Giovanni Savarese and the Portland Timbers will help the Red Bulls opener their season at Red Bull Arena March 10. (Photo courtesy of the Cosmos)

The Red Bulls will welcome a familiar face when they open their 23rd season at Red Bull Arena Saturday, March 10 at 7 p.m. ET.

Their opponent will be the Portland Timbers, who named former Cosmos head coach Giovanni Savarese its head coach Monday. Savarese was a standout with the MetroStars (now the Red Bulls), finding the back of the net 41 times in the team’s first three seasons.

New York will play its first game of the year at home in the the Scotiabank CONCACAF Round of 16 home-and-home series against CD Olimpia from Honduras in February or March.

MLS openers

WEEK 1

Saturday, March 3

1 p.m. – Toronto FC vs. Columbus Crew SC (BMO Field)

3:30 p.m. – Houston Dynamo vs. Atlanta United (BBVA Compass Stadium)

7:30 p.m. – Orlando City SC vs. D.C. United (Orlando City Stadium)

8 p.m. – FC Dallas vs. Real Salt Lake (Toyota Stadium)

9 p.m. – Colorado Rapids vs. Chicago Fire (Dick’s Sporting Goods Park)

10:30 p.m. – San Jose Earthquakes vs. Minnesota United FC (Avaya Stadium)

Time TBD – Philadelphia Union vs. New England Revolution (Talen Energy Stadium)

Sunday, March 4

5 p.m. – Seattle Sounders FC vs. Los Angeles Football Club (CenturyLink Field)

6 p.m. – Vancouver Whitecaps FC vs. Montreal Impact (BC Place)

7:30 p.m. – Sporting Kansas City vs. New York City FC (Children’s Mercy Park)

10 p.m. – LA Galaxy vs. Portland Timbers (StubHub Center)

WEEK 2

Saturday, March 10

1 p.m. – Columbus Crew SC vs. Montreal Impact (MAPFRE Stadium)

1:30 p.m. – New England Revolution vs. Colorado Rapids (Gillette Stadium)

3:30 p.m. – Real Salt Lake vs. Los Angeles Football Club (Rio Tinto Stadium)

7 p.m. – New York Red Bulls vs. Portland Timbers (Red Bull Arena)

Time TBD – Chicago Fire vs. Sporting Kansas City (Toyota Park)

Sunday, March 11

3 p.m. – Atlanta United vs. D.C. United (Mercedes-Benz Stadium)

5 p.m. – New York City FC vs. LA Galaxy (Yankee Stadium)

WEEK 3

Saturday, March 17

3 p.m. – Montreal Impact vs. Toronto FC (Olympic Stadium)

Time TBD – D.C. United vs. Houston Dynamo (venue TBD)

Time TBD – Minnesota United FC vs. Chicago Fire (TCF Bank Stadium)

 

 

Front Row Soccer editor Michael Lewis has covered 13 World Cups (eight men, five women), seven Olympics and 25 MLS Cups. He has written about New York City FC, New York Cosmos, the New York Red Bulls and both U.S. national teams for Newsday and has penned a soccer history column for the Guardian.com. Lewis, who has been honored by the Press Club of Long Island and National Soccer Coaches Association of America, is the former editor of BigAppleSoccer.com. He has written seven books about the beautiful game and has published ALIVE AND KICKING The incredible but true story of the Rochester Lancers. It is available at Amazon.com.