North American Soccer League, CBS Sports Network Announce National Television Partnership For 2016
The North American Soccer League and CBS Sports Network announced a national television partnership on Thursday, unveiling a schedule of 12 Fall Season matchups that will air on the network beginning in July.
“We couldn’t be more thrilled to join forces with CBS Sports Network,” NASL Commissioner Bill Peterson said. “This new partnership will focus on bringing our incredible competition, and the stories that accompany it, to tens of millions of homes each week beginning in July. This is the beginning of something great.”
Rayo OKC will host FC Edmonton on Saturday, July 2 to kick off the lineup of NASL matches on CBS Sports Network. The schedule, which adds professional soccer to CBS Sports Network’s summer schedule, includes four matches in July, four in August, and two matches in both September and October, respectively. The full NASL match schedule for CBS Sports Network is listed below:
| DATE | KICKOFF (ET) | MATCHUP |
| Saturday, July 2 | 9 p.m. | Rayo OKC vs. FC Edmonton |
| Wednesday, July 13 | 9 p.m. | Rayo OKC vs. Puerto Rico FC |
| Saturday, July 16 | 7:30 p.m. | Tampa Bay Rowdies vs. Puerto Rico FC |
| Friday, July 22 | 7:30 p.m. | Carolina RailHawks vs. Miami FC |
| Wednesday, July 27 | 9 p.m. | Rayo OKC vs. Tampa Bay Rowdies |
| Wednesday, August 3 | 7:30 p.m. | Indy Eleven vs. Jacksonville Armada FC |
| Wednesday, August 17 | 7 p.m. | Jacksonville Armada FC vs. Fort Lauderdale Strikers |
| Wednesday, August 31 | 7:30 p.m. | Fort Lauderdale Strikers vs. Minnesota United FC |
| Wednesday, Sept. 14 | 8 p.m. | Miami FC vs. Carolina RailHawks |
| Wednesday, Sept. 28 | 7 p.m. | Jacksonville Armada FC vs. FC Edmonton |
| Wednesday, Oct. 12 | 7 p.m. | Jacksonville Armada FC vs. Miami FC |
| Sunday, Oct. 30 | 4 p.m. | Jacksonville Armada FC vs. Tampa Bay Rowdies |
CBS served as the NASL’s broadcast partner during the legendary days of Pele and George Best. An estimated 10 million viewers tuned into CBS to watch Pele’s debut match for the New York Cosmos in 1975.
“The NASL returning to the CBS family is an incredible story for everyone who enjoys the great game of soccer in North America,” Peterson said. “The great soccer history and legacy of the NASL was first captured on CBS, and now decades later, we have partnered with CBS Sports Network to write a new chapter together.”
The 2016 Spring Season kicks off this Saturday in four cities, with the opening week culminating on Sunday in New York, where the Cosmos host Ottawa Fury FC in a rematch of last year’s title game.
