The 27th edition of the Major League Soccer will kick off in February and MLS fans have plenty of live action to stream until October 2022, when the new champion is awarded the MLS Cup. A new franchise has joined the league this season – Los Angeles Football Club (LAFC), taking the number of participants to 23 clubs while Miami FC is slated to join the MLS in 2022.
Where to stream Major League Soccer online
In the U.S.
Fox Sports and ESPN hold the rights to the MLS broadcasts until 2022. The two networks split the coverage between ESPN, ESPN 2, Fox, and Fox Sports 1.
ESPN Deportes, Fox Deportes, Univision Deportes, and UniMas will broadcast all the MLS matches in Spanish. Games’ availability varies by provider, however.
The MLS online live and on-demand streams are available via a variety of licensed streamers:
- Twitter has made a deal with MLS to live stream the games via its platform.
- FuboTV subscriptions cover Fox, FS1, FS2, as well as Fox Deportes and Univision Deportes.
- Sling TV streams a wealth of MSL matches through ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN Deportes and FS1, UniMas, Univision, and Univision Deportes.
- Fox Soccer Match Pass streams every MLS match online live and offers replays.
- WatchESPN App grants you access to the MLS games broadcast by ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPN Deportes, provided you have a subscription.
- ESPN+ is expected to launch any time now and offer live pro and college sports coverage for $4.99/mo.
- Cord cutters will appreciate the availability of the MLS Live service streaming out-of-market matches online available on mobile devices, smart TVs, and via Chromecast Media Player.
- Netizens can also access the MLS matches live online via the Fox Sports GO platform. DirecTV has an MLS Direct Kick package offering out-of-market games.
In Canada
TSN broadcasts the MLS matches in Canada, but it mainly focuses on covering games involving Canadian clubs. The broadcast is also available via its TSN GO portal.
DAZN Canada started streaming the MLS matches this season while TVA and TVA Sports app stream the games with French commentary.
In the UK
Sky Sports Football, Sky Sports Main Event (TV) as well as Now TV, Sky Go UK, and Sky Go Extra air and stream the MLS matches in the UK. All are subscription-based.
In Australia
Foxtel Now, ESPN, and beIN Sports share the MLS broadcast rights in Australia, so you can live stream the matches via beIN Sports Connect.
Why use a VPN to stream Major League Soccer matches online
Blackouts apply heavily to the MLS games. As with other major sports leagues in the US and Canada, all nationally televised games are blacked out based on where they are televised. MLS Live, for instance, lets you watch the replays 48 hours after a blacked-out match. The same applies to all the US streaming providers, so even a paid subscription doesn’t get you the entirety of MLS for streaming live.
A VPN, Virtual Private Network, allows you to change your IP address and appear as if coming from a state where the blackout doesn’t apply for a specific match.
Also, consider the scenario when you lose access to your live streams when you travel abroad. If you were planning on streaming MLS while vacationing in Iceland, working in Japan, or traveling for business to Russia, you’re in for disappointment.
If you are determined to keep streaming the MLS, you either buy a subscription with a local streamer or a VPN. The difference is when you buy yet another streaming subscription, you end up paying twice for the same thing but with regional restrictions in both cases (i.e., your US subscription you can’t use abroad, and your foreign streaming subscription you won’t be able to use in the US).
When you buy a VPN, however, you get yourself a multi-functional security tool with benefits that go far beyond unlocking sports streaming apps:
- All your traffic is encrypted
- Your Internet Service Provider can’t eavesdrop on you
- Your data is secured against Man-in-the-Middle attacks and honeypots on public WiFi
- You can easily circumvent ISP-, school-, office-, and country-imposed firewalls
- You can bypass your ISP-imposed throttling
- You can spoof into pretty much any country
- You can unlock a wealth of region-restricted content (Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, Steam, you name it)
How to stream Major League Soccer with a VPN
- Sign up with one of the reputable VPN services offering ample server coverage in the US.
- Install the VPN app and launch it.
- Connect to a VPN server in the US city that is not blacked out for the pending MLS match.
- Clean your browser’s cache.
- Launch a new instance of your browser and head over to your streaming provider’s website or launch its app.
- You are now all set to live stream MLS. Adios, blackouts, and geo-blocks.
Best VPNs for streaming MLS
I’ve picked the top-of-the-crop providers with ample server coverage in the U.S., streaming-optimized servers, and airtight security. If you’d like to explore more, check out my roundups of The Best VPNs for Streaming Sports and The Best VPNs for the USA.
NordVPN
- More US city locations than its rivals
- Includes malware protection
- No-logs policy
IPVanish
- No limit on the number of devices you can connect at the same time
- SOCKS5 proxy, which its main rivals don’t have
- More VPN servers in more US cities to dodge blackouts
TorGuard
- User-friendly TorGuard app
- Plans that include a dedicated IP
- Gift card payment options