Major League Soccer announces 2023 season schedule

Post Views: 180

Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!

December 20, 2022

UPDATE

Major League Soccer announces 2023 season schedule

Every MLS match to air live on MLS Season Pass, the unprecedented streaming service on the Apple TV app launching February 1

Fans can enjoy consistent match windows on Saturdays and select Wednesdays at 7:30 p.m. local time

Major League Soccer today announced the complete 2023 MLS regular-season schedule, highlighted by the inaugural campaign of the league’s 29th club, St. Louis CITY SC.

The 2023 season will also see the debut of MLS Season Pass, the unprecedented subscription service from Apple and Major League Soccer that will have every match of the MLS regular season, Audi 2023 MLS Cup Playoffs, and Leagues Cup¹ — all in one place and with no blackouts. With MLS Season Pass, fans can enjoy every MLS match on billions of devices through the Apple TV app on Apple devices, smart TVs, streaming devices, set-top boxes, and game consoles, and the web at tv.apple.com. The launch of MLS Season Pass on February 1, 2023, marks the official kickoff of the 10-year partnership between MLS and Apple, a historic first for a major professional sports league.

With a focus on building a schedule to best serve the league’s passionate fans and drive destination viewing and attendance, the majority of games in the 2023 season will be played on Saturdays and select Wednesdays, with 7:30 p.m. local start times. To complement the action, MLS Season Pass will offer a five-hour live whip-around show, capturing all of the key moments from every match from the start of the Eastern Conference games through the final whistle of the Western Conference games (7:30 p.m. ET-12:30 a.m. ET).

A selection of MLS and Leagues Cup matches, including some of the biggest playoff matchups, will also be available at no additional cost to Apple TV+ subscribers, with a number of matches available for free on the Apple TV app. Select matches will also be available on FOX networks in the US, and on TSN and RDS in Canada.

The full MLS schedule can be found on mlssoccer.com/schedule. Highlights of the MLS 2023 season schedule are included below.

“MLS is Back” Opening Weekend

“MLS is Back” on Saturday, February 25, as teams take the pitch in their 2023 debuts. All matches during the “MLS is Back” weekend will be available to watch for free on the Apple TV app.

The first match of the 2023 season will see Nashville SC, with Landon Donovan MLS MVP Hany Mukhtar, host New York City FC, with 20-year-old Brazilian star Talles Magno, at GEODIS Park at 4:30 p.m. ET, live on the Apple TV app, FOX, and FOX Deportes.

The opening day action continues with an always-intense El Tráfico match reaching new heights at the historic Rose Bowl, when the LA Galaxy open their season against reigning MLS Cup champions and crosstown rivals Los Angeles Football Club at 9:30 p.m. ET, live on the Apple TV app.

St. Louis CITY SC Debuts

MLS welcomes a new club, a new city, and a brand-new stadium in 2023 with the debut of expansion team St. Louis CITY SC. Kicking off their inaugural campaign on the road against Austin FC at Q2 Stadium and live on MLS Season Pass, on Saturday, February 25, at 8:30 p.m. ET, St. Louis will make their highly anticipated home debut as hosts to last year’s newcomers, Charlotte FC, at CITYPARK on Saturday, March 4, at 8:30 p.m. ET. With a capacity of 22,500 at CITYPARK and more than 60,000 season ticket deposits, the debutants have all the makings of a memorable home-field inauguration.

Rivalry Week Returns

Rivalry Week will present four days of the league’s fiercest rivalry matchups from May 13-20. Kicking off Saturday, May 13, at 7:30 p.m. ET on MLS Season Pass will be a Southern showdown featuring Atlanta United hosting Charlotte FC at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, while at the same time, the New York Red Bulls take on Hudson River rivals New York City FC at Red Bull Arena.

The California Clásico will pit the LA Galaxy against the San Jose Earthquakes at Dignity Health Sports Park on Sunday, May 14, at 9:30 p.m. ET on MLS Season Pass, FS1, and FOX Deportes before a thrilling slate of nine matches brings Rivalry Week to a close on Saturday, May 20.

2023 MLS All-Star Game Presented by Target

The 2023 MLS All-Star Game presented by Target is set for Wednesday, July 19, at Audi Field, home of D.C. United. The opponent for Major League Soccer’s showcase event will be announced at a later date.

Leagues Cup Break

In a monumental new chapter for North American soccer, beginning in 2023, all 47 MLS and Liga MX clubs will compete in a completely reimagined Leagues Cup: an annual, monthlong, Concacaf-sanctioned tournament. Leagues Cup 2023 will make history as the first major soccer tournament to feature every club from a pair of top-flight leagues. The MLS regular season will pause following the July 15 games for Leagues Cup play, and resume on August 20.

MLS Cup Rematch

A rematch of the 2022 MLS Cup and last year’s two best regular-season teams will feature the Philadelphia Union against LAFC on September 23, live on MLS Season Pass.

MLS Decision Day 2023

In the final day of action on October 21, all teams will face intraconference opponents with everything on the line in a battle for playoff spots and seeding. MLS Decision Day kickoff times will be announced at a later date.

More details on the Audi 2023 MLS Cup Playoffs will be announced at a later date.

MLS Conference Alignment

With the addition of St. Louis CITY SC to the Western Conference, Nashville SC will rejoin the Eastern Conference.

MLS Schedule Construction

The 15 Eastern Conference teams will play:

Two games vs. each intraconference opponent (28 games).
One game vs. six different cross-conference opponents (6 games).

The 14 Western Conference teams will play:

Two games vs. each intraconference opponent (26 games).
One game vs. 1 or 2 additional intraconference opponents (1-2 games).
One game vs. 6 or 7 different cross-conference opponents (6-7 games).

Additional Notes About the 2023 MLS Schedule

MLS will pause during the October and November FIFA international windows. MLS clubs were presented with the option to play during the June and September FIFA international window, with 13 clubs electing to do so.
The five MLS teams that have qualified for the Scotiabank Concacaf Champions League will kick off the first leg of Round of 16 play on March 7-9. Participating teams include Austin FC, LAFC, Orlando City SC, Philadelphia Union, and Vancouver Whitecaps FC.
Seattle Sounders FC will play in the FIFA Club World Cup, which kicks off February 1-11 in Morocco. Match dates and times have yet to be confirmed.

Follow MLS Clubs on the Apple TV App and Apple News

Fans can ensure they catch all of the action in 2023 by following their favorite MLS clubs through My Sports on the Apple TV app. With iOS 16, Apple introduced a new My Sports section across iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV for users to easily follow their favorite clubs, teams, and leagues. Fans can visit apple.co/MySportsMLS on iPhone or iPad to be directed right to the Apple TV app and follow their favorite Major League Soccer clubs, and get alerts before upcoming games, follow scores in real time, and more.

My Sports also makes it easy to get personalized, real-time sports coverage from Apple News. Fans can stay up to speed with the best stories from top publications — plus get live scores, schedules, standings, and highlights.

Subscribing to MLS Season Pass

Starting February 1, fans can subscribe to MLS Season Pass on the Apple TV app for $14.99 per month during the season or $99 per season, and Apple TV+ subscribers can sign up at a special price of $12.99 per month and $79 per season. A subscription to MLS Season Pass will be included with each full-season ticket account. Through Family Sharing, up to six family members can share the subscription using their own Apple ID and password.