Viewership of Major League Soccer games on ESPN2 is down 9.5% through August 17, according to Sports Business Daily.

MLS games on ESPN2 are averaging 257,000 viewers, which is down 9.5% compared to the same time last year when the average viewing audience was 284,000. Compared to the same period in 2008, the average viewing audience for MLS games on ESPN2 is down 10.1%. The average in 2008 was 286,000.

The largest viewing audience for a Major League Soccer game on ESPN2 this season was 391,000 for the July 4th broadcast of Seattle Sounders against Los Angeles Galaxy. Despite the expected bounce from the 2010 World Cup when the United States men’s national team got knocked out of the second round, the Major League Soccer games have seen no bounce as of yet.