MLS is on network TV in prime time this weekend, but not the Union

There will be a Major League Soccer game on TV while the Union are playing Saturday night, but the Union won’t be in it.

Fox29 will have the game between the Los Angeles Galaxy and the Seattle Sounders, led by longtime U.S. national team forward Jordan Morris, at 7:30 p.m. It’s the first of back-to-back Saturdays where Fox’s free-to-air broadcast network has a MLS game, with Spanish simulcasts on Fox Deportes. Next week it’s Los Angeles FC vs. Austin FC, also at 7:30 p.m.

We’ll see if having games on network TV in prime time is a big enough deal to have Fox finally send its broadcasters to call the games on-site instead of off monitors in studios. Most fans won’t get their hopes up about it.

All the games on Fox are also in Apple’s MLS Season Pass streaming packages, with different broadcasters calling the action. if you tune in there, you’ll get the commentary that the rest of the world gets. Everyone gets the same pictures, though.

» Click here for details on how MLS Season Pass works and how to sign up for it.

As for the Union this weekend, their home game against Sporting Kansas City is behind the MLS Season Pass paywall. Calling the game in English will be Ed Cohen, the radio play-by-play voice of the New York Knicks who does a bunch of other sports on the side; and Warren Barton, who’s been with Fox for decades.

It will be a matchup of the two longest-tenured managers in MLS, Sporting’s Delran-born Peter Vermes and the Union’s Oreland-born Jim Curtin. And it will have two teams in ruts: Sporting is winless this year and coming off a 4-1 home loss to Seattle, while the Union have lost two straight.

“Philly have become one of the benchmarks of the league now,” Barton told The Inquirer. “They’ll be looking to go out there and like always, play quick, play on the front foot, play aggressive, and get three points in the bag. I wouldn’t say they’re worried, I wouldn’t say they’re wounded, I’d just say every game is a big game for them – they’re a big club with expectations, with what they’ve done in recent years.”

Calling the game in Spanish will be Univision veteran Raúl Guzmán and former Austin FC local broadcaster Sonny Guadarrama. Guzmán has done a slew of U.S. national team games over the years, so if fans have watched games on Univision channels, they’ve likely heard his voice before.

The Union game is available on the radio via 97.5 The Fanatic’s HD2 channel, or via the station’s app. Dave Leno and Sébastien Le Toux have the call. If you’re watching on Apple, you can pick the radio broadcast as an audio overlay via the settings icon at the bottom right corner of the screen.

Apple and MLS are offering six games free each week this year, with each team in the league expected to average 14 free games over the season.

This weekend’s free games are Galaxy vs. Sounders, FC Cincinnati vs. Inter Miami (7:30 p.m.), New England Revolution vs. New York City FC (7:30 p.m.), Toronto FC vs. Charlotte FC (7:30 p.m.), FC Dallas vs. Portland Timbers (8:30 p.m.), and San Jose Earthquakes vs. Houston Dynamo (10:30 p.m.).

With eight games kicking off at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, the “MLS 360″ whiparound show will be quite busy early on. If you’re an Apple TV+ subscriber but not a MLS Season Pass subscriber, you can watch “MLS 360″ at no extra charge.

The show plans to have a big guest this weekend: former Leeds United and potential future U.S. men’s national team manager Jesse Marsch.

It’s not known yet when the Union’s next free game on Apple will be. MLS has announced the schedule of free games through April 22, and the Union don’t have any. The team’s next game on traditional TV will be its Concacaf Champions League quarterfinal home game against Mexico’s Atlas on Tuesday, on FS1 and TUDN.

» READ MORE: Zack Steffen opens up about missing the World Cup and returning to the U.S. men’s team this month

Los Angeles Galaxy vs. Seattle Sounders, 7:30 p.m. (free): John Strong and Stuart Holden on Fox29 in English; Jake Zivin and Taylor Twellman on Apple in English; Alejandro Luna, Álvaro Izquierdo and Martín Zuñiga on Fox Deportes in Spanish; Jorge Perez-Navarro and Marcelo Balboa on Apple in Spanish

Atlanta United vs. New York Red Bulls, 7:30 p.m.: Keith Costigan and Maurice Edu in English; Pablo Ramírez and Carlos Ruiz

FC Cincinnati vs. Inter Miami, 7:30 p.m. (free): Steve Cangialosi and Danny Higginbotham in English; Bruno Vain and Andrés Agulla in Spanish

Columbus Crew vs. Real Salt Lake, 7:30 p.m.: Erik Krakauer and Lloyd Sam in English; Moisés Linares and Jaime Macías in Spanish

New England Revolution vs. New York City FC, 7:30 p.m. (free): Callum Williams and Jamie Watson in English; Stefano Fusaro and Luis Gerardo Bucci in Spanish

Orlando City vs. Nashville SC, 7:30 p.m.: Chris Wittyngham and Danielle Slaton in English; Diego Pessolano and Walter Roque in Spanish

Union vs. Sporting Kansas City, 7:30 p.m.: Ed Cohen and Warren Barton in English, Raúl Guzmán and Sonny Guadarrama in Spanish

Toronto FC vs. Charlotte FC, 7:30 p.m. (free): Nate Bukaty and Kyndra de St. Aubin in English; Juan Arango and Carlos Suárez in Spanish; Olivier Brett and Patrice Bernier in French

Chicago Fire vs. D.C. United, 8:30 p.m.: Tyler Terens and Devon Kerr in English; Alejandro Figueredo and Iván Kasanzew in Spanish

FC Dallas vs. Portland Timbers, 8:30 p.m. (free): Max Bretos and Brian Dunseth in English; Jose Hernandez and Pablo Mariño

St. Louis City SC vs. Minnesota United, 8:30 p.m.: Tony Husband and Ross Smith in English; Sergio Ruiz and Miguel Gallardo

Colorado Rapids vs. Los Angeles FC, 9:30 p.m.: Mark Rogondino and Heath Pearce in English; Adrian Garcia-Márquez and Francisco Pinto

San Jose Earthquakes vs. Houston Dynamo, 10:30 p.m. (free): Adrian Healey and Cobi Jones in English; Oscar Salazar and Maximiliano Cordaro

Vancouver Whitecaps vs. CF Montréal, 10:30 p.m.: Blake Price and Paul Dolan in English; Francisco X. Rivera and Diego Arrioja in Spanish; Frédéric Lord and Vincent Destouches in French