The Los Angeles Galaxy and Real Salt Lake make their only appearances in Portland in the opening week of the 2015 Major League Soccer season.
The Seattle Sounders visit the Timbers on June 28.
Those are among the notable dates on the Timbers 2015 schedule, which was announced on Wednesday as MLS unveiled its entire regular-season slate.
A was previously announced, the Timbers will open their fifth MLS season at home on March 7 against Real Salt Lake. Eight days later, the defending champion Galaxy make their only visit to Providence Park.
The season will again be 34 games, 17 home and 17 away.
The Timbers will play Vancouver, Sporting Kansas City and Houston twice at home and once on the road. They will visit Seattle, Real Salt Lake and the Galaxy twice and play each once at Providence Park. They will face Colorado, FC Dallas and San Jose once at home and once on the road.
Portland will play each Eastern Conference team once. The Timbers will host Orlando, D.C. United, New England, Chicago and the New York Red Bulls. They will visit New York FC, Montreal, Toronto, Philadelphia and Columbus.
Portland will host expansion club Orlando City FC on April 12 then travel to face the expansion club New York City FC on April 19.
The final regular-season match is on Oct. 25 at Providence Park against Colorado.
Single-game tickets for the first eight home matches go on sale on Feb. 20. Season ticket holders and those on the Timbers season-ticket waiting list will be able to buy single-game tickets on Feb. 19. The team did not announce when tickets for its final nine home matches will be put on sale.
The Timbers first preseason match is scheduled for Jan. 31 in Tucson against Sporting Kansas City. Their first home appearance of 2015 will be the preseason Simple Invitational in late February.
Gaston Fernandez signs — Also on Wednesday, the Timbers announced that Gaston Fernandez will be back for a second season in Portland.
The announcement was expected, but is significant because Fernandez figures to be an important cog as an attacking central midfielder while fellow Argentine Diego Valeri recovers from the knee injury suffered in the final game of the 2014 season.
Fernandez, 31, had 12 goals and three assists in 38 appearances in his first season with the Timbers. In league play he appeared in 32 of Portland’s 34 matches and had seven goals and two assists. He scored four goals in Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup matches.
