Sounders FC 2 matches will stream on ESPN+
The switch begins on April 14, 2018.
Starting Saturday, April 14, Seattle Sounders FC 2 matches — in addition to all other USL matches — will air on ESPN+, a new live and on-demand sports streaming service run by ESPN. The platform is accessible through the ESPN app or the ESPN website.
That means that S2’s April 14 home match against Rio Grande Valley FC, which kicks off at 5 PM PT, will be accessible on the ESPN+ platform.
Gone are the days of watching Sounders FC 2 matches live on YouTube at no cost. For real-time streaming, fans can now subscribe to ESPN+ for $4.99 a month (or $49.99 per year) and cancel at any time.
In addition to ESPN+ videos, the USL Game of the Week will also be available on ESPN3, the online streaming channel for ESPN TV subscribers. You can watch ESPN3 using the WatchESPN app or on a laptop or computer by going to the WatchESPN website. The full 2018 Game of the Week schedule will be released in the coming weeks. An additional six USL regular season games and the 2018 USL Cup will be available on a to-be-announced ESPN TV channel.
Full replays of USL matches also will be available on USL’s YouTube channel seven days after the completion of the game. While it was announced that USL fans will still be able to follow their home team through local broadcast partnerships, S2 does not have a local broadcast deal—making ESPN+ the only place to access S2 matches live.
You won’t just get USL matches if you sign up for ESPN+. Last week, ESPN announced that MLS matches from around the league that aren’t local to the user or broadcast nationally will be available through ESPN+. The subscription-based service also features MLB and NHL games, among a slate of additional content. College soccer matches from more than a dozen conferences will also air on the streaming platform.
Matches will continue to be produced by USL Productions, the league’s broadcast production and distribution facilities in south Florida. If you already have the ESPN app downloaded, and you added the ESPN+ subscription, you will need to run an application update on Thursday, April 12, when ESPN+ is first available.
Sounders FC 2 are currently 1-2-0 in USL play. You can watch #TheFuture in person at Cheney Stadium on Wednesday, April 11 at 7 PM PT (also on YouTube), and on Saturday, April 14 at 5 PM PT (also on ESPN+).