Major League Soccer unveils 2016 Sounders FC schedule

SEATTLE, WASH. - Major League Soccer today announced its 2016 regular season schedule, a campaign that sees each of its 20 clubs play 34 matches beginning on March 6 and concluding on October 23. Seattle Sounders FC has 14 matches slated for a national television audience on ESPN and FOX's family of networks, beginning with the Rave Green's season-opener against Western Conference rival Sporting Kansas City on March 6 at CenturyLink Field (FS1).

Three of Seattle's six Cascadia Cup matches against Portland and Vancouver are set to be played at CenturyLink Field. All three Timbers fixtures are set to air on national television, headlined by a July 17 match at Providence Park on FOX, one of four MLS matches broadcast on the free-to-air network. Sounders FC faces Western Conference rival LA Galaxy twice at home in July of 2016, as well as a final meeting at StubHub Center on September 25, with all three Seattle-LA matches airing on ESPN.

• SCHEDULE: Check out the full schedule now

The club's final four matches of 2016, as well as 11 of the last 12, are against Western Conference opponents, culminating with a season-ending home clash against Real Salt Lake on Sunday, October 23. Other 2016 season highlights include an early season showdown at CenturyLink Field against the Montreal Impact on April 2, along with New York City FC's first-ever visit to Seattle on May 25.

A complete listing of Sounders FC's 2016 regional broadcast details will be announced at a later date. Sounders FC's 14 nationally televised broadcasts are split evenly between ESPN and FOX's platforms, with seven matches airing on ESPN, six on FS1 and one on FOX.

This season, fans can again look forward to the weekly programming of Viernes de Futbol (Friday Night Soccer) on UniMás and MLS Soccer Sunday on ESPN and FOX networks. The 2016 season sees MLS action make its debut on FOX broadcast television, with four marquee matchups slated for broadcast coverage; while 29 of ESPN's 34 matches are being showcased on ESPN, an increase from nine in 2015. All 28 Univision Deportes matches are set to air live on UniMás, with select matches simulcast on the cable network Univision Deportes Network (UDN). The broadcast schedule for TSN and RDS in Canada will be announced in the coming weeks.

Big event schedule enhancements once again headline the 2016 schedule. Along with the return of two editions of MLS Heineken Rivalry Week, showcasing the most anticipated rivalry matches of the season, the 2016 schedule creates unprecedented viewing events throughout the season from March to Soccer - culminating in a new Week One format - through the final weeks of the season with action-packed, simultaneous starts for Week 33 and Decision Day.

All 340 regular season games are also being broadcast internationally.  MLS now reaches more than 140 nations and territories through the league's global broadcast partners which include Sky Sports in the UK, pan-European broadcaster Eurosport, Globosat in Brazil, Abu Dhabi Media in the Middle East and North Africa, Letv Sports in mainland China, beIN SPORTS across Southeast Asia and Australia, FOX Sports Latin America, FOX Sports Africa, and ESPN across their international platforms in Latin America, the Caribbean and Oceania.

Sounders FC begins its preseason preparation for the 2016 campaign this month before the club takes part in a series of Desert Friendlies in Tucson against Vancouver Whitecaps FC, the Portland Timbers and Mexican side Celaya FC in early February. Seattle's eighth season begins in late February with the 2015-2016 Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League Quarterfinal Round against Club America before the MLS season-opener on March 6. 2016 Sounders FC Season Ticket Packages, which include the first leg against Club America on February 23 at CenturyLink Field, are available now for as low as $24 per match online or by calling 1-877-MLS-GOAL.