The 17th season of Major League Soccer on ESPN will begin Monday, March 12, at 9:30 p.m. ET, on ESPN2, ESPN3 and ESPN Deportes with the live telecast of the Portland Timbers vs. Philadelphia Union match from PGE Park in Portland, Ore. The inter-conference matchup will be the culmination of Major League Soccer’s First Kick 2012, a series of nationally televised matches to open the 2012 season-opening week (March 10-12). Highlights of 2012 MLS season:
- All 21 (11 on ESPN2, nine on ESPN, one exclusively on ESPN Deportes) regular season matches will be available in high definition and carried on ESPN Deportes, ESPN Deportes Radio, ESPN Mobile TV, ESPN3 and WatchESPN;
- Top three teams by appearances: current MLS champions Los Angeles Galaxy (eight), New York Red Bulls (seven) and Seattle Sounders (six);
- ESPN will televise the only regular season meeting between the Los Angeles Galaxy and the New York Red Bulls on Saturday, May 5, live from the Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif.;
- Two of the three SuperClásico matches between the Los Angeles Galaxy and Chivas USA, Major League Soccer’s only intra-city rivalry (derby) matches, is exclusively on ESPN networks (Saturday, May 19, at 10:30 p.m., and Sunday, Aug. 12, at 11 p.m.);
- Seven other matches will feature regional rivals – New York, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C., in the East; Houston vs. Dallas in Texas; and Seattle vs. Portland in the Northwest;
- The 2012 MLS on ESPN series will include a number of international matches featuring MLS clubs, the MLS All-Star Game, several MLS Cup Playoffs matches and the 2012 MLS Cup (schedule TBD).