Just announced on the Rapids blog: http://rapidsundercurrent.blogspot.com/2010/01/rapids-season-opener-at-chivas-changes.html The season opener at the HDC against Chivas has been moved from Sunday the 28th to Friday the 26th. I'm not sure what's causing a team in a SSS to move the first game of the season from a Sunday to a Friday night. TV maybe?
Most likely TV. Works out for the best though. Friday night is a better time to have a game than Sunday afternoon.
Don't know if the Sunday, March 28th slot was initially planned to be carried on TeleFutura. This game could have been moved for any number of reasons, and apparently the schedule makers thought it would be better to go up against the late Sweet 16 NCAA hoops games on Friday as opposed to the Great 8 games on Sunday. (there's already a full slate of MLS games on NCAA Great 8 Saturday, and the ESPN2 Thursday night opener is going up against the Sweet 16 as well -- if that is or is not any indication of what does or does not factor into the scheduling decisions made by MLS.) Don't know if the Friday Colorado Rapids at Chivas USA game will get national TV coverage, or if it is an indication of how the rest of the schedule will look in 2010, but I, as a fan and tv viewer, would be fine with TeleFutura going with a consistent Friday night live telecast as opposed to a Sunday afternoon slot for MLS. (although, there is no sign, yet, of TeleFutura coverage on the current 2010 MLS First Kick schedule, so who knows what is safe to assume about Sunday games this season and/or Univison's presentation of MLS.) and I realize that "Complete 2010 MLS schedule to follow at later date" and always "Subject to change."
I prefer it when someone quotes the most relevant text from the link here and reads it to me. I'm lazy like that. (Sorry.) Wonder what is up with the Univision network such that: "Telefutura would not have televised Sunday's game anyway, due to changes in its schedule" is this a one-time-only conflict on March 28, or will this be an ongoing issue on Sundays throughout the MLS season? (Again, I'd be fine if all "TeleFutura Sunday" MLS broadcasts were placed as "TeleFutura Fridays" in 2010 -- although I would imagine that "Sunday MLS" might not be going away.)
Hopefully it will start a pattern will Telefutura isn't forcing broadcasts on Sundays. ESPN saw a weakness in its Thursday primetime game, so they changed it. Hopefully Telefutura is following suit.
Yes, Disney does not appear to be locked into Thursdays (although 3 of the first 4 Thursdays of the MLS season do have ESPN2 broadcasts currently scheduled). Who knows what the full MLS schedule will look like when it comes out next month? certainly the league and its schedule will benefit from having an even number of teams in 2010. yes, MLS is planning to take a break during the WC Group Stage, but there's also the pre-WC period in which called players must report to NT duty. (who knows how many MLS players will make WC rosters, but those who are headed for NT duty could/will miss about three MLS match weekends prior to MLS's WC break.) according to the MLS Important Dates page (which does not note the 3/28 to 3/26 CUSA home game change) http://web.mlsnet.com/mls/schedule/important_dates/
Not sure about this. Friday is deadlock traffic time in L.A. It takes more then an hour to get to the HDC on Friday night, and about 15 minutes on a Sunday afternoon.
isn't there always traffic (pretty much)? (and isn't a season-opener for CUSA reason enough to cut our of work early, if needed, on a Friday -- if you weren't already planning on doing so to watch some March Madness on that particular Friday.) the key question it would seem, is for the demographic of fans (potentially) interested in attending home CUSA matches, does 7:30pm on a Friday work as a better option as compared to noon on a Sunday?
LA & Houston's Western Conference final was on a Friday night and it was the highest rated non-MLS Cup final in MLS history. Obviously it was different circumstances, but still.
The regular season average on ESPN2 last year was 290K. The three Friday night regular season matches averaged 323K, helped by a Fire-Galaxy game in october which did more than 500K.
I wouldn't be surprised if the league didn't release the full schedule until after the new CBA is signed. Some teams may announce their schedules prior to that, but I don't expect anything complete until mid-Feb.