Reign to Broadcast Tonight's Friendly via Periscope

It wasn't too long ago that soccer matches outside the most popular leagues had to be consumed via recaps and, if you were lucky, highlight packages. But thanks to the wonders of technology it's becoming increasingly likely that you can watch any match you want at any time. Nearly every NWSL and USL match will be on Youtube this season. The friendly last week against Xolos was technically not televised, but Tijuana put a cheap camera somewhere in the press box and boom the game was available to anyone who wanted it on the Internet.

And the Seattle Reign are pushing that trend forward one more step tonight in their preseason match against the Portland Pilots. Not even needing a camera or a streaming system, they're going to use Twitter's new Periscope app to broadcast the match.

GeekWire has a full writeup including some quotes from team owner Bill Predmore.

Whether broadcasting a match via a phone will allow for enough quality for a reasonable viewing experience is an open question, but it will be an interesting learning experience for everyone. I'll also be on hand in Portland for some play by play and a game thread, so even if the stream isn't very illuminating we should get a sense of where the team is heading into their third season.