Timbers open at home on March 6

The defending MLS Cup champion Portland Timbers will be regulars on national television during the 2016 Major League Soccer regular season. As a result, they will play 11 of their 17 home matches on weekend afternoons.

The Timbers open their sixth MLS season on March 6 at home against Columbus in a rematch of the MLS Cup final.

Highlighting the schedule announced on Thursday are two home matches against Seattle, at noon on July 17 and at 2 p.m. Aug. 28. Portland visits Seattle on Aug. 21, meaning the Sounders and Timbers will play two of their three regular-season games back to back.

The other teams to visit Portland twice in 2016 are Real Salt Lake and San Jose. Teams the Timbers visit twice are Vancouver, FC Dallas and Colorado. Portland will play only two games (one at home) against the Los Angeles Galaxy, Sporting Kansas City and Houston.

Eastern Conference teams that visit Portland are Columbus, Montreal, New York City FC, Philadelphia and Toronto FC.

Single-game tickets for the first half of the home schedule go on sale on Feb. 24. A pre-sale for Timbers season-ticket holders, members of the season-ticket waiting list and corporate partners will take place on Feb. 22.

Single-game tickets for the second half of the season will go on sale in June.

Group opportunities for Timbers home matches are available by calling 503-553-5555 or sending email to ticketsales@timbers.com

Fifteen of the Timbers 34 matches are scheduled for national television, including nine of their 17 home games. Portland will appear on ESPN or ESPN2 eight times, over the air on Fox twice, and on Fox Sports 1 five times.

The Timbers face Cascadia Cup rival Vancouver at home on May 22. They visit the Whitecaps on May 7 and for the final regular-season match on Oct. 23.

Other home dates of note include the May 1 visit by Toronto FC, which features 2015 MLS MVP Sebastian Giovinco, former Timbers captain Will Johnson and U.S. National Team members Michael Bradley and Jozy Altidore. New York City FC visits Portland on May 15 and the Galaxy’s visit is on July 23.

In addition to 34 regular-season matches, the Timbers will play in the 2016-17 CONCACAF Champions League, with group phase matches set to begin in the late summer. The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup schedule for MLS clubs will be announced later.

The Timbers begin preseason training on Jan. 23. Their preseason home matches are Feb. 21 against Minnesota United, Feb. 24 against the Whitecaps and Feb. 27 against the Chicago Fire.

2016 Portland Timbers MLS schedule

(Home matches in CAPS)

Date Opponent Kickoff, TV

Sunday, March 6 COLUMBUS CREW SC 1:30 p.m., ESPN

Sunday, March 13 at San Jose Earthquakes 4 p.m., FS1

Saturday, March 19 REAL SALT LAKE 7:30 p.m. 

Sunday, April 3 at Orlando City SC 5 p.m., FS1

Sunday, April 10 at LA Galaxy 6:30 p.m., FS1

Wednesday, April 13 FC DALLAS 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, April 16 SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES 7:30 p.m.

Wednesday, April 27 at New England 4:30 p.m.

Sunday, May 1 TORONTO FC 12:30 p.m., ESPN

Saturday, May 7 at Vancouver TBD 

Wednesday, May 11 at FC Dallas 6 p.m.

Sunday, May 15 NEW YORK CITY FC 4:30 p.m., FS1

Sunday, May 22 VANCOUVER 1:30 p.m., ESPN

Saturday, May 28 at Chicago Fire 5:30 p.m.

Wednesday, June 1 SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES  7:30 p.m.

Saturday, June 18 at Real Salt Lake 7 p.m.

Sunday, June 26 HOUSTON DYNAMO 3 p.m., ESPN2

Monday, July 4 at Colorado Rapids 6 p.m.

Sunday, July 10 at New York Red Bulls 3 p.m., ESPN2

Wednesday, July 13 MONTREAL IMPACT 7:30 p.m.

Sunday, July 17 SEATTLE SOUNDERS FC noon, FOX

Saturday, July 23 LA GALAXY 12:30 p.m., ESPN

Sunday, July 31 at Sporting Kansas City 11 a.m., FOX

Sunday, Aug. 7 SPORTING KANSAS CITY 1 p.m., ESPN

Saturday, Aug. 13 at D.C. United 4 p.m.

Sunday, Aug. 21 at Seattle Sounders FC 6:30 p.m., FS1

Sunday, Aug. 28 SEATTLE SOUNDERS FC 2 p.m., ESPN

Saturday, Sept. 3 at FC Dallas 6 p.m.

Saturday, Sept. 10 REAL SALT LAKE 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, Sept. 17 PHILADELPHIA UNION 3 p.m.

Saturday, Sept. 24 at Houston Dynamo TBD

Saturday, Oct. 1 at Colorado Rapids 6 p.m.

Sunday, Oct. 16 COLORADO RAPIDS 4 p.m.

Sunday, Oct. 23 at Vancouver  1 p.m.

NOTE: CONCACAF Champions League, U.S. Open Cup schedules to be announced later.