MLS Cup Heads Back to ABC for 2019

ABC is set to broadcast Major League Soccer’s championship match for the first time since 2008.

When ESPN presents the 2019 MLS Cup on Sunday, November 10, it will air on ABC and be streamed live on both the ESPN and ABC apps. During Major League Soccer’s first 13 years, ABC was the exclusive home of the MLS Cup, while ESPN has televised the championship match for eight of the last ten seasons.

Leading up to the 2019 MLS Cup, Major League Soccer’s three-week Audi 2019 MLS Cup Playoffs will feature 14 teams—seven per conference—attempting to play their way into the final. Winners of the Eastern and Western Conference Finals advance to the championship, with the conference champion with the highest point total in the regular season hosting the Cup. Jon Champion, Taylor Twellman and Sebastian Salazar will commentate the match.

Burke Magnus, executive VP of programming and scheduling for ESPN, said: “ABC has a rich history of soccer coverage, including MLS Cup for more than a decade in the early years of Major League Soccer. We are excited to once again showcase the league’s marquee event on the network.”

Gary Stevenson, MLS deputy commissioner and president and managing director of MLS Business Ventures, added: “We can’t think of a better way to highlight the culmination of our season than to have our championship match on ABC. This broadcast is an outstanding example of our partnership and ABC’s commitment to the continued growth of Major League Soccer.”