:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/48518787/usa-today-7806897.0.jpg)
It's something we've been waiting for, the 2016 schedule is officially released! Major League Soccer released the schedule for the 2016 season today. You can check out the whole schedule but we'll just go through and highlight the important stuff for now.
D.C. United
The Red Bulls and D.C. faced off ten times the last two year. Four times in the playoffs to go along with six regular season bouts. The Red Bulls went 4-0-1 in the meetings last year with a +7 goal difference. The teams will once again face off three times in 2016, starting with a road match on May 13th. The second match is also at D.C. on August 21st, with the lone home game coming on Sept 11th.
New York City FC
The new kids in town were swept by the Red Bulls in 2015. With the Red Bulls having two home games last year, two of this year's series will take place in the Bronx. The three matches against NYC FC are set for:
- at NYC FC: May 21st
- at NYC FC: July 3rd
- vs NYC FC: July 24th
Columbus Crew SC
Columbus was the team that eliminated the Red Bulls from the playoffs in the Eastern Conference Finals. They'll face off three times in the regular season, just like they did in 2015. The first match will be in June 25th in Columbus.
Portland Timbers
The Timbers are the defending MLS Cup winners. In 2015, the Red Bulls travelled to Portland, so it's New York's turn to host the only match of the year. That match will take place on July 10th.
Home & Road Openers
As we covered back in December, the Red Bulls will start the season on March 6th at home. They will face Toronto FC when they raise the banner for their Supporters' Shield run at 1:30 pm. The Red Bulls will then travel to face the Montreal Impact on March 12th. That game will be at Olympic Stadium.
Radio
Aside from the TV action, all of the Red Bulls' matches in 2016 will have an online radio call available for those interested. This was confirmed today by a team representative.
GREAT news - all 34 #RBNY games will be broadcast in English & Spanish on Red Bulls Radio in 2016 on https://t.co/THb7mBFLwZ & TuneIn.
— Jason Baum (@JasonBaumPR) January 7, 2016
What games are you looking forward to in 2016? Let us know in the comments. We'll also have a more in depth look at the schedule in the coming days.