Seattle Sounders 2016 schedule features brutal July

Major League Soccer announced their full schedule today. As usual the Seattle Sounders FC are heavily featured on national television appearing seven times on ESPN, six times on FoxSports 1 and do not appear on Univision's suite of stations. FOX, the broadcast channel, will carry a total of four MLS matches, all with a 30 minute lead-in programs. One of those is Seattle's trip to Portland on July 17th, a noon start.

That leaves 20 games on local partner Q13 and JoeTV.

The season kicks off on March 6th at 4 PM Pacific against Sporting Kansas City on FoxSports1 and FoxSports Deportes. That Sunday is a triple header on ESPN, FS1 and UniMas/UDN. The Sounders' regular-season ends with Real Salt Lake on Decision Day. Every league match will start at 1 PM Pacific on October 23rd.

Your season ticket already includes every home game as well as the 1st leg of the CONCACAF Champions League game against Club America on February 23rd. That 7 PM Pacific match will be on FS1.

For the first time ever the traveling fans will head to Orlando City SC to watch the Lions and enjoy many a theme park. That trip is on August 7th at 4 PM and will air on FS1.

MLS has set up "Rivalry Week" on May 20-22 and August 26-28. The Sounders face the Rapids (huh) and the Timbers (duh). That Timbers game is on the road after a midweek trip to Houston, which sucks. The Sounders also host the Timbers the previous Sunday, making for an absolutely brutal week.

Based on last year's results, the Sounders have the third toughest schedule. July may be their toughest month, as they'll make up for a light June (three matches) by playing six, including road games against Toronto FC, Timbers and Sporting KC. Their home games are against FC Dallas and two against the LA Galaxy. That's a stretch that could come to define their season.

The Sounders have five Wednesday games, with three at home, which may have been a way to keep them playing on as many FIFA dates as they have previously.

On the major Summer holidays Seattle finds themselves playing;

• Memorial Day - at New England at 4:30 PM Pacific (this is a change from the original story)
• Fourth of July - heading to Toronto on Saturday July 2nd with a start time to be determined.
• Labor Day - Sounders are off this weekend.

The league is taking the Group Stage (June 3rd to 16th) of the 2016 Centennial Copa America off, but if the United States or Paraguay advance the Sounders may be without the services of Clint Dempsey, Brad Evans and Nelson Haedo Valdez against Red Bull on the 19th and New York City on the 25th. The only other Sounders match scheduled during a FIFA date is the June 1 match at D.C. United.

There are six home game during the Seahawks season. Two of these are during preseason and the other four are during the regular season, but one is on a Wednesday so the line worry should be minimal.

The full schedule follows;

2016 SOUNDERS FC MLS REGULAR SEASON SCHEDULE