WVHooligan - Soccer Blog

Hot off the email presses and other news sources. The MLS has announced who will be playing who in the opening weekend of the 2008 season on March 29.

The first match-up that stands out is obvious, a re-match of the MLS Cup between Houston at New England. Along with that game on the “First Kick” weekend that will include all 14 teams, although a match involving the expansion San Jose Earthquakes and New York Red Bulls was still being finalized.

Other games on March 29 will include Toronto at Columbus, Chicago at Real Salt Lake, D.C. United at the Kansas City Wizards and LA Galaxy at Colorado.

Chivas USA will travel to FC Dallas on March 30.

The March 29 opening day is the earliest start to an MLS season since 2002, when the league began on March 23. The earliest date MLS began its schedule was March 15 in 1998.

The complete schedule will not be announced until February.Other than New England and Houston, there isn’t a real stand-out match-up to kick off the season. Maybe KC and DC will be decent but since it isn’t in RFK it may lack some luster. Chivas and Dallas should be a good game, but it all depends on how each club handles their off season moves at this point for me.

Some may ask why the league is starting so soon, and to that I honestly don’t have an answer. I’ve been saying for a few years that the MLS needed to start a couple weeks into March so the end of the season wraps up a little sooner. That way the playoffs and the MLS Cup aren’t going against mid-to-late-season college and pro football. I think it could help some and get better ratings and attendance.

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