Photo: Earl Gardner
Philadelphia Union released the complete schedule for their 2020 Major League Soccer campaign on Thursday afternoon.
With MLS expanding to 26 teams, this is the first year that the Union do not play every team at least once. The Union have a home-and-home against the other 12 teams in the Eastern Conference, plus games against 10 of the 13 teams in the Western Conference. Left off the schedule are defending champion Seattle Sounders, Houston Dynamo, and Minnesota United.
Philadelphia will travel to face both expansion sides in the early part of the campaign, visiting Inter Miami in Fort Lauderdale on April 4 and Nashville SC on May 13. Miami — with former Union keeper John McCarthy in tow — make their first appearance at Talen Energy Stadium on August 1
Some quick schedule nuggets:
- The first game of the season is at FC Dallas on Feb. 29, Leap Day. After a trip to LAFC on March 8, the Union open their home schedule against San Jose Earthquakes on March 14, Pi Day.
- The Union have just three stretches where they play three games in a week: April 11, 16, and 19 (Montreal, LA Galaxy, and NYCFC, all at home), May 10, 13, and 17 (hosting Atlanta, at Nashville, and hosting Sporting KC), and July 4, 8, and 11 (at Montreal, at Chicago, and hosting Toronto).
- Philadelphia makes only two trips to the Pacific Time Zone (trips in March to LAFC and Portland) and one trip to the Mountain Time Zone (a May match in Denver against Colorado Rapids). The Union do not play a Western Conference opponent after hosting Vancouver Whitecaps on June 27, wrapping up the campaign with 14 games against Eastern Conference sides.
- After just one national TV game last year, the Boys in Blue will make seven appearances on national TV in 2020. Amazing what a good season will do for you.
- FS1: @ LAFC on March 8, vs. D.C. on March 22, and vs. NYCFC on April 19.
- ESPN: @ Miami on April 5, @ Atlanta on June 20, and vs. NYRB on Sept. 27.
- UniMas: @ NYRB on June 6.
- Compared to last year’s conclusion, the Union will be happy with their final five fixtures: hosting Orlando City on August 30, a bye week, short trips to New England on Sept. 12 and FC Cincinnati on Sept. 19, and wrapping up with two home games against New York Red Bulls (on a Monday night, the 28th) and Chicago Fire on October 4.
The full schedule can be found here. Some game times have yet to be announced.
Evidently this year 10 games will be broadcast on ABC, 4 on Fox & 14 on Univision. Compared to zero just five years ago this is amazing. Only one game gets relegated to ESPN2 this year. On a side note I believe they negotiated with David Beckham that he will be in the owners box for every national tv game in Miami shirtless.
Do you have a link or news outlet you heard this from? That’s some great news and hopefully a good sign of future things to come
Wow, John, seems like Tanner is very excited about a shirtless Beckham. See what you started?
UnionGoal
Lol I meant the national tv time for the U. Honestly, I’ve never liked Beckham. Don’t know why.
No Sounders game this year. Stupid unbalanced schedule. On the other hand, the game in Miami is during Spring Break, that could be fun.
I noticed that too. It’s funny that the last 2 Sounders games, despite having 1 goal total, were so entertaining. Last year we were so close. Really wanted to take a shot at the champs again
Maybe next November.
After having just put every game in Outlook, I noticed that it is interesting that every single away game has a starting time and the majority of the home games are TBD.
Wondering why every other team has a complete schedule and the Union do not?
Are we maybe protesting something? NYC pitch or 3 games in hand last year?
Tanner blew up the draft last year.
I wouldn’t put it past him – and that’s a compliment.