Major League Soccer today unveiled its 2015 regular-season schedule, a campaign that sees each of its now 20 clubs play a 34-match clip, with Columbus Crew SC's slate beginning on March 7. For Major League Soccer and Crew SC – the League's first club – 2015 is the 20th season of play dating back to the League’s inaugural slate in 1996. In 2015, fans will also see the debut of the club’s new badge and brand identity.



Entering the second season under Sporting Director and Head Coach Gregg Berhalter, the club looks to build off of last year’s third place finish in the Eastern Conference after securing its first postseason berth since 2011. For the fourth consecutive season, each team in 2015 is slated to play a schedule that features a single match against each team in opposite conferences, and two or three intra-conference tilts. With the introductions of New York City FC and Orlando City SC to MLS and the Eastern Conference, the Houston Dynamo and Sporting Kansas City have shifted to the Western Conference for 2015.



The Black & Gold are set to take to the road for a fourth straight year to open the season, traveling for their sole meeting of the year against Houston. Last year, Columbus opened at RFK Stadium against D.C. United in Sporting Director and Head Coach Gregg Berhalter's debut in a match that the Black & Gold won by a 3-0 final against the eventual top seeded club in the conference.



2015 is Crew SC's 17th season at first-of-its-kind Crew Stadium, the first topflight soccer-specific facility built in the United States. Following the trip to BBVA Compass Stadium in Houston, Crew SC's home schedule begins with a showdown against Toronto FC. The Black & Gold enter the upcoming season unbeaten in their last 10 Opening Matches (6-0-4) at Crew Stadium dating back to 2005.



Crew SC faces six Eastern Conference foes three times in 2015: Chicago Fire, D.C. United, New York Red Bulls, Orlando City SC, Philadelphia Union and Toronto FC. Of those clubs, the Fire, the Red Bulls and Toronto FC will make two trips to Columbus, while Crew SC will head to D.C., Orlando and Philadelphia twice each in 2015. Crew SC will play two matches against each of the three remaining Eastern Conference sides – Montreal Impact, New England Revolution and New York City FC – with one match at home and one match away.

Ten other contests featuring Western Conference opponents round-out Crew SC's schedule. The Black & Gold play host to FC Dallas, LA Galaxy, Portland Timbers FC, Seattle Sounders FC and Sporting Kansas City while they travel westward to square-off at the Colorado Rapids, Houston Dynamo, Real Salt Lake, San Jose Earthquakes and Vancouver Whitecaps FC.



Notable schedule highlights include an early trip to last season's MLS Cup Playoff opponent, the New England Revolution, on April 11; a visit from last season's Supporters' Shield winners, Seattle Sounders FC, on May 9; a home meeting for the second consecutive year with last season's MLS Cup champions, the LA Galaxy, on June 13; an Independence Day showdown at home against the New York Red Bulls; a home-and-home clash against rival Chicago on July 15 and July 19; and late-season road matches with Conference foes Philadelphia Union (September 12), D.C. United (September 19), New York Red Bulls (October 3) and Toronto FC (October 17). In 2015, new MLS sides Orlando City SC (April 18) and New York City FC (August 19) will also make their first visits to Columbus.

Crew SC is slated to appear on national television at least three times in 2015. The Black & Gold are set to be shown on FOX/ESPN twice: on Sunday, July 19 versus Chicago at Crew Stadium (ESPN2) and on Sunday, September 6 versus FC Dallas, also in Columbus (FOX Sports 1). The May 22 home clash versus Chicago is set to air nationally on UniMás/Univision Deportes Network. The remainder of Crew SC's regular-season schedule will be televised regionally on Time Warner Cable SportsChannel.

2015 Season Ticket Memberships, 10-match plans and Group opportunities are presently on sale and immediately available by contacting a Crew SC ticket representative at 614-447-2739 or online via ColumbusCrewSC.com. Instructions for purchasing single-match tickets for all Crew SC regular-season MLS home matches will be released at a later date.

2015 Columbus Crew SC MLS Schedule

DATE DAY OPPONENT TIME (ET) 3/7 Saturday at Houston Dynamo 8:30 p.m. 3/14 Saturday Toronto FC* 7:30 p.m. 3/28 Saturday New York Red Bulls* 7:30 p.m. 4/8 Wednesday at Vancouver Whitecaps FC TBD 4/11 Saturday at New England Revolution* 3:00 p.m. 4/18 Saturday Orlando City SC* 7:30 p.m. 4/25 Saturday Philadelphia Union* 7:30 p.m. 5/2 Saturday at D.C. United* 7:00 p.m. 5/9 Saturday Seattle Sounders FC 7:30 p.m. 5/16 Saturday at San Jose Earthquakes 10:30 p.m. 5/22 Friday Chicago Fire*^ 8:00 p.m. 5/30 Saturday at Orlando City SC* 7:30 p.m. 6/3 Wednesday at Philadelphia Union* 7:00 p.m. 6/6 Saturday Montreal Impact* 7:30 p.m. 6/13 Saturday LA Galaxy 7:30 p.m. 6/24 Wednesday New England Revolution* 7:30 p.m. 6/27 Saturday at Real Salt Lake 10:00 p.m. 7/4 Saturday New York Red Bulls* 7:30 p.m. 7/11 Saturday at Montreal Impact* TBD 7/15 Wednesday at Chicago Fire* 8:30 p.m. 7/19 Sunday Chicago Fire*+ 5:00 p.m. 7/25 Saturday Toronto FC* 7:30 p.m. 8/1 Saturday at Orlando City SC* 7:30 p.m. 8/8 Saturday at Colorado Rapids 9:00 p.m. 8/19 Wednesday New York City FC* 7:30 p.m. 8/22 Saturday Sporting Kansas City 7:30 p.m. 8/29 Saturday at New York City FC* TBD 9/6 Sunday FC Dallas # 7:00 p.m. 9/12 Saturday at Philadelphia Union* 7:00 p.m. 9/19 Saturday at D.C. United* 7:00 p.m. 9/26 Saturday Portland Timbers FC 7:30 p.m. 10/3 Saturday at New York Red Bulls* 7:00 p.m. 10/17 Saturday at Toronto FC* TBD 10/25 Sunday D.C. United* 5:00 p.m.



Home Games in Bold

* Eastern Conference Opponent

^UniMas/Univision Deportes Network

+ ESPN2

# FOX Sports 1

Schedule and broadcast information subject to change