As MLS heads into the final year of a new deal, they do so with a bit of momentum. Ratings have been mostly up on ESPN and NBCSN, the All-Star Game was the league’s most-watched since 2004, and despite it being because of Don Garber and Juergen Klinsmann’s shouting matches, the league has managed to occasionally stay in the crowded sports news cycle for most of 2014.

That said, the league does play a long schedule, so it can often feel like it limps into the post-season. MLS Cup won’t be played until December 7th this year. Three of the first six postseason games won’t be televised on an english-language national television network. But ESPN and NBC will provide pretty solid coverage of their final postseason splitting the rights.

ESPN opens up with one of the two knockout games (the fourth and fifth seeds in each MLS conference play, essentially, a play-in game) on Thursday, with Sporting Kansas City taking on the New York Red Bulls in Harrison, New Jersey. NBC hops in starting November 1st, with leg one (MLS plays Champions League-style home-and-away playoff series in the conference semifinals and finals) of the Real Salt Lake-LA Galaxy tie.

NBCSN’s final MLS broadcast (at least until the next decade) will be November 29th, when they televise leg two of one of the conference finals. Over-the-air NBC will air leg two of a conference semifinal (DC United vs. the RBNY/SKC winner) and leg one of a conference final.

ESPN will televise MLS Cup on December 7th. Whether it does again next year remains in question, as Fox and ESPN have agreed to alternate MLS Cup starting in 2015. For now, ESPN and NBC take the reigns for the final time.

MLS Cup Playoffs nat’l TV schedule

Oct. 29 – Eastern Conference Knockout Round: New York Red Bulls vs. Sporting Kansas City, 8 p.m. ET (ESPN2)
Nov. 1 –
Eastern Conference Semifinal, Leg One: Columbus Crew vs. New England Revolution, 4 p.m. ET (UDN)
Nov. 1 – 
Western Conference Semifinal, Leg One: Real Salt Lake vs. LA Galaxy, 8 p.m. ET (NBCSN)
Nov. 2 –
Eastern Conference Semifinal, Leg One: Knockout Round Winner (RBNY/SKC) vs. DC United, 4 p.m. ET (UDN)
Nov. 2 – 
Western Conference Semifinal, Leg One: Knockout Round Winner (FCD/VAN) vs. Seattle Sounders, 9 p.m. ET (ESPN2)
Nov. 8 – 
Eastern Conference Semifinal, Leg Two: DC United vs. Knockout Round Winner (RBNY/SKC), 2:30 p.m. ET (NBC)
Nov. 9 – 
Eastern Conference Semifinal, Leg Two: New England Revolution vs. Columbus Crew, 5 p.m. ET (ESPN2)
Nov. 9 – 
Western Conference Semifinal, Leg Two: LA Galaxy vs. Real Salt Lake, 7:30 p.m. ET (ESPN2)
Nov. 10 – 
Western Conference Semifinal, Leg Two: Seattle Sounders vs. Knockout Round Winner (DAL/VAN), 10:30 p.m. ET (NBCSN)
Nov. 23 – 
Conference Championship, Leg One, 1:30 p.m. ET (NBC)
Nov. 23 – 
Conference Championship, Leg One, 5 p.m. ET (ESPN)
Nov. 29 – 
Conference Championship, Leg Two, 3 p.m. ET (NBCSN)
Nov. 30 – 
Conference Championship, Leg Two, 5 p.m. ET or 9 p.m. ET (ESPN)
Dec. 7 – 
MLS Cup, 3 p.m. ET (ESPN) 

About Steve Lepore

Steve Lepore is a writer for Bloguin and a correspondent for SiriusXM NHL Network Radio.

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