All 323 matches will be televised live – 89 by national network partners ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN Deportes, NBC, NBC Sports Network, and Univision (TeleFutura, Galavisión and Univision Deportes) in the United States. Nationally in Canada, 30 games featuring Canadian clubs will air on TSN/TSN2 in English and RDS/RDS2 in French. The TSN/TSN2 and RDS/RDS2 schedules will be finalized and announced in the coming weeks.

All non-national TV games will be broadcast locally and/or via subscription to Direct Kick and MLS Digital’s live streaming package, for MLSsoccer.com, mobile devices and tablets.

First Kick 2012 begins Saturday, March 10 with a slate of five games, continues with two Sunday games – including the first MLS game on NBC Sports Network and concludes with a special Monday night contest on ESPN2 and ESPN Deportes.

The 2012 MLS Regular Season will conclude Sunday, Oct. 28 with three games, followed by the MLS Cup Playoffs and the championship game – MLS Cup 2012 – on Dec. 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 (as is the regular season, at 232 days).

ESPN continues its live coverage of MLS with 21 regular season games. The nine games on ESPN and 11 on ESPN2 will also be available on ESPN Deportes, ESPN3, WatchESPN, and ESPN Deportes Radio. The May 4 Chivas USA vs. Chicago Fire game will be televised on ESPN Deportes, with ESPN3 and Deportes Radio coverage.

The NBC Sports Group begins its three-year partnership with MLS this season with live broadcasts of 41 regular season games, the most of any broadcast partner in 2012, and five MLS Cup Playoff games. The first one is Sunday, March 11 when FC Dallas host the New York Red Bulls on the NBC Sports Network. A total of 38 regular season games will air on NBC Sports Network, including the May 12 inaugural MLS match at the Houston Dynamo’s new home, BBVA Compass Stadium, and a May 26 rematch of MLS Cup 2011 between Houston and LA.

NBC will broadcast three regular season games nationally: Portland vs. Seattle on Sept. 15, New York vs. Chicago Fire on Oct. 6, and Philadelphia vs. New York on Oct. 27 – the first game of an historic tripleheader on the last Saturday of the regular season that includes Chicago vs. D.C. United and Portland vs. San Jose Earthquakes on NBC Sports Network.

Univision will broadcast 27 exclusive MLS regular season games in Spanish, two-thirds of them on Sunday evenings across three of its networks – TeleFutura, Galavisión and Univision Deportes, its 24-hour sports network launching soon. Clubs such as the Chicago Fire, Chivas USA, Colorado Rapids, D.C. United, FC Dallas, Houston Dynamo, LA Galaxy and the New York Red Bulls will appear on either TeleFutura, Galavisión or Univision Deportes more than three times each this season. The Univision broadcast package also includes exclusive Spanish-language coverage of the MLS All-Star Game, MLS Cup and several international matches this summer.

Online, www.UnivisionDeportes.com will feature additional in-depth coverage of MLS, along with video game highlights, stats and more. Fans can also access real-time updates, scores and stats by downloading the Univision Deportes-Fútbol (Sports-Soccer) and the Univision Marcador (Scoreboard) Apps on their Smartphones. Additionally every Wednesday at 7 p.m. ET, Univision Radio’s daily national sports talk show “Locura Deportiva” (Sports Madness) features commentary on the latest in MLS with celebrated sportscaster Jorge Perez-Navarro.

The forthcoming TSN/TSN2 and RDS/RDS2 schedules will include the inaugural MLS match for the Montreal Impact on March 10 in Vancouver, the Impact’s home opener on March 17 and the opening of the renovated Stade Saputo on June 16 when Seattle Sounders FC visit Montreal for the first time.

Source: Examiner.com

Athletes are being transformed into human billboards in Major League Soccer. The Los Angeles Galaxy’s jerseys proclaim the wonders of Herbalife, a weight-loss company.

The jerseys became attractive ad space after the Galaxy signed international heartthrob David Beckham. Herbalife paid $20 million for five seasons.

The Galaxy isn’t alone. Toronto FC players advertise the Bank of Montreal, and Real Salt Lake players serve as billboards for XanGo, a dietary supplement.

This trend soon will pollute our state. The Colorado Rapids have placed their jersey fronts on the open market. Members of the Rapids should defend their dignity, but instead — and this is no shock — they look forward to sharing the cash.

Rapids midfielder Daniel Wasson, a former star at Liberty High School and Air Force Academy, is eager to advertise the merits of whatever company chooses the Rapids.

“I like the idea,” Wasson said. “It brings more money into the game. It’s good.”

No, it’s not.

Jersey advertising is ordinary on the international scene. Rugby players, cricket players, soccer players wear advertisements on their chest, backs and sleeves.

To read the full article, please visit The Gazzette