I have just gotten digital, so that I could get the MLS Shootout pkg. I understand some A-League games are televised. I do have Fox Sports - Regional, not World. What about the Sounders games, are they also televised?
USL Games on TV The USL will have 25 games on Fox Sports World starting May 2. The list (on their web site - www.uslsoccer.com) shows 18 regular season A-League matches, 2 playoffs and the A-League Championship. They will also show the PDL, W-League and Pro Select League Championship games. There is also a mention of a Super Y-League Finals Highlight Show (tbd). Seattle is only listed once - hosting the first game against Portland on May 2. You should check with your carrier to see if they'll cover this series because I can't imagine any single A-League club being able to carry the production costs for their own TV coverage!
The Timbers had a few games broadcast locally the past couple of seasons. There won't be any broadcasts this year. I know a few teams around the league have Webcasts that you can watch as well.
If you don't get Fox Sports World (FSW), you'll not see the A-League nationally televised games. IIRC, some games were on one of the Fox Sports Net (the regional Fox networks - FSN) in the Northeast last season. Neither Fox Sports Net West nor Fox Sports Net West2 had any USL games. Some digital cable companies do offer the FSN out-of-market channels. This would be your best bet if your digital cable company doesn't offer FSW. If you can get FSW through your cable company - get it. Otherwise you might be out of luck for the USL games.
Two years ago Seatlle webcast all their home games, and there was the game of the week on the USL site. Seatlle stops showing games on the web last season, and the USL figuring everyone has FSW stopped showing games on the web, essentially screwing many of us out of being able to follow the rest of the league in action.
If anyone hears anything about Seattle games being shown on webcast or know a radio station on the internet which broadcasts their games, I'd really like to know about this. Leighton O'Brien from Seattle is moving to Sweden in about a month, and it would be nice to follow him before he arrives. Drop me an e-mail or gimme an answer here if you know anything, jens.lindmark@telia.com
The matches will be webcast via KKNW radio: http://www.newschannel1150.com/ Not sure where on there the link for the matches will be, but the club's site http://www.seattlesounders.net should also have a link to KKNW's match cast the day of the matches. O'Brien will play in three matches before departing to Sweden -- away to P*rtland on May 1, and home matches v. P*rtland on May 2 and Calgary on May 4.
I just don't get how it is that the TV stations (ESPN, FSW) choose the games they air. Why doesn't Rochester have more than one home game televised? It's the league's best market.
The home teams had to pay for the opportunity to be on FSW. Reports say it was between $6,000 to $15,000 per game. VA Beach chose to broadcast 4 home games, other teams chose not to do any games (Charleston).