Tag: MLS All-Star Game

D.C. United fires athletic trainer for discriminatory hand gesture

The gesture was made in a staff photo taken during an MLS All-Star Game training session

D.C. United has fired an athletic trainer for a discriminatory hand gesture, the club said on Friday night.

The club did not name the trainer but The Washington Post reported that the person fired was Reade Whitney, the team’s head athletic trainer

In a staff photo taken during an MLS All-Star Game training session, Whitney was pictured giving the “OK” gesture, which the Anti-Defamation League says has been used as a symbol of white supremacy since it arose as an internet hoax in 2017.

“D.C. United have terminated the employment of the club’s athletic trainer effective immediately,” a club statement read.

“This termination is the result of an internal review following the discovery of a discriminatory hand gesture made by the individual that surfaced in a photograph published across social media platforms on July 20, 2023.

“There is no place for racism, homophobia, misogyny, or discrimination of any kind in our sport and world and D.C. United do not tolerate any acts of this nature.”

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Wayne Rooney and Apple are beefing over some stolen seats

Looks like somebody may not be getting that MLS Season Pass promo code

Wayne Rooney versus Apple wasn’t exactly the feud anyone was expecting, but maybe it’s the one we all need right now.

After his MLS side fell 5-0 to Arsenal in Wednesday night’s MLS All-Star Game at Audi Field, Rooney had several grievances to air out: against referee Ted Unkel (“he made the game a little bit about himself”), his team’s preparation for the game (“I told them I didn’t want them training at the National Mall but that’s where we trained and so we couldn’t do anything but head tennis”) and then, most strangely, against Apple.

As the D.C. United head coach told it, his assistant coaches were evicted from their seats by staffers from MLS’s media rights partner.

“Everything around the game is great and it’s great publicity for the league moving forward. Apple coming into the league has been great although they didn’t allow my staff to sit in their seats today,” Rooney charged in his post-game press conference.

“My staff got kicked out of their seats today by members of Apple. And I wouldn’t be doing my staff a service if I didn’t bring that up because if you are getting asked to do the game with your staff, you are expecting your staff to have seats to sit in, so that was very disappointing — but I do think Apple will help the league grow moving forward.”

The Athletic reported that the incident in question took place in a booth overlooking the field, rather than at field level itself.

On Thursday, MLS released a tersely worded statement that did not deny an incident took place, only that it was not in Rooney’s technical area.

“It is not true that any members of Apple’s staff were seated in the technical area during last night’s Major League Soccer All-Star Game,” the league said.

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The MLS All-Stars took on Arsenal, and it didn’t go well

Arsenal is, it turns out, pretty good

It turns out Arsenal is pretty good.

The Gunners trounced the MLS All-Stars 5-0 before 20,621 at a muggy Audi Field in Washington D.C. on Wednesday. Gabriel Jesus, Leandro Trossard, Jorginho, Gabriel Martinelli, and Kai Havertz all managed goals in a completely one-sided affair.

MLS’s high-pressing start was undone by a simple Arsenal ball in behind, with Gabriel Jesus mopping up a loose ball with a sublime curling lob after just five minutes.

The All-Stars couldn’t quite put their last moves going forward together, while at the other end, Arsenal seemed ready to deliver bangers for a Gunners-heavy crowd. Again, a loose ball popped out to the top of the box in the 23rd minute, and again the result was a golazo. This time, Trossard sent a rocket past Roman Bürki from 20 yards.

Arsenal would increase their lead almost immediately after the second half on a Jorginho penalty kick, and MLS nearly faced another only for referee Ted Unkel — after a VAR check — to stick with his original no-call.

MLS gamely tried to break Arsenal down to get on the board, but between roughly dozens of substitutions and the Gunners’ defensive organization, the All-Stars were struggling to create any sort of danger in the late going. Manager Wayne Rooney at least managed to get every MLS player into the game, and U.S. men’s national team fans in attendance got to see Folarin Balogun and Auston Trusty play for the Gunners.

Meanwhile, the Gunners were not exactly letting the match just play out. After Martin Ødegaard’s brilliant pass from deep in Arsenal’s end, Martinelli produced a tidy angled finish in the 84th minute to make it 4-0.

Havertz, one of Arsenal’s many substitutes as the game rolled on, capped off the scoring with a composed finish at the back post. Arsenal simply had no mercy.

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Rooney on Premier League all-star game: I don’t think it would work

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.”

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Balogun and Trusty on Arsenal MLS All-Star Game roster, Turner misses out

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 HeinDEFENDERS (9): William Saliba, Kieran Tierney, Ben White, Gabriel Magalhães, Jurriën Timber, Jakub Kiwior, Rob Holding, Takehiro Tomiyasu, Auston TrustyMIDFIELDERS (11): Bukayo Saka, Martin Ødegaard, Jorginho, Fábio Vieira, Mohamed Elneny, Kai Havertz, Oleksandr Zinchenko, Declan Rice, Amario Cozier-Duberry, Emile Smith Rowe, Thomas ParteyFORWARDS (6): Gabriel Jesus, Gabriel Martinelli, Eddie Nketiah, Leandro Trossard, Folarin Balogun, Marquinhos

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First Lady Jill Biden to host youth soccer clinic at White House to kick off MLS All-Star week

The event will be part of the league’s All-Star festivities in Washington D.C. next week

First Lady Jill Biden will host a youth soccer clinic on the South Lawn of the White House to kick off MLS All-Star week.

The event will be held on Monday and will feature the First Lady, along with several MLS All-Stars, past MLS greats, league owners, and officials from the Biden-Harris Administration.

Biden will deliver remarks at the event, which will feature MLS All-Stars leading local youth soccer players in skills training stations and scrimmages.

Some of the MLS All-Stars tentatively slated to be in attendance are Christian Benteke, Luciano Acosta, Jordan Morris, Hany Mukhtar and Walker Zimmerman, among others.

Rap stars Yo Gotti and Wale are also tentatively set to attend the event.

The clinic will kick off a series of events in the nation’s capital leading up to Wednesday night’s All-Star Game against Arsenal at Audi Field, the home of D.C. United.

Tuesday night will feature the MLS All-Star Skills Challenge, which will see 10 Arsenal players face off against 10 MLS All-Stars in a set of events including a shooting challenge, cross and volley challenge, crossbar challenge and more.

The First Lady and her husband, President Joe Biden, did not play soccer themselves growing up, but many of their children and grandchildren play the sport.

“I never played soccer, but I watched all Beau’s games,” Biden said in 2015 of his late son.

In 2010, Biden, then the vice president, attended the Philadelphia Union’s inaugural home game.

“He was very talkative, like in the staging area before we went out to midfield,” former Union CEO Nick Sakiewicz told Sports Illustrated. “He was very conversational about soccer. He knew the sport was exploding in the U.S. He said he watches the U.S. men and women, and we talked about the women’s national team, because they’re so successful.

“He said how great it was to have an MLS team playing in Chester. He knew all about the stadium, about the redevelopment that we were trying to spark on the riverfront. I was really surprised how knowledgeable he was about the project. He called it the stadium in his backyard.”

Last month, the Bidens starred in the roster reveal video for the U.S. women’s national team’s World Cup squad.

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Balogun among Arsenal stars confirmed for MLS All-Star Skills Challenge

The rosters, MLS noted, are subject to change

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

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2024 MLS All-Star Game awarded to Columbus Crew

Columbus will host the All-Star Game for a third time

The MLS All-Star Game is going back to Ohio.

MLS announced that Lower.com Field will host the 2024 All-Star Game, which will be played on July 17, 2024.

“We are pleased to award the 2024 MLS All-Star Game to Columbus, the third MLS All-Star Game for this terrific soccer city,” said MLS Commissioner Don Garber in a public statement. Columbus had previously hosted the All-Star game in 2000 and 2005.

“In just over three years, [Crew majority owners Dee and Jimmy Haslam] and their partners have built one of the world’s best soccer stadiums, revitalized the club, and expanded the Crew fanbase. Columbus and Lower.com Field will be a tremendous host for the MLS All-Star Game and festivities.”

The opponent for the game has yet to be determined. After two years of taking on a Liga MX All-Star team, MLS has gone back to hosting a European giant, with Arsenal the opponent for the 2023 edition in Washington, D.C.

Events surrounding the All-Star Game will be announced at a later date, but will include an All-Star Skills Challenge along with additional events for fans, concerts, and more to be announced at a later date.

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MLS unveils 26-player roster to face Arsenal in 2023 All-Star Game

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.

MLS to face Arsenal in 2023 All-Star Game at Audi Field

Wayne Rooney will coach the MLS All-Stars at his home stadium

The MLS All-Stars will face Arsenal in the 2023 MLS All-Star Game at Audi Field, the league announced on Tuesday.

D.C. United’s Wayne Rooney will coach his league’s team of stars at his home ground on July 19.

The night before, the top MLS stars will face off against their Arsenal counterparts in the 2023 MLS All-Star Skills Challenge.

“I’ve had a front row seat to watch the growth and development of Major League Soccer, first as a player and now as a manager,” Rooney said in a statement.

“The opportunity to lead the best our league has to offer against a top Premier League club like Arsenal will be a highlight for me personally and an unforgettable experience for our passionate fanbase here in D.C.”

The game will mark a return to the All-Star Game format seen between 2005 and 2019, when the MLS All-Stars faced a European club team in the midst of their preseason. Arsenal was the opponent in 2016, a 2-1 win for the Gunners in San Jose.

The past two years saw the MLS stars face a team of stars from Liga MX.

“It’s great that we’re playing against the MLS All-Stars in Washington D.C. in July,” Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta said. “Our U.S. tour last summer was very good preparation for the season.

“The match against the MLS All-Stars will be a good test ahead of the 2023-24 season.”

For Rooney, the match will complete a notable hat trick: he played against the MLS stars with Manchester United in 2011, played for the MLS stars in 2019 and will now coach the MLS stars.

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