The 27th Season of MLS on ESPN Television Networks Presented by Audi Kicks Off on ESPN and ESPN Deportes with LA Galaxy vs. New York City FC on Sunday, Feb. 27
ESPN+ Returns as Exclusive Home of MLS Live for All Out-of-Market Games
ESPN’s coverage of Major League Soccer’s 27th season will kick off this weekend with 10 MLS Live on ESPN+ out-of-market matches. On television, ESPN and ESPN Deportes will televise LA Galaxy vs. 2021 MLS Cup champion New York City FC on Sunday, February 27, at 5 p.m. ET. Coverage will begin at 4:30 p.m. with a 30-minute pregame special.
In 2022, ABC and ESPN platforms will carry more than 380 regular season matches, led by 34 matches across ABC (10), ESPN (23) and ESPN2 (1). ESPN Deportes will air Spanish-language telecasts of all 34 matches. ESPN+ continues as the exclusive home for approximately 350 out-of-market MLS Live games as part of the digital streaming platform’s most comprehensive soccer lineup in the industry.
MLS on ESPN TV Highlights:
Sunday, Feb. 27: ESPN’s season-opening LA Galaxy-New York City FC match will be the LA Galaxy debut of 31-year-old Brazilian national team winger Douglas Costa, who played for legendary European clubs
Saturday, April 10: Major League Soccer newest club Charlotte FC vs. Atlanta United on ABC
Sunday, May 1: The opening match of Nashville SC’s 30,000-seat stadium, the largest soccer specific stadium in the United States, on ESPN and ESPN Deportes at 4 p.m. The match – Nashville SC vs. Philadelphia Union
Friday, July 8: LA Galaxy hosts LAFC in another El Tráfico rivalry matchup
Sunday, July 17: The Hudson River Derby – New York Red Bulls - New York City FC – will conclude the 2022 MLS Heineken Rivalry Week matches on ESPN
Wednesday, Aug. 10: ESPN will televise the MLS All-Star Game presented by Target, live from Allianz Field in St. Paul, Minn.
Sunday, Oct 9: ESPN and ESPN Deportes will combine to televise MLS Decision Day, the final day of the season when matches in each conference are played concurrently.
Click here, for the 2022 MLS on ESPN presented by Audi schedule.
Commentators:
English – Jon Champion and Taylor Twellman
Spanish – Richard Mendez and Alex Pareja; Mauricio Pedroza and Herculez Gomez; and Jorge Ramos and Hernan Pereyra
Reporters – Sam Borden, Jillian Sakovitz, and Cristina Alexander
English Studio: Sebastian Salazar, Kasey Keller and Alejandro Moreno
Out-of-Market MLS Games – Exclusively on ESPN+:
ESPN+ will kick off its season-long presentation of MLS Live Out-of-Market games with Philadelphia Union vs. Minnesota United on Saturday, Feb. 26 at 1 p.m. The digital streaming platform will stream 10 opening weekend matches on Saturday and Sunday.
Studio Programming:
ESPN FC on ESPN+ – the daily soccer news, information, highlights, and analysis program exclusively on ESPN+, will carry MLS segments throughout the 2022 season, including newsmaker interviews and recap of key match weeks
Fútbol Americas (ESPN+) – Hosted by Herculez Gomez and Sebastian Salazar, the soccer studio show exclusively on ESPN+ on Mondays and Thursdays at 8:30 p.m., will continue to cover Major League Soccer throughout the season
MLS Review (ESPN+) – Weekly MLS show featuring the previous week’s highlights, and post-game interviews with players and coaches, available every Monday.
SportsCenter – the English- and Spanish-language editions of ESPN flagship program will provide coverage throughout the season
Jorge Ramos y su Banda – the Spanish-language opinion program exclusively on ESPN+ will feature MLS-themed segments
Fútbol Center and Ahora o Nunca – the ESPN Deportes shows will feature MLS content.
ESPN.com/Soccer:
Reporter Jeff Carlisle leads the site’s coverage if Major League Soccer. Highlights:
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The do’s and don’ts of expansion: What Charlotte FC can learn from those who’ve come before
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A preseason MLS jersey Power Rankings, and weekly in-season club “Power Rankings”
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Team-by-team season preview and look into the state of all 28 MLS Clubs
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A mid-season look into how Charlotte FC built a Major League Soccer expansion team from the scratch
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A look at Nashville SC’s new stadium, leading into its Sunday, May 1 match vs. Philadelphia Union, and the opening of the largest soccer-specific stadium in the country
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End of season MLS Confidential – an anonymous player poll on social justice, league expansion, best pitch, best kit, worst road trip, and more.
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Media Contacts:
ESPN: Mac Nwulu mac.nwulu@espn.com / Santa Brito santa.brito@espn.com
ESPN+: Paul Melvin paul.melvin@disney.com / Kevin Ota kevin.r.ota@disney.com