Rooney and Mikel Arteta agree: the all-star game idea is great for the United States, but not so much in England
Wayne Rooney has said he doesn’t think the concept of an all-star game would work in the Premier League.
D.C. United head coach Rooney is set to lead the MLS side in Wednesday night’s MLS All-Star Game at Audi Field, with Arsenal the opponent.
The concept of an all-star game is ingrained in American sports culture, but other parts of the world have mostly stayed away from incorporating the idea into their own leagues.
Some, including Chelsea owner Todd Boehly, have suggested that a Premier League version of the MLS All-Star Game would be a welcome spectacle for fans, but Rooney believes there would be too much pushback from coaches to make it a viable idea.
“I don’t think it would work,” he said at a press conference. “Everything over here (United States) is different, the culture is different. It’s a huge game here. But, I think in England, it’s just the rivalry between teams [is too strong].
“The coaches will complain about players playing too much and I just don’t think it will work in England. Over here, it’s part of this league, it’s great to be a part of, but I think in England it wouldn’t work.”
For his part, Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta seemed to agree with Rooney’s point about fixture congestion.
“For me as an Arsenal coach, to play against the MLS, that’s great,” Arteta said. “I love the idea. I love the experience and I think it’s great. If you asked me the other way around, depending on where it was in the middle of the season, probably I [wouldn’t be] that happy to let our players go.
“But I think it’s great. I think it’s great for the players to gather together the most talented players in the same team. I think if I was a player, for sure I would want to experience that.”
Two of Arsenal’s three USMNT players will be in Washington, D.C. this week
Arsenal has announced a 29-player roster for Wednesday night’s MLS All-Star Game at Audi Field in Washington, D.C.
Two of the three U.S. men’s national team players currently with the Gunners were named to the squad: striker Folarin Balogun and defender Auston Trusty. Meanwhile, goalkeeper Matt Turner was left off the roster for unspecified reasons.
Balogun and Trusty had hugely successful loans last season — at Reims and Birmingham, respectively — and are both rumored to be leaving Arsenal again this summer, either on another loan or a permanent move.
Turner, meanwhile, is coming off a summer in which he played in both the CONCACAF Nations League and Gold Cup with the USMNT. He is expected to again serve as Aaron Ramsdale’s backup in goal this season.
All three of Arsenal’s major summer acquisitions are on the squad: Kai Havertz, Declan Rice and Jurriën Timber. Havertz and Balogun have also been confirmed for Tuesday night’s MLS All-Star Skills Challenge.
Arsenal MLS All-Star Game roster
GOALKEEPERS (3): Aaron Ramsdale, Alex Rúnarsson, Karl Hein
DEFENDERS (9): William Saliba, Kieran Tierney, Ben White, Gabriel Magalhães, Jurriën Timber, Jakub Kiwior, Rob Holding, Takehiro Tomiyasu, Auston Trusty
MIDFIELDERS (11): Bukayo Saka, Martin Ødegaard, Jorginho, Fábio Vieira, Mohamed Elneny, Kai Havertz, Oleksandr Zinchenko, Declan Rice, Amario Cozier-Duberry, Emile Smith Rowe, Thomas Partey
FORWARDS (6): Gabriel Jesus, Gabriel Martinelli, Eddie Nketiah, Leandro Trossard, Folarin Balogun, Marquinhos
The 27-year-old gave an extremely brave and revealing interview
Dele Alli has bravely opened up on experiencing childhood sexual abuse, saying he recently got out of rehab to deal with addiction and trauma.
The Everton midfielder conducted a interview with Gary Neville on The Overlap, which was released on Thursday.
Alli spoke to Neville about a number of topics, including an addition to sleeping pills, a troublesome relationship with alcohol, and the trauma he experienced as a child.
“I was waking up every day, and I was winning the fight, going into training, smiling, showing that I was happy. But inside, I was definitely losing the battle and it was time for me to change it,” Alli said.
Alli marked himself as one of England’s most talented young players at Tottenham after joining from MK Dons in 2015. The midfielder became a regular for England as well, helping the Three Lions to the 2018 World Cup semifinal.
But Alli has undergone a major drop in form in recent years. He moved to Everton in January 2022 but struggled to make an impact before going on loan to Turkish side Besiktas last season.
After returning injured from Besiktas, Alli said he made the decision to enter rehab.
“When I came back from Turkey, I found out I needed an operation and I was in a bad place mentally,” he said. “I decided to go to a modern-day rehab facility for mental health. They deal with addiction, mental health and trauma.
“I felt like it was time for me. You can’t be told to go there. You have to know and make the decision yourself or it’s not going to work. I was caught in a bad cycle. I was relying on things that were doing me harm.”
I’m struggling to find the words to put with this post but please watch my most recent interview with Dele. It’s the most emotional, difficult yet inspirational conversation I’ve ever had in my life. Watch the interview on @wearetheoverlap here https://t.co/60d4IZwQmRpic.twitter.com/0cZowJGW77
Alli said that he turned to alcohol and sleeping pills to help him deal with the pain of trauma he suffered as a child.
“It’s been going on for a long time without me realizing it,” said Alli. “Things I was doing to numb the feelings I had: I didn’t realize I was doing it for that purpose, whether it be drinking or whatever.
“It started with that and then I got addicted to sleeping tablets. It’s probably a problem that not only I have but it’s something going around more than people realize in football. Maybe me coming out and speaking about it can help people.
“I definitely abused them too much. I would stop sometimes and go a few months without them but I was never really dealing with the problem.
“It got really bad at some points and I didn’t understand how bad it was but I was never dealing with the root of the problem, which was — when I was growing up — the traumas I had and the feelings I was holding on to.”
Alli would open up about exactly what kind of traumas he had experienced as a child.
“At six I was molested by my mom’s friend who was at the house a lot,” he said. “My mom was an alcoholic.
“I was sent to Africa [to stay with his father] to learn discipline, and then I was sent back,” he said. “At seven, I started smoking, eight I started dealing drugs. An older person told me that they wouldn’t stop a kid on a bike, so I rode around with my football, and then underneath I’d have the drugs.
“At 12, I was adopted — I was adopted by an amazing family, I couldn’t have asked for better people to do what they’ve done for me.”
(Photo by David Berding/Getty Images)
Alli said that after his stint in rehab and sharing his story, he is now motivated to get healthy and return to prominence for Everton.
“Mentally I’m probably in the best place I’ve ever been,” he said. “I feel good. Obviously I’m injured at the minute but I’ve got that passion back for football. I’m doing really well.”
He added: “I look back and I did good, but I’m not satisfied with that. You can’t drive your car looking in the rear-view mirror. The journey from here is just exciting for me.”
Champion will replace Peter Drury, who is taking over as Sky’s main Premier League commentator in the UK
NBC Sports has announced that Jon Champion will take over as the lead play-by-play voice for the network’s Premier League coverage.
Champion joins NBC after spending 14 years at ESPN, where he most recently served as lead commentator for the network’s coverage of MLS and the U.S. men’s national team. He has also called nine World Cups, including the 2022 event for ITV.
At NBC, Champion will be assigned to the highest-profile Premier League match of the week, which takes place in the 11:30 a.m. ET window across NBC, Peacock and USA Network.
“For decades, Jon has been a distinguished voice of football matches around the world,” Pierre Moossa, coordinating producer of NBC Sports’ Premier League coverage, said in a press release. “We are excited to welcome him to our NBC Sports team and back to the Premier League.”
Champion takes over from Peter Drury, who is replacing Martin Tyler as Sky’s main Premier League commentator in the UK. Drury will still work for NBC, calling the Saturday 12:30 p.m. ET matches on NBC and Peacock.
“I’m thrilled to join NBC Sports,” Champion said. “I’ve been an avid viewer of their Premier League coverage whilst living in the U.S. for the past four years, so it is with great excitement that I return to calling the weekly drama of the world’s most exciting football competition.”
The 2023-24 Premier League season kicks off on the weekend of August 11-13. It will be NBC’s 11th season as the exclusive U.S. media home of the Premier League.
U.S. national team striker Folarin Balogun was named among 10 Arsenal players who will take part in the 2023 MLS All-Star Skills Challenge.
The 10 Arsenal players will face off against 10 MLS All-Stars at Audi Field on July 18, the night before the Premier League side is the opponent for the MLS All-Star Game.
The players will take part in five skills competitions: the MLS All-Star Shooting Challenge, the MLS All-Star Passing Challenge, the MLS All-Star Touch Challenge, the MLS All-Star Cross & Volley Challenge, and the MLS All-Star Crossbar Challenge.
Balogun is set to take part in the shooting, cross and volley, and crossbar competitions.
MLS did note that rosters are subject to change, with Balogun widely expected to be sold this summer after starring on loan at French outfit Reims last season.
Balogun’s USMNT teammate Jesús Ferreira headlines the MLS roster, along with stars like Thiago Almada, Dénis Bouanga, Riqui Puig and Luciano Acosta.
For Arsenal, the newly acquired Kai Havertz will take part, along with Martin Ødegaard, Eddie Nketiah and others.
2023 MLS All-Star Skills Challenge rosters
Introducing the MLS and @Arsenal rosters for the #MLSAllStar Skills Challenge in D.C. ✨
FC Cincinnati leads the way with three players selected
Major League Soccer has revealed the 26 players selected for the 2023 All-Star Game.
The MLS All-Stars will face Arsenal on July 19 at Audi Field in Washington, D.C.
The roster was made up of 12 players selected through a combination of fan, player, and media voting, 12 players selected by All-Star head coach Wayne Rooney, and two players selected by MLS commissioner Don Garber.
Overall, 18 clubs are represented on the roster. FC Cincinnati leads the way with three players selected: Luciano Acosta, Álvaro Barreal and Matt Miazga.
London Stadium has been transformed ahead of the MLB’s London Series
London Stadium, normally home to West Ham, has been transformed into a stadium for a different sport with a slightly harder, smaller ball.
The St. Louis Cardinals and Chicago Cubs are in England ahead of the 2023 MLB London Series, which will see the rivals face off in a two-game series on Saturday and Sunday.
It will be only the second time MLB has played games in England, with the inaugural London Series taking place in 2019 when the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees faced off at London Stadium.
The Cubs and Cardinals were set to return in 2020, before the pandemic would eventually delay the series by three years.
The transformation of the stadium into a baseball facility began all the way back on June 7, with more than 400 people working around the clock to build dugouts, change the locker rooms, alter stadium seating and lay over 144,000 square feet of artificial turf.
A time-lapse video from MLB shows the amazing metamorphosis.
Retired West Ham greats James Collins and Carlton Cole could scarcely believe their eyes when they saw what their former home stadium looked like.
"I've never seen anything like this" 🤩
James Collins and Carlton Cole are loving the makeover at the London Stadium ⚾ pic.twitter.com/whMaAJ8GrU
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) June 23, 2023
Collins said he knew a little bit about baseball but he echoed a common complaint about the sport.
“I’ve been to a game a few years ago, I went to a New York Mets game. I’ll watch any sport that’s on the tele, so I sort of get it and enjoy it to be fair. It’s so long though,” he told Sky Sports.
“If I was coming to watch sports I don’t mind a beer, but it’s a bit too long to get on the beers.”
The striker has a message for Arsenal: play me or sell me
Folarin Balogun has sent a message to Arsenal after sealing his U.S. national team debut with a goal and a trophy: play me or sell me.
Balogun earned his first USMNT cap against Mexico in the CONCACAF Nations League semifinal and on Sunday, he scored his first goal in a 2-0 win against Canada in the final.
The 21-year-old’s international debut followed a breakout club season during which he scored 21 Ligue 1 goals with Reims while on loan from Arsenal.
The striker’s exploits in France have made his club future a major talking point as he prepares to return to his parent club. Will Arsenal, which also counts Gabriel Jesus and Eddie Nketiah in its striker ranks, give Balogun a chance in 2023-24?
Plenty of clubs across Europe are looking to test Arsenal’s resolve over the summer, with AC Milan, Inter, and RB Leipzig among the clubs linked with a permanent move for Balogun.
Speaking to reporters after the USMNT’s Nations League triumph on Sunday, Balogun did not indicate where he’d prefer to play next season but he was clear he did not want to go out on another loan.
“I’m not sure [about] the discussions that are going to take place,” he said after the win. “I’m not sure what’s going to happen. But I’m just committed to now; I try to stay present. I obviously want to enjoy the moment with my team and my family.
“What I can say is that I definitely won’t go on loan again.”
Balogun signed a four-year contract with the Gunners in 2021, but has made just 10 senior appearances for the club so far. He spent the second half of the 2021-22 season on loan at Middlesbrough before his breakout season with Reims.
The 28-year-old made just seven appearances in his first Arsenal season
Matt Turner has said his first season at Arsenal made him a better goalkeeper and a better person, but the U.S. national team starter admitted he would have liked to see more time on the field.
Turner joined the Gunners last summer from the New England Revolution, becoming the backup to Aaron Ramsdale in north London.
With Ramsdale entrenched as the Gunners’ starter, Turner made only seven appearances in his first season as an Arsenal player and did not appear in any Premier League matches.
At the international level, Turner overtook Zack Steffen as the USMNT’s No. 1, starting all four of his country’s matches at the World Cup. Speaking to the media ahead of the CONCACAF Nations League semifinal against Mexico next week, Turner broke down the highs and lows of his first season abroad.
“It’s changed me, made me a better goalkeeper, a better person, a better player,” Turner said. “Besides the on-field stuff, off the field moving to a new country, experiencing new cultures and new styles of play, a new manager with different expectations, playing with pressure and all that kind of stuff led me into the World Cup and having a great World Cup.
“This season was amazing at Arsenal. I learned so much and we won games, but I would have liked to play a little bit more. On the personal side I didn’t hit as many goals as I would have really liked to.”
Turner’s underdog journey has been well documented. He wasn’t a full-time starter in college until his junior year, went undrafted in MLS and worked his way into a starting role in New England and eventually the USMNT.
The 28-year-old said he’s been hearing about his lack of experience throughout his career, and he’s hoping to get more playing time at Arsenal and the USMNT so he can continue to prove his doubters wrong.
“There’s always been this blanket of lack of experience that people talk about since I was in college, then my first couple years as a pro in MLS and the beginning of my career with the national team and now with Arsenal,” he said.
“[I’m] just trying to get more and more experience. Every time I can step on the pitch, I want to give my best performance so I can continue to grow and show that I do have experience and I have learned and I have grown and I have gotten better.”
Valuations of the world’s biggest clubs are sky high
Who are the most valuable soccer teams in the world?
With success being more and more tied to an ability to spend, being a “big” club — at least in financial terms — is the clearest indicator of whether a given team is going to contend for trophies in the world’s top leagues.
That said, what defines value doesn’t necessarily require a team to be in the Premier League, La Liga, the Bundesliga, or Serie A. MLS has three teams in the top 20, including LAFC becoming the first club to break the $1 billion valuation barrier.
That said, Europe is still the home of the world’s biggest clubs, and its most valuable. In particular, eight of the top 20 hail from the Premier League, which will not be a particular surprise given the league’s global reach.
Here are Forbes’ 20 most valuable teams in global soccer.
