 "Photo: AP")
Tonight, ESPN2 debuts "MLS Primetime Thursday" in a match that pits FC Dallas against Western Conference foe Los Angeles Galaxy, airing live at 9:30 p.m.
Each team enters tonight's contest with a point on the season. In last weekend's opening games, FC Dallas played Real Salt Lake to a 2-2 draw in Utah, while the Galaxy and Dynamo squared off to a scoreless draw at Robertson Stadium in Houston.
This is the first year of ESPN/ABC's eight-year agreement to pay for rights to broadcast Major League Soccer, and the worldwide leader in sports has promised to drastically improve the production value of its MLS broadcasts. ESPN is incorporating innovations from European league coverage as well as from the NFL.
In hopes of helping the casual sports fan understand offsides in the world game, and thus hoping they stay tuned in, ESPN2 will be using a virtual line to show viewers how far downfield a player can be before being in an offside position. To do this, ESPN2 will be using the same technology that shows viewers where a first down is during NFL telecasts.
ESPN2 will also use a feature that it has dubbed "Kick Trax." Introduced last Saturday during ABC's coverage of the DC United/Colorado Rapids game, Kick Trax shows viewers the trajectory and speed of the ball during replays. During set pieces, a similar feature informs viewers of how far away the ball is from the goal while also showing the 10-yard radius that opposing players must be outside of during a free kick.
Other enhancements include improved on-screen graphics, displaying information that may be helpful to fantasy team owners, and more cameras to give several angles during replays. Such angles allows fans to see goals from various points on the field and help commentators and viewers determine if a player was in an offside position or not.
Perhaps the greatest improvement is that all games broadcast on ESPN2/ABC will also be aired in high definition. Because soccer is a sport where players can use any part of the field at any time, the more of the field the viewer can observe, the more enjoyable the game is to watch on television.
ESPN is surely hoping to grab the attention of the casual sports fan by using innovations that fans are used to seeing in coverage of other sports. While some of these innovations will draw the ire of a few soccer purists, ESPN is confident that viewers who are already fans of MLS will grow to appreciate the changes.
Seeing as how MLS averaged a paltry 0.6 rating last season, it is clear that something had to change. Obviously, ESPN believes it can make money on this league; otherwise, why pay MLS a rights fee? At the very least, soccer purists should give ESPN credit for stepping up its coverage of the league and doing what it can to increase viewer awareness and ratings.
On the tube
To celebrate the new season, ESPN Classic will be replaying the 2002 and 2006 MLS Cups beginning at noon today.
The 2002 edition was played at Gillette Stadium, where an MLS Cup-record crowd of 61,316 saw the host team New England Revolution fall to the Galaxy on a Carlos Ruiz overtime goal.
Last year's Cup, hosted by Pizza Hut Park in Frisco, saw the Dynamo win the championship in its inaugural year as the Houston club defeated, who else, the Revolution, in a penalty kick shoot-out after the teams ended overtime tied at 1-1. This marked New England's third trip to the MLS final in five years, having yet to walk away with the Cup in hand.
Other nationally televised games: Saturday - Kansas City at D.C. 6:30 p.m., FSC; Chivas USA at Houston 7:30 p.m., HDNet; Sunday - FC Dallas at New York Red Bulls 2 p.m., TeleFutura.
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