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We’re less than a week away from the Chicago Fire moving to ESPN+. This move certainly has people fretting about throwing money at Bristol to watch whatever this is.
So this begs the question: other then a mediocre Fire squad, what else do we get? Today we have some answers.
Here it is, from @KristieESPNPR and @MacN_ESPN…
— Jonathan Tannenwald (@thegoalkeeper) April 6, 2018
Soccer Fans Rejoice: Hundreds of Matches and Exclusive Content to be Available on ESPN - ESPN MediaZone U.S. https://t.co/ijTbqt8At3
So here’s what Fire fans can expect from the new streaming service:
We know we get access to every MLS regular season match played, excluding games shown by Fox Sports and Fusion/Univision/Twitter or on broadcast ESPN’s main TV networks. Price-wise, it’s about $40 for the whole MLS season, which is slightly more than half the average cost of MLS Live.
And if you want more soccer, ESPN+ will now be the exclusive home of USL games (moving over from the Watch ESPN platform). You get over 400 live USL games, so if you want to check out Fire affiliate Tulsa Roughnecks, it’s now included in the same space as Fire games.
Not interested in American soccer all that much? ESPN+ will also carry the English Football League, including League One and League Two fixtures every weekend. The EFL programming slate will include promotion playoff games as well as the EFL Cup (formerly known as the League Cup).
The platform will also feature every game of the UEFA Nations League, which is definitely appealing for me. The new Nations League competition will replace most international friendlies for European national sides and launches after the World Cup. ESPN+ will also offer Nations League games shown on TV, a promising joint arrangement between ESPN’s cable networks and the new platform.
ESPNFC will also be shown exclusively on the new streaming platform.
There’s a lot of stuff here, especially for for 5 bucks a month. I understand not being happy about not wanting to have to deal with streaming and new fan outreach. That’s something the Fire are going to have to deal with. But if your argument is about it not having enough value for your money, especially if you’re a soccer fan... well, I don’t know what to say to you.