Arsenal will play in the Major League Soccer (MLS) All-Star game in July according to reports. The Gunners are currently top of the Premier League table and sit eight points clear having played a game more than challengers Manchester City.
Owned by Stan Kroenke, there is a clear link between Arsenal and America and they will be making that a reality when they play at D.C. United’s Audi Field in Washington D.C on July 19. There is also an interesting coming together in the dugouts too with All-Star game tradition being that the host city's club coach takes charge.
In this instance it will be former Everton, Derby and Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney being pitted up against Mikel Arteta. The Spaniard has had a meteoric rise at the helm this season after missing out on European football.
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By the time his side play in this end of season game he will be hopeful of having lifted the league title already. The Athletic write that the Gunners have already commited to playing the game though and will be facing off in the mid-season MLS event. It comes after Rooney himself has already joked about wanting to play a team bigger than Arsenal.
The second top scorer for England has already played for and against the All-Star XI, winning the game for Manchester United in 2011 and losing against Atletico Madrid in 2019. This will also be the second time the Gunners play in the match having won 2-1 in the 2016 event. Didier Drogba scored for the best of the MLS players while Joel Campbell and Chuba Akpom were on the scoresheet for the Gunners.
Facing a European giant will be a change to recent years though having faced off against All-Star XIs from the Mexican league in the past two seasons. MLS commissioner Don Garber believes change will be for the good though, saying, “I’m not sure we need that for our All-Star Game [in 2023]. You’ve got Campeones Cup coming up in September in New York City. So we’ll see what next year in Washington, D.C., looks like when D.C. United hosts, but you know, I’m not quite sure.”
The MLS season runs from February to October with the All-Star game taking place in the middle. On the offiicial website there is yet to be confirmation of the fixture just yet. "The 2023 MLS All-Star Game presented by Target is set for Wednesday, July 19 at Audi Field, home of D.C. United," it reads. "The opponent for Major League Soccer’s showcase event will be announced at a later date."
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