BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. (Oct. 16, 2018) – Major League Soccer today announced that the Chicago Fire’s away match against Atlanta United FC on Sunday, Oct. 21 will be broadcast on ESPN and ESPN Deportes. Set to begin at 2:00 p.m. CT at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, the match will air in more than 170 countries worldwide.Flex broadcast scheduling during the final two weeks of the regular season allows national broadcast partners to select the most compelling matches while providing live look-ins to pivotal moments throughout the league. International broadcast partners will also carry live look-ins across the league as part of the broadcast coverage for Week 34.
The second-to-last week of the 2018 MLS regular season will consist of 22 teams in action during two broadcast windows, which will feature five simultaneous Eastern Conference matchups all kicking off at 2:00 p.m. CT before six simultaneous Western Conference games all beginning at 4:00 p.m. CT.
MLS will provide an hour of in-depth analysis during “MLS MatchDay Central,” which will be hosted on MLSsoccer.com and MLS social media platforms (Facebook / Twitter / YouTube). Pregame commentary from 1-2 p.m. CT will set the stage before the Eastern Conference matchups, with postgame coverage beginning at 6:30 p.m. CT following the Western Conference games to break down the final implications leading into Decision Day presented by AT&T on October 28.
The match on Oct. 21 marks the third and final meeting between the Fire and Atlanta United across all competitions in 2018. Heading into the game, the teams have split the results in the head-to-head series this season. After falling 2-1 to Atlanta United at home in regular season action on May 5, the Fire bounced back with a 1-0 win at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup on June 20.
