Union to play seven times on national TV

The Philadelphia Union will start the season away from home, but they’ll finish it with two straight home games, though those come at a cost.

The Union released their full schedule Thursday, which adds to the previously announced opener (at FC Dallas Feb. 29) and home opener (March 13 against San Jose). In between, the Union will travel to last year’s Supporters’ Shield winner, Los Angeles FC, for a national-TV Sunday game.

The Union are on national TV seven times, including three of the first six games and four of the first nine. That includes a March 22 game against D.C. United, the April 5 trip to Inter Miami for the first meeting with the expansion side and a home date with New York City FC April 19. All three are Sunday affairs.

In addition to the trip to Miami, the expansion team owned by David Beckham makes its first trip to Chester Aug. 1. The Union visit the other new team, Nashville SC, on Wednesday, May 13.

That game is one of only three midweek games, including the April 15 visit from the LA Galaxy and a July 8 voyage to Chicago. All three midweek games are sandwiched between busy weekends, though the hosting of the Galaxy is bookended by home games. The Nashville travel has home games on either side, and the Union go from Montreal to Chicago in the early-July voyage.

This is the first season that MLS, which has ballooned to 26 franchises, will not have teams play every other team in the league, with 12 intra-conference homeand-homes and 10 inter-conference tilts. The Union miss Seattle, the reigning MLS Cup holder, as well as Minnesota United and Houston. They travel to the Western time zone twice, both in March (LAFC, Portland), then the longest trip required is at Colorado May 23.

The Union’s run into the finish is perilous, with five of six games away from home starting Aug. 8 – at NYC, Toronto and D.C., a home game against Orlando City, then trips to New England and Cincinnati. The Union wrap up with a national-TV date at home against the Red Bulls then welcome Chicago to Chester in the final weekend of the season Oct. 4.