MLS FC Dallas

FC Dallas Announces 2005 Regular Season Television Schedule

Published on March 29, 2005 under Major League Soccer (MLS)
FC Dallas News Release


Dallas, Tex. – FC Dallas President and General Manager Greg Elliott announced today that the Major League Soccer team has partnered with FSN Southwest and KLDT-55 as the broadcast outlet for the team in 2005. Elliott and FSN Southwest also announced a three-year deal that will land FC Dallas matches on FSN Southwest for the 2005, 2006 and 2007 seasons.

"We are proud to partner with FSN Southwest, the acknowledged television sports leader in Texas and the Southwest," said Elliott. "We are always trying to enhance our broadcast footprint for our fans, and this multi-year agreement will provide our organization a solid, consistent presence that will only get better throughout the term of or partnership."

FSN Southwest will broadcast eight FC Dallas matches with KLDT-55 slated to air an additional two matches. The FSN Southwest and KLDT-55 schedule (10 matches), together with ESPN2 (two matches), HDNet (two matches – one alone) and the MLS Direct Kick package (10 matches), means that 23 of the team's 32 total matches and 13 of their 16 road matches will be available on television this year. The 23 televised matches in one season are the most in the organization's history. The second most came during their inaugural year of 1996, when Dallas was featured on television 19 times.

"We're excited about our relationship with FC Dallas," said FSN Southwest Senior Vice President and General Manager Jon Heidtke. "Local sports are the foundation upon which our network is built. Adding FC Dallas games strengthens FSN Southwest's regional programming lineup and our commitment to increase local programming."

FSN Southwest reaches more than 8.1 million cable and satellite TV homes in Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Louisiana. The network produces over 2,200 hours of local original and event sports programming a year.

Brad Sham and Dave Dir will return for their second full year as the team's broadcast tandem. Sham will begin his eighth season as the FC Dallas play-by-play voice for the team. Sham's career began in soccer as play-by-play announcer for the Dallas Tornado in the 1970's and he has since gone on to become one of the most respected broadcasters in Texas. 2005 will also be Sham's 27th season in the radio booth for the Dallas Cowboys. Dir will begin his second full season as the team's color analyst. He was the first coach ever in team history and guided Dallas to an 81-75-4 record over five years at the helm. Dir led the team to its only title, winning the 1997 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup.

FC Dallas, a charter member club of Major League Soccer, will begin play in the new 21,193 seat soccer stadium on August 6, 2005. The 117-acre facility will be located at the intersection of Main Street and Dallas North Tollway in Frisco. The Frisco Soccer & Entertainment Center will accommodate Major League Soccer matches, major concerts, international soccer matches and High School football. Adjacent to the stadium will be 17 regulation-sized, tournament-grade soccer fields which will be utilized on a year-round basis. Join us as we celebrate Major League Soccer's 10th season. For more information, log on to fcdallas.net or call Mark Janko at (214) 777-0203.

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