Dallas - FC Dallas President and General Manager Greg Elliott announced today that the Major League Soccer team has partnered with FSN Southwest and KLDT-55 as the broadcast outlet for the team in 2005. Elliott and FSN Southwest also announced a three-year deal that will land FC Dallas matches on FSN Southwest for the 2005, 2006 and 2007 seasons.
"We are proud to partner with FSN Southwest, the acknowledged television sports leader in Texas and the Southwest," said Elliott. "We are always trying to enhance our broadcast footprint for our fans, and this multi-year agreement will provide our organization a solid, consistent presence that will only get better throughout the term of or partnership."
FSN Southwest will broadcast eight FC Dallas matches with KLDT-55 slated to air an additional two matches. The FSN Southwest and KLDT-55 schedule (10 matches), together with ESPN2 (two matches), HDNet (two matches - one alone) and the MLS Direct Kick package (10 matches), means that 23 of the team's 32 total matches and 13 of their 16 road matches will be available on television this year.
"We're excited about our relationship with FC Dallas," said FSN Southwest Senior Vice President and General Manager Jon Heidtke. "Local sports are the foundation upon which our network is built. Adding FC Dallas games strengthens FSN Southwest's regional programming lineup and our commitment to increase local programming."
FSN Southwest reaches more than 8.1 million cable and satellite TV homes in Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Louisiana. The network produces over 2,200 hours of local original and event sports programming a year.
Brad Sham and Dave Dir will return for their third full year as the team's broadcast tandem. Sham will begin his eighth season as the FC Dallas play-by-play voice for the team. Sham's career began in soccer as play-by-play announcer for the Dallas Tornado in the 1970's and he has since gone on to become one of the most respected broadcasters in Texas. 2005 will also be Sham's 27th season in the radio booth for the Dallas Cowboys. Dir will begin his second full season as the team's color analyst. He was the first coach ever in team history and guided Dallas to an 81-75-4 record over five years at the helm. Dir led the team to its only title, winning the 1997 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup.
