Galaxy, LAFC release next season’s schedules
The Galaxy and the Los Angeles Football Club released their full 34-game schedules Monday for an MLS regular season that will end in early October, three weeks earlier than last year.
The Galaxy, who for one more year will share Dignity Health Sports Park with the NFL’s Chargers, will play six of their first nine games at home, beginning with their March 2 season opener against the Chicago Fire. However, they will make two three-game trips in August and September after the football season begins.
The Galaxy have a July 4 home game against Toronto FC, the team’s 24th consecutive home game on Independence Day, the longest streak in U.S. professional sports.
The schedule gets challenging for the Galaxy in late summer with a mid-August streak of three games in six days that includes a cross-country trip to play D.C. United followed by a September period of five games in 17 days.
The Galaxy were 13-12-9 last season, missing the playoffs for the second consecutive season.
LAFC, which played its first six games on the road in 2018 while construction on its stadium was completed, will be at home for three of its first five matches in 2019, beginning with its March 3 opener against Sporting Kansas City.
LAFC, which went 16-9-9 and made the playoffs in its inaugural season, will play FC Cincinnati, the league’s newest team, at Banc of California Stadium in April and will also have home games against Atlanta United (July 27), the defending league champion, and the New York Red Bulls (Aug. 11), who had the best regular-season record in MLS last year.
The team faces two particularly tough stretches, one in May when in 13 days it will play four times in three states and three time zones, and another in September, when in 22 days it plays five times in four states.
LAFC and the Galaxy will face off twice, July 19 in Carson and Aug. 25 in Exposition Park.
Although the number of games each team will play remains the same, the length of the MLS regular season was condensed to accommodate a new playoff schedule that will begin Oct. 19, following a FIFA international break, and end Nov. 10, before the next international break starts.
LAFC schedule (all times Pacific)
March 3 — Sporting KC — 5 p.m. — ESPN
March 10 — Portland — 4:30 p.m. — FS1
March 17 — at New York City FC — Noon — FS1
March 23 — Real Salt Lake — TBD — MLS
March 30 — at San Jose — 12:30 p.m. — Univision
April 6 — at D.C. United — 11:30 a.m. — FOX
April 13 — Cincinnati — TBD — MLS
April 17 — at Vancouver — 7 p.m. — TSN
April 21 — Seattle — 4 p.m. — FS1
April 28 — at Seattle — 12:30 p.m. — ESPN
May 4 — Chicago Fire — TBD — MLS
May 11 — Columbus — TBD — MLS
May 16 — Dallas — 7 p.m. — ESPN2
May 19 — at Dallas — TBD — MLS
May 24 — Montreal — 7:30 p.m. — TVA, TSN
June 1 — at Portland — 7:30 p.m. — ESPN2
June 28 — at Colorado — 7 p.m. — UniMas
July 3 — at Sporting KC — TBD — MLS
July 6 — Vancouver — TBD — TSN
July 12 — at Houston — 6 p.m. — UniMas
July 19 — at Galaxy — 7 p.m. — ESPN
Jul 27 — Atlanta United — 5 p.m. — ESPN
Aug. 3 — at New England — TBD — MLS
Aug. 11 — Red Bulls — 7 p.m. — FS1
Aug. 17 — at Salt Lake — TBD — MLS
Aug. 21 — San Jose — TBD — UniMas
Aug. 25 — at Galaxy — 7 p.m. — FS1
Aug 31 — Minnesota — TBD — MLS
Sept. 7 — at Orlando City — TBD — MLS
Sept. 14 — at Philadelphia — TBD — MLS
Sept. 21 — Toronto — TBD — TSN
Sept. 25 — Houston — TBD — MLS
Sept. 29 — at Minnesota — 4:30 p.m. — MLS
Oct. 6 — Colorado — 1 p.m. — MLS
::
Galaxy schedule (all times Pacific)
March 2 — Chicago — 5 p.m. — FS1
March 9 — at Dallas — 12:30 p.m. — Univision
March 16 — Minnesota — 7:30 p.m. — MLS
March 31 — Portland — 6 p.m. — ESPN2
April 5 — at Vancouver — 7 p.m. — TSN
April 13 — Philadelphia — 7:30 p.m. — MLS
April 19 — Houston — 7:30 p.m. — UniMas
April 24 — at Minnesota — 5 p.m. — MLS
April 28 — Salt Lake — 5 p.m. — MLS
May 4 — at Red Bulls — 11 a.m. — ESPN
May 8 — at Columbus — 4:30 p.m. — MLS
May 11 — New York City — 1 p.m. — ESPN
May 19 — Colorado — 5 p.m. — MLS
May 24 — at Orlando City — 4 p.m. — UniMas
May 29 — at Sporting KC — 5:30 p.m. — MLS
June 1 — New England — 7:30 p.m. — MLS
June 22 — at Cincinnati — 4:30 p.m. — MLS
June 29 — at San Jose *** — 7 p.m. — MLS
July 4 — Toronto — 7:30 p.m. — TSN
July 12 — San Jose — 8 p.m. — UniMas
July 19 — LAFC — 7 p.m. — ESPN
July 27 — at Portland — 7:30 p.m. — FS1
Aug. 3 — at Atlanta — 1:30 p.m. — Fox
Aug. 11 — at D.C. United — 4:30 p.m. — FS1
Aug. 14 — Dallas — 7:30 p.m. — MLS
Aug. 17 — Seattle — 7 p.m. — ESPN2
Aug. 25 — at LAFC — 7 p.m. — FS1
Sept. 1 — at Seattle — 3 p.m. — FS1
Sept. 12 — at Colorado — 6 p.m. — MLS
Sept. 15 — Sporting Kansas City — 7 p.m. — MLS
Sept. 21 — Montreal — 7:30 p.m. — TVA
Sept. 25 — at Salt Lake — 6:30 p.m. — MLS
Sept. 29 — Vancouver — 4:30 p.m. — TSN
Oct. 6 — at Houston — 1 p.m. — MLS
*** at Stanford Stadium
kevin.baxter@latimes.com | Twitter: @kbaxter11
