By Mike Woitalla
Executive Editor, Soccer America
The 10 previous MLS All-Star Games have taken many forms. Some worked, some didn't.
The first-ever All-Star Game was East vs. West, and a doubleheader with a FIFA World All-Star Game that drew 78,416 to Giants Stadium. The event, orchestrated by then MLS deputy commissioner Sunil Gulati, raised $2 million for the SOS Children's Village, and was a spectacular soccer showcase.
But the intra-league match-ups soon grew tiresome because they presented little more than the weekly servings of regular-season play. They also seemed too friendly, coming across as a league infomercial, lacking the competitive edge.
We also had MLS Americans vs. MLS foreigners game in 1998, a mismatch for the more balanced domestic team. In 2002, an MLS vs. U.S. national team matchup provided a dramatic 3-2 win for the MLS squad.
2003 marked the first year in which MLS All-Stars faced a foreign club and the 3-1 win over Chivas Guadalajara in an electric Home Depot Center atmosphere spawned the creation of Chivas USA. It also resembled a real game, with MLS players trying to prove themselves instead of the joking around with pals on the vacation kick-around that the East-West games had become.
In 2005, MLS again invited a foreign club. But it was Fulham, an English team that had never won a major title and was coming off a 13th place finish. MLS won, 4-1.
This year, the MLS All-Stars take on Chelsea, winner of the last two English Premier League titles.
Chelsea arrives with players who saw action in this summer's World Cup for England, Germany, the Ivory Coast, Ghana, the Czech Republic, Portugal and the Netherlands.
Some of the individuals on Chelsea's roster cost the club more to acquire than what MLS spends on the payroll of all the league's players. Andriy Shevchenko's transfer fee was reportedly upward of $50 million and a bargain acquisition like Joe Cole cost $12 million.
Unfortunately many of MLS's best players won't play Saturday in Bridgeview, Ill.
Because of injuries, conflicts or a flawed selection process, the home team won't appear with Landon Donovan, Carlos Ruiz, Taylor Twellman, Clint Dempsey, Amado Guevara, Pablo Mastroeni, Jeff Cunningham, Eddie Pope or Ante Razov.
So is what we have here a major mismatch?
Perhaps. But MLS took a risk in trying to make the All-Star Game something to get excited about. A risk worth taking.
Sierra Mist MLS All-Star Game
TV: Saturday, ESPN (live) 6:30 pm ET.
MLS All-Star Squad:
GOALKEEPERS: Troy Perkins (D.C. United), Joe Cannon (Colorado).
DEFENDERS: Jimmy Conrad (Kansas City), Chris Albright (Los Angeles), Bobby Boswell (D.C. United), Joshua Gros (D.C. United), Eddie Robinson (Houston).
MIDFIELDERS: Christian Gomez (D.C. United), Dwayne De Rosario (Houston), Facundo Erpen (D.C. United), Freddy Adu (D.C. United),
Ricardo Clark (Houston), Ronnie O'Brien (Dallas), Richard Mulrooney (Dallas).
FORWARDS: Jaime Moreno (D.C. United), Brian Ching (Houston), Nate Jaqua (Chicago), Alecko Eskandarian (D.C. United).