ESPN to Present MLS Soccer Sunday Kickoff Week 3/6
By: Caryn Robbins Mar. 04, 2016
ESPN will kick off its 21st straight season of Major League Soccer coverage on Sunday, March 6, at 4:30 p.m. with the live presentation of Portland Timbers vs. Columbus Crew SC - a rematch of the 2015 MLS Cup won by Portland. The match will be the first of 17 MLS telecasts in 2016 featuring expanded programming windows for pre-game, halftime and post-game segments. ESPN and ESPN2 will combine to carry 33 MLS regular-season matches live in 2016. The matches will air in Spanish on ESPN Deportes, streamed on WatchESPN and ESPN Deportes+ (Spanish).
The MLS SOCCER Sunday opening weekend telecast marks the regular season debut of ESPN's "Goal Post Cam" - the production innovation whereby cameras are embedded on each post to enhance views of action on the goal-line. The technology, exclusive to ESPN, has been in development since February 2014. It was tested at the 2014 MLS All-Star Game in Portland, and used, for the first time, in a league match at the 2015 MLS Cup. Coaches Wired - coaches Caleb Porter (Portland) and Gregg Berhalter (Columbus) will each wear a live microphone on the sidelines for in-game audio during the telecast. Portland vs. Columbus Commentators: SportsCenter anchor Max Bretos will host the studio segments around the match beginning with a live pre-game show (4:30 p.m.) from Portland's Providence Park, the home of the Timbers. Adrian Healey (play-by-play), analyst Taylor Twellman and sideline reporter Mónica González will call the match in English, while Richard Méndez and Giovanni Savarese will provide commentary on ESPN Deportes.Videos