Sounders schedule 2015: Opens against Revolution, closes against Real Salt Lake

Lovers of high drama will possibly be a bit disappointed as MLS released the 2015 schedule on Tuesday. Unlike last year when the Seattle Sounders closed out the season with back-to-back games against the LA Galaxy, they'll have a far more normal close to the season with a home game against Real Salt Lake.

There was at least one significant change from the previously established patterns: The Cascadia Cup will be balanced for the first time in its MLS existence. The Sounders will visit the Vancouver Whitecaps twice and host the Portland Timbers twice.

Other notable items from the Sounders' schedule include:

• Their first game against the LA Galaxy is on April 12, but their only home game against them is on Oct. 4
• They've got two three-game road trips, the first from May 3-16 and the other from Sept. 12-27.
• There will be eight home games over the summer, a welcome change from last year
• The Sounders will visit New York City FC on May 3 and host Orlando City on Aug. 16
• There are 12 national TV games scheduled (6 on Fox Sports, 4 on ESPN2, 1 on ESPN and 1 on UniMas)
• 13 matches will be on Sunday, 18 on Saturday and one on Friday. Two matches will be midweek affairs, all on Wednesday
• August will likely be insane, as there are five league games scheduled (two on the road) and CCL games likely
• There are three games scheduled during the CONCACAF Gold Cup (at Chicago, vs. Colorado and at Montreal)
• There will be 10 games against Eastern Conference opponents, five home and five away
• There will be 24 games against Western Conference opponents, with only two against the Houston Dynamo, FC Dallas and Real Salt Lake, but three against the other six.
• Twice the Sounders will play three games in an eight-day span. The first is all at home, but the second of those stretches will see them start at home on June 20 against the San Jose Earthquakes, travel to the Philadelphia Union on June 24 and return for a road game against the Portland Timbers on June 28.
• The only road game against the Earthquakes will be at the soccer-specific Avaya Stadium, not at Levi's Stadium as President Dave Kaval had threatened to do previously
• The MLS Cup Playoff format was officially unveiled. Six teams from each conference will qualify, with the top two teams in each conference receiving a bye. The four knockout round games will be played on Oct. 28-29 and the MLS Cup final will be Dec. 5-6 or Dec. 12-13.