Major League Lacrosse (MLL), the premier outdoor professional lacrosse league, announced the schedule for the upcoming 2016 season today.
Opening Day is scheduled for Saturday, April 23, 2016. The League’s newest team, the Atlanta Blaze, takes the field at their new home, Fifth Third Bank Stadium at Kennesaw State University, against the Chesapeake Bayhawks. MLL fans will also see a rematch of the 2015 final, as the MLL defending champion New York Lizards, host the Rochester Ratters. Opening Day action rounds out with the Ohio Machine, heading south to face-off against the Florida Launch, while the Boston Cannons travel to Charlotte to battle the Hounds.
The schedule consists of 63 regular-season games. Over the 15-week season, each of the League’s nine teams will face all but one of the other eight teams twice, with seven home and seven away games each. Each team will have two byes during the season as well as a two game weekend at some point in the season as well.
Major League Lacrosse will again celebrate Independence Day in the Mile High City, where the Denver Outlaws will host the Florida Launch in their Fourth of July game tradition. The 2016 MLL All-Star Game will be held on July 9, 2016. The MLL postseason begins August 13, with a semifinal doubleheader, and the two winners moving on to play in the MLL Championship Game on August 20, 2016. Full details including venue and format for these marquee events will be announced at a later date.
Regular season play will conclude with three matchups taking place on August 6, 2015; the Florida Launch will travel to Boston, the Machine battle the Lizards in New York, and the Hounds will host the Bayhawks in Charlotte.
On August 13, the top four teams will square off in the semifinals with the No.4 seed visiting the No.1 seed and the No. 3 seed traveling to the No. 2 seed. The winners of the two games will then face off the following weekend in the Championship Game. On August 20, the 2016 champion will be crowned. More information about the Championship venue will be announced at a later date.
The full schedule can be found below (All times Eastern):
| Week | Day | Date | Away | Home | EST | |
| 1 | Saturday | 4/23/2016 | Chesapeake | @ | Atlanta | 5:00 PM |
| 1 | Saturday | 4/23/2016 | Rochester | @ | New York | 5:00 PM |
| 1 | Saturday | 4/23/2016 | Ohio | @ | Florida | 7:00 PM |
| 1 | Saturday | 4/23/2016 | Boston | @ | Charlotte | 7:30 PM |
| 2 | Friday | 4/29/2016 | Florida | @ | Chesapeake | 7:30 PM |
| 2 | Saturday | 4/30/2016 | Atlanta | @ | Boston | 7:00 PM |
| 2 | Saturday | 4/30/2016 | Rochester | @ | Charlotte | 7:30 PM |
| 2 | Sunday | 5/1/2016 | Ohio | @ | Denver | 5:00 PM |
| 3 | Saturday | 5/7/2016 | New York | @ | Florida | 7:00 PM |
| 3 | Sunday | 5/8/2016 | Denver | @ | Ohio | 2:00 PM |
| 4 | Thursday | 5/12/2016 | Boston | @ | Chesapeake | 7:30 PM |
| 4 | Saturday | 5/14/2016 | Rochester | @ | Boston | 7:00 PM |
| 4 | Saturday | 5/14/2016 | Florida | @ | Charlotte | 7:30 PM |
| 4 | Saturday | 5/14/2016 | New York | @ | Ohio | 7:30 PM |
| 4 | Saturday | 5/14/2016 | Denver | @ | Atlanta | 5:00 PM |
| 5 | Saturday | 5/21/2016 | Charlotte | @ | New York | 5:00 PM |
| 5 | Saturday | 5/21/2016 | Atlanta | @ | Florida | 7:00 PM |
| 5 | Saturday | 5/21/2016 | Ohio | @ | Boston | 7:00 PM |
| 5 | Saturday | 5/21/2016 | Denver | @ | Chesapeake | 7:30 PM |
| 6 | Saturday | 5/28/2016 | Chesapeake | @ | Rochester | 6:00 PM |
| 6 | Saturday | 5/28/2016 | Boston | @ | Denver | 8:30 PM |
| 7 | Thursday | 6/2/2016 | Ohio | @ | Rochester | 7:30 PM |
| 7 | Friday | 6/3/2016 | Denver | @ | New York | 7:30 PM |
| 7 | Friday | 6/3/2016 | Charlotte | @ | Chesapeake | 7:30 PM |
| 7 | Saturday | 6/4/2016 | Boston | @ | Atlanta | 7:00 PM |
| 7 | Saturday | 6/4/2016 | Florida | @ | Ohio | 7:30 PM |
| 7 | Saturday | 6/4/2016 | Boston | @ | Atlanta | 7:00 PM |
| 8 | Thursday | 6/9/2016 | Ohio | @ | Charlotte | 7:30 PM |
| 8 | Saturday | 6/11/2016 | Charlotte | @ | Boston | 7:00 PM |
| 8 | Saturday | 6/11/2016 | New York | @ | Atlanta | 7:00 PM |
| 8 | Saturday | 6/11/2016 | Denver | @ | Florida | 7:30 PM |
| 8 | Saturday | 6/11/2016 | Rochester | @ | Chesapeake | 7:30 PM |
| 9 | Saturday | 6/18/2016 | Atlanta | @ | Ohio | 4:30 PM |
| 9 | Saturday | 6/18/2016 | Boston | @ | New York | 7:00 PM |
| 9 | Saturday | 6/18/2016 | Charlotte | @ | Florida | 7:00 PM |
| 9 | Saturday | 6/18/2016 | Rochester | @ | Denver | 9:30 PM |
| 10 | Thursday | 6/23/2016 | Chesapeake | @ | Boston | 7:30 PM |
| 10 | Friday | 6/24/2016 | New York | @ | Denver | 2:30 PM |
| 10 | Saturday | 6/25/2016 | Rochester | @ | Ohio | 5:00 PM |
| 10 | Saturday | 6/25/2016 | Atlanta | @ | Charlotte | 7:30 PM |
| 11 | Thursday | 6/30/2016 | Chesapeake | @ | Ohio | 7:30 PM |
| 11 | Friday | 7/1/2016 | Charlotte | @ | Atlanta | 8:00 PM |
| 11 | Saturday | 7/2/2016 | Boston | @ | Rochester | 5:00 PM |
| 11 | Saturday | 7/2/2016 | New York | @ | Chesapeake | 7:30 PM |
| 11 | Monday | 7/4/2016 | Florida | @ | Denver | 8:30 PM |
| All-Star | Saturday | 7/9/2016 | All-Star Game | 7:00 PM | ||
| 12 | Thursday | 7/14/2016 | Florida | @ | New York | 7:30 PM |
| 12 | Friday | 7/15/2016 | Boston | @ | Ohio | 7:00 PM |
| 12 | Saturday | 7/16/2016 | Charlotte | @ | Rochester | 4:30 PM |
| 12 | Saturday | 7/16/2016 | Chesapeake | @ | Florida | 7:00 PM |
| 12 | Saturday | 7/16/2016 | Atlanta | @ | Denver | 9:30 PM |
| 13 | Thursday | 7/21/2016 | Atlanta | @ | Chesapeake | 7:30 PM |
| 13 | Saturday | 7/23/2016 | New York | @ | Rochester | 5:00 PM |
| 13 | Saturday | 7/23/2016 | Florida | @ | Atlanta | 7:00 PM |
| 13 | Saturday | 7/23/2016 | Denver | @ | Charlotte | 7:30 PM |
| 14 | Thursday | 7/28/2016 | Denver | @ | Rochester | 7:30 PM |
| 14 | Thursday | 7/28/2016 | Chesapeake | @ | New York | 7:30 PM |
| 14 | Saturday | 7/30/2016 | Charlotte | @ | Denver | 5:00 PM |
| 14 | Saturday | 7/30/2016 | New York | @ | Boston | 6:30 PM |
| 14 | Saturday | 7/30/2016 | Ohio | @ | Atlanta | 7:00 PM |
| 14 | Saturday | 7/30/2016 | Rochester | @ | Florida | 7:30 PM |
| 15 | Thursday | 8/4/2016 | Atlanta | @ | Rochester | 7:30 PM |
| 15 | Saturday | 8/6/2016 | Florida | @ | Boston | 5:00 PM |
| 15 | Saturday | 8/6/2016 | Ohio | @ | New York | 7:00 PM |
| 15 | Saturday | 8/6/2016 | Chesapeake | @ | Charlotte | 7:30 PM |
| Semifinals | Saturday | 8/13/2016 | Semi #1 | 4:00 PM | ||
| Semifinals | Saturday | 8/13/2016 | Semi #2 | 6:30 PM | ||
| Championship | Saturday | 8/20/2016 | Championship Game | 7:00 PM | ||
