The Columbus Crew announced its 2013 Major League Soccer regular season schedule on Wednesday, in which the club opens the campaign on the road Saturday, March 2, against Chivas USA. The team then heads to the Pacific Northwest to face Vancouver Whitecaps FC on March 9 before opening Crew Stadium for the new season on March 16 against the defending MLS Supporters’ Shield winners, the San Jose Earthquakes.

The home portion of the Black & Gold’s schedule includes 14 Saturday games at Crew Stadium, complimented by two Sunday matches and one Wednesday contest in Columbus. Thirteen of the club’s home matches are against Eastern Conference opponents, including two contests each against longstanding rivals Chicago, New York and New England. The Crew finishes the regular season on Sunday, October 27 at Crew Stadium against the Revolution.

Each of the League’s 19 clubs will play 34 matches – 17 at home and 17 away – over the course of 35 weeks. Within each conference, all clubs play the same number of in-conference and out-of-conference games. The Crew plays seven of the other nine teams in the Eastern Conference three times each. Aside from hosting Chicago, New York, New England and Houston twice at home, the club faces Toronto FC, Sporting Kansas City and Montreal twice on the road. Just as in 2012, the Crew hosts the three-match Trillium Cup finale with Toronto FC, this time on August 17.

The Black & Gold’s 2013 local television broadcast partner is FOX Sports Ohio, the area’s premier regional sports network, bringing the Crew to more than five million homes across Ohio, Kentucky, western Pennsylvania, western New York and West Virginia. Three matches are being showcased on national television throughout the season. The Crew’s road contest against D.C. United on March 23, along with the team’s home tilt against the New York Red Bulls on May 4, will be carried by NBC Sports Network. The Black & Gold’s road fixture against the New York Red Bulls on May 26 will be available nationally via newly-branded Spanish-language network UniMas. Remaining broadcast details regarding FOX Sports Ohio will be announced in the weeks ahead. The Crew’s 2013 radio partner is 610 AM WTVN, with the network carrying the club’s complete 2013 MLS schedule.

Single-game tickets for all Crew regular season home games go on sale to the general public on Friday, February 1 at 10 a.m. Prices range from $23 to $48. Tickets for groups of 20 or more go on sale on Monday, January 28, with discounted prices over individual game tickets. Pre-sale opportunities for Crew Season Ticket Holders and Crew Soccer Nation Fan Club members will take place from Tuesday, January 29 through Thursday, January 31. Crew season ticket plans start at just $15 per game, and feature significant savings over single-game pricing, along with an exclusive benefits package. Now through February 15, Crew fans can receive discounts on a variety of full season and 10-game ticket plans. Fans can also receive comprehensive team coverage and ticketing benefits by becoming a member of the Crew Soccer Nation Fan Club. Tickets are available by calling 614-447-CREW, and online via TheCrew.com and Ticketmaster.com.

2013 Columbus Crew Schedule

3/2 Saturday Chivas USA 10:30 P.M.

3/9 Saturday Vancouver Whitecaps FC TBD

3/16 Saturday SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES TBD

3/23 Saturday D.C. United* 3:30 P.M.

4/6 Saturday PHILADELPHIA UNION* 5:00 P.M.

4/13 Saturday Montreal Impact* TBD

4/20 Saturday Chicago Fire* 8:30 P.M.

4/27 Saturday D.C. UNITED* 7:30 P.M.

5/4 Saturday NEW YORK RED BULLS* 4:00 P.M.

5/11 Saturday COLORADO RAPIDS 7:30 P.M.

5/18 Saturday Toronto FC* TBD

5/26 Sunday New York Red Bulls* 5:00 P.M.

6/1 Saturday HOUSTON DYNAMO* 7:30 P.M.

6/5 Wednesday Philadelphia Union* 7:30 P.M.

6/15 Saturday MONTREAL IMPACT* 7:30 P.M.

6/22 Saturday CHICAGO FIRE* 8:00 P.M.

6/29 Saturday Sporting Kansas City* 8:30 P.M.

7/4 Thursday LA Galaxy 10:30 P.M.

7/7 Sunday PORTLAND TIMBERS FC 5:00 P.M.

7/20 Saturday NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION* 7:30 P.M.

7/27 Saturday Toronto FC* TBD

8/3 Saturday Houston Dynamo* 9:00 P.M.

8/10 Saturday NEW YORK RED BULLS* 7:30 P.M.

8/17 Saturday TORONTO FC* 7:30 P.M.

8/24 Saturday Real Salt Lake 9:30 P.M.

8/31 Saturday SEATTLE SOUNDERS FC 7:30 P.M.

9/4 Wednesday HOUSTON DYNAMO* 7:30 P.M.

9/7 Saturday Sporting Kansas City* 8:30 P.M.

9/14 Saturday Montreal Impact* TBD

9/21 Saturday CHICAGO FIRE* 7:30 P.M.

9/29 Sunday FC Dallas 8:30 P.M.

10/5 Saturday SPORTING KANSAS CITY* 7:30 P.M.

10/19 Saturday New England Revolution* 7:30 P.M.

10/27 Sunday NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION* 4:00 P.M.

HOME GAMES IN CAPS

* Eastern Conference Opponent