FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, October 15th, 2014

REAL SALT LAKE VISIT PORTLAND TIMBERS THIS FRIDAY, OCTOBER 17 AT 10 PM ET ON NBCSN AS 2014 MLS CUP PLAYOFFS NEAR

FC Dallas vs Colorado Rapids Saturday at 3 p.m. ET

STAMFORD, Conn. – October 15, 2014 – NBCSN’s coverage of Major League Soccer continues this Friday, October 17, when Real Salt Lake visit the Portland Timbers and midfielder Diego Valeri at 10 p.m. ET on NBCSN. Valeri led the Timbers to a crucial victory over the San Jose Earthquakes last Wednesday, scoring two goals in their 3-0 win.

Real Salt Lake, third in the Western Conference, secured their spot in the 2014 MLS Cup Playoffs with a 2-0 win against San Jose last Saturday. A Portland Timbers win on Friday, coupled with a Vancouver Whitecaps loss or draw on Saturday, would put them in the fifth and final Western Conference spot for the 2014 MLS Cup Playoffs with one regular season game to play.

NBC Sports Group’s lead MLS play-by-play announcer John Strong calls the match, and is joined by former Jamaican National Team player Robbie Earle and host Russ Thaler.

Immediately following NBCSN’s Premier League coverage at 3 p.m. ET this Saturday, October 18, FC Dallas host the Colorado Rapids. FC Dallas earned a playoff berth for the first time in three years last Sunday against the LA Galaxy, when forward Fabian Castillo scored an 87th-minute goal, leading the team to a 2-1 win.

Colorado Rapids’ lead play-by-play commentator Richard Fleming calls the match, alongside former MLS player Brian Dunseth and CSN Houston reporter Sebastian Salazar.

Strong on this weekend’s matches: “Friday night’s game will feature varying degrees of desperation. The Timbers know they need to win to keep themselves alive in the hunt for a playoff spot, while Real Salt Lake will be motivated by pressure from below to try to stay in third-place to avoid the knockout round game. Saturday will feature a Rapids team trying to make sense of a season that’s slipped away from them, but FC Dallas have plenty on the line: chasing RSL for third, holding off Vancouver for fourth, and trying to follow up Sunday’s impressive comeback win against the Galaxy.”

NBC SPORTS LIVE EXTRA

NBCSN’s coverage of MLS this weekend will be streamed on NBC Sports Live Extra, NBC Sports Group’s live streaming product for desktops, mobile devices and tablets via “TV Everywhere,” the media industry’s effort to make quality content available to MVPD customers both in and out of the home and on multiple platforms.

For desktops, NBC Sports Live Extra can be accessed at NBCSports.com/liveextra. The NBC Sports Live Extra app for mobile devices and tablets is available at the App Store for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch, and on select Android handset and tablet devices within Google Play.

About NBC Sports Group’s Soccer Coverage

NBC Sports Group’s networks and platforms are leading destinations for soccer fans in the U.S. Its soccer portfolio includes Major League Soccer (MLS), U.S. Men’s and Women’s National Team matches, the men’s and women’s Olympic soccer tournaments, and the Premier League. NBCUniversal, via the NBC Sports Group, is the home for all 380 Premier League matches, as well as comprehensive shoulder programming. NBCUniversal’s Telemundo and mun2 also provide comprehensive Spanish-language soccer coverage. Both channels air Premier League matches, as well as serve as the U.S. Spanish-language home for the FIFA World Cup from 2015 through 2022. In addition, NBC Sports Regional Networks provide exclusive live coverage of five MLS teams, including the Philadelphia Union, D.C. United, New England Revolution, Houston Dynamo and San Jose Earthquakes. Online, ProSoccerTalk on NBCSports.com provides comprehensive coverage of the sport, from the Premier League to MLS to the U.S. National Team and other key international soccer stories. 

For more information about NBC Sports Group shows and properties, including press releases, photos, talent and executive bios and headshots, please visit www.NBCSportsGroupPressBox.com.

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