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Major League Soccer announced the complete 2016 regular season schedule on Thursday, including a two week break at the beginning of June to accommodate the Copa America Centenario, which will be played at venues through the United States. On the last day of the season, Sunday, October 23, all ten scheduled MLS matches will be played concurrently as part of Decision Day, with kick-off scheduled for 1:00 p.m. Pacific time.
The San Jose Earthquakes will open their 2016 regular season at Avaya Stadium on Sunday, March 6, when they host the Colorado Rapids. The Quakes play defending MLS champions Portland Timbers the following Sunday, also at Avaya Stadium, before heading to rivals LA Galaxy on Saturday, March 19, for their first road game of the campaign.
The Quakes return home a week later to host D.C. United on Saturday, April 2. The match is scheduled almost 20 years to the day of the inaugural game of MLS -- the then San Jose Clash played D.C. United on April 6, 1996 at Spartan Stadium to mark the beginning of a league that two decades later is a stable fixture on the American sporting landscape. Of note, the Clash beat the eventual MLS Cup champions D.C. United 1-0 that afternoon courtesy of an Eric Wynalda goal.
Following the Copa America break, the Galaxy will be the featured attraction when the Earthquakes return to Stanford Stadium on Saturday, June 25, for the annual California Clasico that marks the kick-off to the Summer of Soccer in the Bay Area. Notably absent from the schedule is a match at nearby Levi's Stadium, which was to hold one Earthquakes match per year as part of a five-year deal announced last season. With Levi's Stadium hosting four games as part of the Copa America Centenario in June, the Quakes were unable to secure a date for one of their home games to moved to the Santa Clara venue.
The Earthquakes will play in 10 nationally televised games, seven on Spanish-language UniMas, including the June 25 California Clasico. San Jose will host Sporting Kansas City on Sunday, April 24, in a match that will be featured on ESPN. Due to weekends lost to FIFA international breaks, the Quakes will play six midweek games in 2016, including three Wednesday matches at Avaya Stadium.
The 2016 San Jose Earthquakes regular season schedule (home matches in bold, at Avaya Stadium unless indicated)
Date |
Opponent |
Kickoff (Pacific) |
Television |
Sunday, March 6 |
COLORADO RAPIDS |
12:00 p.m. |
|
Sunday, March 13 |
PORTLAND TIMBERS |
4:00 p.m. |
Fox Sports 1 |
Saturday, March 19 |
at LA Galaxy |
7:30 p.m. |
|
Saturday, April 2 |
D.C. UNITED |
7:30 p.m. |
|
Saturday, April 9 |
at FC Dallas |
6:00 p.m. |
|
Wednesday, April 13 |
NEW YORK RED BULLS |
7:30 p.m. |
|
Saturday, April 16 |
at Portland Timbers |
7:30 p.m. |
|
Sunday, April 24 |
SPORTING KANSAS CITY |
12:30 p.m. |
ESPN |
Saturday, April 30 |
at Philadelphia Union |
TBD |
|
Saturday, May 7 |
at Seattle Sounders FC |
7:00 p.m. |
|
Wednesday, May 11 |
HOUSTON DYNAMO |
7:30 p.m. |
|
Sunday, May 22 |
at LA Galaxy |
4:00 p.m. |
Fox Sports 1 |
Saturday, May 28 |
FC DALLAS |
7:30 p.m. |
|
Wednesday, June 1 |
at Portland Timbers |
7:30 p.m. |
|
Saturday, June 18 |
at Orlando City SC |
4:30 p.m. |
|
Saturday, June 25 |
LA GALAXY (Stanford Stadium) |
7:00 p.m. |
UniMás |
Friday, July 1 |
at Chicago Fire |
5:00 p.m. |
UniMás |
Friday, July 8 |
FC DALLAS |
7:30 p.m. |
UniMás |
Saturday, July 16 |
TORONTO FC |
7:30 p.m. |
|
Friday, July 22 |
at Real Salt Lake |
8:00 p.m. |
UniMás |
Sunday, July 31 |
at Houston Dynamo |
TBD |
|
Friday, August 5 |
NEW YORK CITY FC |
8:00 p.m. |
UniMás |
Friday, August 12 |
at Vancouver Whitecaps FC |
8:00 p.m. |
UniMás |
Friday, August 19 |
HOUSTON DYNAMO |
8:00 p.m. |
UniMás |
Wednesday, August 24 |
NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION |
7:30 p.m. |
|
Saturday, August 27 |
at Columbus Crew SC |
4:30 p.m. |
|
Saturday, September 10 |
SEATTLE SOUNDERS FC |
7:30 p.m. |
|
Saturday, September 17 |
at Colorado Rapids |
6:00 p.m. |
|
Saturday, September 24 |
SPORTING KANSAS CITY |
7:30 p.m. |
|
Wednesday, September 28 |
at Montreal Impact |
TBD |
|
Saturday, October 1 |
REAL SALT LAKE |
7:30 p.m. |
|
Thursday, October 13 |
at Colorado Rapids |
6:00 p.m. |
|
Sunday, October 16 |
VANCOUVER WHITECAPS FC |
4:00 p.m. |
|
Sunday, October 23 |
at Sporting Kansas City |
1:00 p.m. |
|