ESPN and ESPN Deportes will combine to present live coverage of the Audi 2018 MLS Cup Playoffs Conference Championships beginning Sunday, Nov. 25, at 5 p.m. ET featuring Atlanta United FC vs. New York Red Bulls – first leg of the home and away Eastern Conference Championship series – at the Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
- Commentators: ESPN – Adrian Healey, analyst Taylor Twellman and reporter Sebastian Salazar; ESPN Deportes – Richard Méndez and analyst Herculez Gomez
- A matchup of the league’s top two teams and two of the top three goal-scorers – Atlanta’s Josef Martinez (31) and Red Bulls’ Bradley Wright-Phillips (20) – in the regular season
- Sunday will be Atlanta United’s first appearance in a championship game.
Thursday, Nov. 29, at 9:30 p.m., Sporting Kansas City will host the Portland Timbers in the second leg of the MLS Western Conference Championship, live from Children’s Mercy Park in Kansas City.
- Commentators: ESPN – Healey, analyst Twellman and reporter Salazar; ESPN Deportes – Méndez and analyst Herculez Gomez
- On-site studio: SportsCenter’s Max Bretos (host) with analysts Alejandro Moreno and Kasey Keller.
Schedule:
| Date | Time (ET) | Event | Networks |
| Sun, Nov 25 | 5 p.m. | Atlanta United FC vs. New York Red Bulls
Adrian Healey, Taylor Twellman and Sebastian Salazar Richard Méndez and Herculez Gomez |
ESPN, ESPN Deportes |
| Thu, Nov 29 | 9:30 p.m. | Pre-game – Sporting Kansas City vs. Portland Timbers
Max Bretos, Alejandro Moreno and Kasey Keller |
ESPN |
| 9:48 p.m. | Sporting Kansas City vs. Portland Timbers
Healey, Twellman and Salazar Méndez and Gomez |
ESPN, ESPN Deportes |
ESPN FC, exclusive to ESPN+ (weekdays at 6 p.m.)
Host Dan Thomas and a rotating panel of pundits – Craig Burley, Shaka Hislop, Paul Mariner, Alejandro Moreno, et al – will preview and review the Conference Championship matches.
- Thursday – pregame updates from Kansas City by match commentators Healey and Twellman, as well as studio commentators Bretos, Moreno and Keller.
ESPNFC.com
ESPNFC.com, ESPN’s global multiplatform soccer brand, will provide coverage of the 2018 MLS Conference Championships culminating in two match days with coverage by reporters Jeff Carlisle and Noah Davis in Atlanta on Sunday and Kansas City on Thursday. Highlights:
- Matt Pentz visits midfielders Diego Valeri and Sebastian Blanco – best friends from their childhood in Argentina – in Portland to discuss their long friendship and playing together in Major League Soccer as the Timbers seek to reach their second MLS Cup in four years
- Arch Bell previews both Conference Championships: Red Bulls-Atlanta – a meeting of the two Supporters’ Shield contenders, MLS’ best two clubs and a de-facto final; and Sporting Kansas City’s home-field advantage in the playoffs and their best chance at MLS Cup since 2013
- On the scene with Chris Wondoloski features up-to-the-minute social content with informational nuggets from each matchup across ESPN FC social platform –
- In-game on all ESPN FC platforms: Highlights on all platforms on ESPNFC.com and ESPN.com
– 30 –
-
-
-
-
-
