Photo Credit: Philadelphia Union on Facebook
Amidst much hubbub and giddiness (at least where I was standing), Major League Soccer released their 2010 Regular Season schedule today.
The schedule features (hold on, let me whip out my handy-dandy league-issued press release that followed the schedule release by about half an hour) one-third of the matches broadcast nationally, thirty-six HD games between ESPN2 and the new Fox Soccer Channel HD, eight-five percent of games taking place on a weekend, and a balanced home-and-away structure.
It's all very nice.
Beyond those interesting talking points are a few other things we now know:
The Philadelphia Union will open their new stadium on June 27th against Seattle
Hooray for the Union and their fans, who have certainly circled that magical date with four different colored highlighters and glittery stars by now. There's nothing that can dull their excitement, not even a brutal opening to the season for their club that sees the Union playing eight out of ten on the road. The price you pay for waiting for a new stadium to open is a steep one.
Toronto FC debuts their all-natural look on April 15th
Grass at BMO Field was almost as big of a story line over the off-season as the travails of Merritt Paulson in Portland, the loan deal of Donovan, and the CBA negotiations. Okay, not really, but it's going to be nice to see one less plastic surface in a league that needs all the footy credibility it can muster. Of course, the league will actually have one more fake field in 2011 than it did in 2009 thanks to both Portland and Vancouver going with the stuff, but let's not think about that now. Give it up for Canadian grass!
SuperLiga will happen, and people will still argue about it
Yes, everyone's favorite made up tournament (can anyone come up with a tournament that wasn't "made up" at some point by the way?) is back for another go 'round. We know the four MLS teams involved (New England, Chicago, Chivas USA, and Houston), and we know roughly when it will happen, but since the Mexican participants have yet to be identified (I think they draw straws; shortest has to play), all of the details have yet to be pinned down. Does it matter? Is it stupid? Will anyone watch or show up? Are the players going to get paid? Thankfully, we get to ask all of the same questions again in 2010!
MLS is in fact breaking for the group stages of the World Cup
This isn't really news, since they said they would a few months back; but sometimes you need to see it black and white to really believe it. Yes, MLS will break from June 11th to June 24th while some big tournament takes place in South Africa. DC United visiting the Sounders at Qwest Field has the honor of being the last game played before the start of the World Cup, and it appears that the league may have even managed to avoid scheduling games directly in conflict with knockout round matches when the schedule resumes (I say "appears" because I'm not totally sure about this yet; my eyes crossed before I could verify the accuracy of the statement).
So there you have it. There's much to look forward to in MLS in 2010, and I'm really starting to think this will be a banner year for the league. It's somewhat of a landmark season as well, with it being the fifteenth, so perhaps that nice number will throw MLS some good fortune-inducing cosmic vibes.
I would be remiss, however, after spending so much time talking about what we do know now that the schedule is out, if I didn't mention what we don't know:
If the season will start on time
Yeah, that collective bargaining agreement thing. Get it done, please.
