Just announced. End of season matchups TBA sometime in July. 4/03 MetroStars @ Columbus Crew 7:30 p.m. 4/10 D.C. United @ Los Angeles Galaxy 10:00 p.m. 4/17 Los Angeles Galaxy @ Colorado Rapids 9:00 p.m. 4/24 Columbus Crew @ Los Angeles Galaxy 10:00 p.m. 5/01 Dallas Burn @ Columbus Crew 7:30 p.m. 5/08 MetroStars @ San Jose Earthquakes 10:00 p.m. 5/15 San Jose Earthquakes @ Dallas Burn 8:30 p.m. 5/19 Los Angeles Galaxy @ D.C. United 7:30 p.m. 5/22 Dallas Burn @ Kansas City Wizards 7:30 p.m. 5/29 San Jose Earthquakes @ Columbus Crew 7:30 p.m. 6/02 New England Revolution @ Kansas City Wizards 8:30 p.m. 6/09 Kansas City Wizards @ Colorado Rapids 9:30 p.m. 6/12 MetroStars @ San Jose Earthquakes 10:00 p.m. 6/19 Kansas City Wizards @ New England Revolution 7:30 p.m. 6/23 MetroStars @ Los Angeles Galaxy 10:30 p.m. 6/26 Kansas City Wizards @ San Jose Earthquakes 10:00 p.m. 6/30 Colorado Rapids @ MetroStars 7:30 p.m. 7/03 Dallas Burn @ Kansas City Wizards 8:30 p.m. 7/04 New England Revolution @ Colorado Rapids 9:30 p.m. 7/07 Dallas Burn @ San Jose Earthquakes 10:30 p.m. 7/10 Colorado Rapids @ Los Angeles Galaxy 10:00 p.m. 7/14 D.C. United @ Kansas City Wizards 7:30 p.m. 7/17 Kansas City Wizards @ Dallas Burn 8:30 p.m. (Second half of 2004 MLS on HDNet Broadcast Schedule - TBD at midseason)
Am I the only one that think this deal REALLY sukks? That's 23 games we won't be able to watch on the Direct Kick (formerly Shootout) package, and that's just in the first half of the season, could end up being 46 or more games overall. If they make a non-HDTV feed of all these games available to Direct Kick subscribers, i'm all for it. However if they don't, I'll have to seriously reconsider purchasing Direct Kick, because not only did the price go up, but the number of games it will carry has been dramatically reduced.
No, it does not suck. It is a really great deal. A game being on HDNet is NOT an exclusive deal. More often than not, the away team of a game will have the game broadcast on its local channel. Thus the same game will be available on DirectKick in addition to HDNet. Occasionally, like year, you may have a game that can only be found on HDNet. That is NOT the fault of HDNet. It is the fault of the away team for not arranging to have the game broadcast on its local channel. Once again, these games are NOT by contract exclusive to HDNet. This is ALL good.
No. There are more dense people besides just you. At least 6 of the 23 games already announced are scheduled to be carried regionally by one of the two teams, and that's with only a couple of MLS teams (Columbus and the MetroStars) having announced their TV schedules to this point. My guess would be there are more. But you don't know how many of those HDNet games won't be carried somewhere else. As mentioned, if there's an HDNet-only game, you probably weren't going to get to watch it anyway, so don't blame HDNet. It is simply not possible, economically and logistically, for every MLS team to televise every single away game. The price went back up to where it had been for years before last year, when it was seriously underpriced. And neither you nor I know if the number of games that will be available on Direct Kick has been dramatically reduced or not, because the schedules aren't out yet. There are 150 games in an MLS season, same as last year (and actually more than in 2002 when teams only played 14 home games). 1 is on ABC, 24 more are on ESPN2. That leaves 125 potentially available for Direct Kick. The league has said its goal is to get "virtually" all of the remaining games on Direct Kick, but that won't happen. Still, if they only get 80% of the rest on, that's 100 games for $69. That's not a bargain for you? In other words, shut up.
Let's all be nice here, Mkay? Add two Galaxy games to the list of HDNet/local broadcasts, so eight of the 23 are available locally. HDNet only has a problem with FSW showing the same game as them, not local stations.
Coincidence or conspiracy? Keep in mind that this is the schedule for the first half of the season.The Fire is on ESPN2 or ABC for 5 out of the first 16 weeks. Maybe FSW has scheduled some of the other 11 Fire games. Don't give up hope. You may yet see the Fire on HDNet in the second half of the season, especially since the team appears on the Deuce only twice.
It is interesting to note that the games seem to be spread out over the entire league. Last year it seems only a few of the teams hosted games. Also there were fewer games on HDNET last year as well. BTW Is there any league that will have nearly 25% of their games available in HD? That's pretty impressive. I wonder if TBTB will show the games at movie theaters again. Otherwise it looks like my plasma owning brother will be seeing a lot more of me this year.
I think they wound up switching a game or two when all was said and done, but HDNet's original schedule for 2003 had 28 games (I thought they ended up doing a playoff game or two as well, but I could be remembering that wrong). Last year's original schedule was broken out like this: Columbus (12) Kansas City (10) Colorado (7) San Jose (6) DC United (5) Los Angeles (5) Chicago ( 5) Dallas (3) New England (2) MetroStars (1) But I think a couple of things got switched before they actually got aired. BTW, they did tweak the original schedule above - I was wondering why they were going to show a game a few days after it was scheduled. The correct schedule is: April 3 MetroStars @ Columbus Crew 7:30pm April 10 D.C. United @ Los Angeles Galaxy 10:00pm April 17 Los Angeles Galaxy @ Colorado Rapids 9:00pm April 24 Columbus Crew @ Los Angeles Galaxy 10:00pm May 1 Dallas Burn @ Columbus Crew 7:30pm May 8 MetroStars @ San Jose Earthquakes 10:00pm May 15 San Jose Earthquakes @ Dallas Burn 8:30pm May 19 Los Angeles Galaxy @ D.C. United 7:30pm May 22 Dallas Burn @ Kansas City Wizards 7:30pm May 29 San Jose Earthquakes @ Columbus Crew 7:30pm June 2 New England Revolution @ Kansas City Wizards 8:30pm June 9 Kansas City Wizards @ Colorado Rapids 9:30pm June 12 MetroStars @ San Jose Earthquakes 10:00pm June 19 Kansas City Wizards @ New England Revolution 7:30pm June 23 MetroStars @ Los Angeles Galaxy 10:30pm June 26 Kansas City Wizards @ San Jose Earthquakes 10:00pm June 30 Colorado Rapids @ MetroStars 7:30pm July 3 Dallas Burn @ Kansas City Wizards 8:30pm July 4 New England Revolution @ Colorado Rapids 9:30pm July 7 Dallas Burn @ San Jose Earthquakes 10:30pm July 10 D.C. United @ Kansas City Wizards 8:30pm July 14 Chicago Fire @ New England Revolution 7:30pm July 17 Kansas City Wizards @ Dallas Burn 8:30pm And it is spread out a bit more: Kansas City (8) Dallas (6) San Jose (6) Los Angeles (5) MetroStars (5) New England (4) Columbus (4) Colorado (4) DC United (3) Chicago (1)
There was twelve home games in the midwest last year. Compared to seven this year. I think one of the changes this year is that HDnet must have another production truck. Which is nice considering the price of those things is in the million dollar range. Last year the regular season home games were broken out like this: Colorado Rapids: 7 Columbus Crew: 5 San Jose Earthquakes: 4 Chicago Fire: 4 Kansas City Wizards: 3 L.A. Galaxy: 3 Dallas Burn: 2 Notice no east coast games. This year (first half): San Jose Earthquakes: 4 K.C Wizards: 4 Columbus Crew: 3 L.A. Galaxy: 3 Colorado Rapids: 3 Dallas Burn: 2 N.E. Revolution: 2 D.C. United: 1 Metrostars: 1 Chicago Fire: 0