Union open up in Portland

Chester, Pa.– The Philadelphia Union and Major League Soccer have released the entire schedule for the 2012 season, the 17th in League history.

Each of the League’s 19 clubs will play 34 matches, 17 at home and 17 away, during the 34 week season. A total of 323 MLS matches will be broadcast live. The Union start their season on Monday, March 12 with a nationally televised game at Portland on ESPN2 at 9:30 p.m. EST. The club will open PPL Park on Sunday, March 18 against Colorado at 4:00 p.m. EST on NBC Sports.

14 of the Union’s 34 total games will be shown on national television, including the club's regular season finale against the New York Red Bulls on Saturday, October 27 on NBC.

In addition to the March 12 matchup in Portland, ESPN2 will also air home games against New York (May 13) and D.C. United (September 20), while the July 21 game against New York at Red Bull Arena will be shown on ESPN.

NBC Sports will carry Union games against Colorado (March 18), Columbus (April 14), Seattle (May 5), New England (July 29), D.C. United (August 19), Real Salt Lake (August 24) and Houston (October 20). Matches at home against D.C. United (June 16) and Chicago (August 12) can be seen on Galavision, as well as locally.

The Union’s local television schedule will be released at a later date.

The ESPN/ESPN2 MLS broadcast package includes the MLS All-Star Game, MLS Cup, and select international matches involving MLS clubs. The NBC Sports Group begins its three-year partnership with MLS this season with live broadcasts of 41 regular season games and five MLS Cup Playoff games.

The 2012 MLS Regular Season will conclude on Sunday, October 28 with three games, followed by the MLS Cup Playoffs and MLS Cup 2012 on December 1, hosted by one of the two finalists. From First Kick to MLS Cup, the calendar footprint of the 2012 season is 267 days - the longest in League history.