MLS First Kick 2012: Red Bulls, FC Dallas Will Be NBC Sports Network's First-Ever Game

Read More: mls first kick 2012, New York Red Bulls, Houston Dynamo, LA Galaxy, Seattle Sounders, Philadelphia Union, Chivas USA, FC Dallas, Portland Timbers, Vancouver Whitecaps, Montreal Impact

FC Dallas will host the New York Red Bulls in the first MLS game to ever be broadcast on NBC Sports Network, the league announced on Tuesday. That game, to be played on March 11, will be a rematch of their playoff encounter from 2011, and is ostensibly the marquee match of a rather lackluster opening weekend for nationally televised games. No other game features two teams that made the playoffs.

The other nationally televised games for MLS First Kick will be Chivas USA hosting the Houston Dynamo on Galavision on March 11; the Vancouver Whitecaps hosting the Montreal Impact on TSN on March 10; and the Portland Timbers hosting the Philadelphia Union on ESPN2 on March 12. The biggest shocker would seem to be the exclusion of the Los Angeles Galaxy and the Seattle Sounders from the national TV docket. The Galaxy are the defending MLS Cup champions and the Sounders have historically drawn relatively high ratings.