m.		TeleFutura
Colorado Rapids at Chicago Fire	6 p.m.
Real Salt Lake at New England Revolution	6 p.m.
Seattle Sounders FC at Houston Dynamo	8:30 p.m.
WEEK 24
Wednesday, August 26
Chivas USA at Real Salt Lake	9 p.m.
Saturday, August 29
Toronto FC at Seattle Sounders	4 p.m.
San Jose Earthquakes at New England Revolution	7:30 p.m.
D.C. United at Chicago Fire	8:30 p.m.		FSC / FSE
Real Salt Lake at Kansas City Wizards	8:30 p.m.
Chivas USA at Los Angeles Galaxy	11 p.m.		ESPN2 / Deportes
Sunday, August 30
Houston Dynamo at Colorado Rapids	3 p.m.		TeleFutura
Columbus Crew at New York Red Bulls	6 p.m.
WEEK 25
Saturday, September 5
Kansas City Wizards at New England Revolution	7:30 p.m.
D.C. United at FC Dallas	8 p.m.
Toronto FC at Colorado Rapids	10 p.m.		FSC / FSE
WEEK 26
Saturday, September 12
Colorado Rapids at Toronto FC	3:30 p.m.
Seattle Sounders FC at D.C. United	7:30 p.m.
Kansas City Wizards at New York Red Bulls	7:30 p.m.
Chicago Fire at Real Salt Lake	9 p.m.		FSC / FSE
FC Dallas at Los Angeles Galaxy	10:30 p.m.
Sunday, September 13
New England Revolution at Chivas USA	3 p.m.		TeleFutura
Houston Dynamo at Columbus Crew	5 p.m.
WEEK 27
Friday, September 18
New England Revolution at New York Red Bulls	7:30 p.m.
Colorado Rapids at San Jose Earthquakes	11 p.m.		ESPN2 / Deportes
Saturday, September 19
Chivas USA at Seattle Sounders FC	5 p.m.		FSC / FSE
Real Salt Lake at Houston Dynamo	8:30 p.m.
FC Dallas at Kansas City Wizards	8:30 p.m.
Toronto FC at Los Angeles Galaxy	10:30 p.m.
Sunday, September 20
Columbus Crew at Chicago Fire	3 p.m.		TeleFutura
WEEK 28
Wednesday, September 23
San Jose Earthquakes at Colorado Rapids	9:30 p.m.
Saturday, September 26
Los Angeles Galaxy at Columbus Crew	7:30 p.m.
Seattle Sounders FC at New England Revolution	7:30 p.m.
Real Salt Lake at FC Dallas	8:30 p.m.
Colorado Rapids at Kansas City Wizards	8:30 p.m.
Toronto FC at Chicago Fire	8:30 p.m.
New York Red Bulls at Chivas USA	10:30 p.m.		FSC/FSE
Sunday, September 27
San Jose Earthquakes at D.C. United	3 p.m.		TeleFutura
WEEK 29
Wednesday, September 30
New England Revolution at FC Dallas	8:30 p.m.
Friday, October 2
Chicago Fire at Los Angeles Galaxy	11 p.m.		ESPN2 / Deportes
Saturday, October 3
Seattle Sounders FC at Columbus Crew	7:30 p.m.
Chivas USA at D.C. United	7:30 p.m.
New England Revolution at Colorado Rapids	9 p.m.
New York Red Bulls at San Jose Earthquakes	11 p.m.		FSC / FSE
Sunday, October 4
Kansas City Wizards at Houston Dynamo	3 p.m.		TeleFutura
WEEK 30
Wednesday, October 7
FC Dallas at San Jose Earthquakes	10 p.m.		ESPN2 / Deportes
Saturday, October 10
San Jose Earthquakes at Toronto FC	3:30 p.m.		FSC / FSE
Columbus Crew at New England Revolution	7:30 p.m.
Kansas City Wizards at Chivas USA	10:30 p.m.
WEEK 31
Wednesday, October 14
New York Red Bulls at Real Salt Lake	10 p.m.		ESPN2 / Deportes
Saturday, October 17
Real Salt Lake at Toronto FC	3:30 p.m.
Chicago Fire at New England Revolution	6 p.m.		FSC / FSE
Columbus Crew at D.C. United	8 p.m.
Colorado Rapids at FC Dallas	8:30 p.m.
Seattle Sounders FC at Kansas City Wizards	8:30 p.m.
San Jose Earthquakes at Chivas USA	10:30 p.m.
Sunday, October 18
Los Angeles Galaxy at Houston Dynamo	3 p.m.		TeleFutura
WEEK 32
Thursday, October 22
Chivas USA at Chicago Fire	8 p.m.		ESPN2 / Deportes
Saturday, October 24
Toronto FC at New York Red Bulls	7:30 p.m.
D.C. United at Kansas City Wizards	8:30 p.m.
Colorado Rapids at Real Salt Lake	9 p.m.		FSC / FSE
San Jose Earthquakes at Los Angeles Galaxy	10:30 p.m.
FC Dallas at Seattle Sounders FC	10:30 p.m.
Sunday, October 25
Houston Dynamo at Chivas USA	3 p.m.		TeleFutura
New England Revolution at Columbus Crew	5 p.m.
MLS CUP PLAYOFFS
Conference Semifinals Game 1
Thursday, October 29 – Sunday, November 1 (Teams, Time, Location, TV – TBD)
Conference Semifinals Game 2
Thursday, November 5 – Sunday, November 8 (Teams, Time, Location, TV – TBD)
Conference Championships
Thursday, November 12 – Sunday, November 15 (Teams, Time, Location, TV – TBD)
MLS Cup 2009
November 21 – 22 (Teams, Date, Time, Location, TV – TBD)