Live The Pitch

This years MLS All Star game will feature the leagues top stars in a match against Manchester United of the English Premier League on July 28.  United are in the middle of its summer North American preseason tour and will finish the tour in Houston against the MLS All Stars.  United are 2-0 so far on the trip with wins over Celtic and Philadelphia Union.

The MLS roster looks extremely strong, but we will have to see how these players match up with a young Manchester United group led by old timers Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs.  United are missing key players such as Wayne Rooney, Michael Carrick, Nemanja Vidic, Park Ji-Sung, Patrice Evra, and Nani on the trip.

This marks the fifth year in a row with the MLS All Stars facing off with a European  opponent.  The MLS stars have gone 4-1 with their only loss coming last year to Everton of  the EPL in penalty kicks.

It will be interesting to see how coach Bruce Arena handles this roster.  Managing this type of match can be difficult to get all the players on the pitch.  Arena definitely wants to win this match for the league as the MLS is widely considered a lower tiered league worldwide.

MLS All Star Roster

Goalkeepers

Donovan Ricketts (LA Galaxy), Nick Rimando (Real Salt Lake)

Defenders

Omar Gonzalez (LA Galaxy), Chad Marshall (Columbus Crew), Jamison Olave (Real Salt Lake),  Heath Pearce (FC Dallas), Wilman Conde (Chicago Fire), Kevin Alston (New England Revolution)

Midfielders

Bobby Convey (San Jose Earthquakes), Dwayne De Rosario (Toronto FC), Marco Pappa (Chicago Fire), Javier Morales (Real Salt Lake), Guillermo Barros Schelotto (Columbus Crew), Sebastien Le Toux (Philadelphia Union), David Ferreira (FC Dallas), Brad Davis (Houston Dynamo), Shalrie Joseph (New England Revolution), Jeff Larentowicz (Colorado Rapids),

Forwards

Edson Buddle (LA Galaxy), Landon Donovan (LA Galaxy), Juan Pablo Angel (New York Red Bulls), Brian Ching (Houston Dynamo), Jaime Moreno (D.C. United)

Thierry Henry took the pitch for the first time tonight in a New York Red Bulls Uniform playing spectacularly in his debut against Tottenham of the English Premier League. Tottenham defeated the Red Bulls 2-1 in front of a packed Red Bull Arena.

Henry scored his first goal for the Red Bulls in the 26th minute to put the Red Bulls on top at the half. New York squandered great chances in front of goal throughout the opening half and should have held a larger lead at the break.

Tottenham came out in the second half and took control early with New York making eight changes at the break. Robbie Keane would even the match in the 62nd minute for Tottenham after Red Bulls backup goalkeeper Greg Sutton severely misplayed a corner allowing Keane to pounce on the loose ball.

The Red Bulls halftime substitutions would falter again in the 72nd minute when left back Jeremy Hall tried to head the ball back to Sutton. The back pass was intercepted by a streaking Gareth Bale who touched it into the net for the match winner. Red Bulls had a golden opportunity to tie the match in the 80th minute, but Connor Chinn’s header rang the crossbar

Henry couldn’t ask for a better start to his MLS career. Henry will look to get more playing time as they get back into league play. Henry was awarded man of the match and was arguably the best player on the pitch throughout the opening half. The Red Bulls should be proud of their effort in the match especially in the first half when their better players were on the pitch.

Manchester United continued their preseason tour in the U.S. defeating the Philadelphia Union 1-0 in an exhibition match. Manchester United are now 2-0 in their preseason tour, also defeating Celtic FC 3-1 over the weekend in Toronto. United will play the Kansas City Wizards this Sunday and then finish the trip with a match against the MLS All-Stars on July 28 in Houston.

Philadelphia gave United all they could handle and were very unlucky not to get a better result. United are missing key players such as Wayne Rooney, Michael Carrick, Nemanja Vidic, Park Ji-Sung, Patrice Evra, and Nani on the trip. Even without these top players, United still have a star studded roster here.

United looked strong as the match began knocking on the doorstep of the Union defense, but couldn’t find the last ball to get a decent chance at goal. Philadelphia took it to United creating numerous chances to goal toward the end of the half. Sebastien Le Toux had the best chance for the Union in the opening half, but his chance missed by inches.

Philadelphia came out in the second half and took it to United creating numerous chances with young star Jack McInerney sending a low driven shot just by the far post. United would weather the storm and finally break though in the 76th minute when Gabriel Obertan recieved a great through ball in behind the Union defense to net the match winner.

Even with the result not what they dreamed about, Philadelphia should be proud of their effort. It has turned out to be a great week for the Union after beating Celtic FC 1-0 last Wednesday. This is great to see for fans here in the United States as the MLS is largely looked as an inferior league to the rest of the world. With many more exhibition matches to come, hopefully the MLS teams can continue to hold their own.

I’m in DC for the weekend, planning my vacation around two DC United games.  The first was last night against Seattle.  In a game where DC had many more of the chances, Seattle popped a goal late to take the victory.  It’s really the story of DC’s season.

First, let’s start with the highlights.  Even for an old, beat up stadium, RFK has a great atmosphere.  It was nice to see that in a largely forgettable season, there was a good crowd on a Thursday night that were into the game.  The atmosphere picked up with every DC chance in the second half.  That’s why I love this team and love the possibilities of MLS.

As for the play on the field, I especially liked the play of second half substitutes Pablo Hernandez and Branko Boskovic in their United debuts.  While the season is pretty much over at this point, there’s hope for the future with these two signings as well as the play of young stars Andy Najar and Chris Pontius.  Hernandez’s movement off the ball was impressive, consistently making the right runs to create space.  He also looked good in the air, nearly scoring with a header that forced a point blank save by Kasey Keller.  Boskovic is a very technically skilled player with a great first touch.  Once he settles into the team, I think he’ll be very helpful in jump starting United’s woeful attack.  I’m still not sure if he wouldn’t be better as a winger, but that’s another discussion.

The defense, which has been playing well lately, ended up killing the team again.  A giveaway in possession by rookie Jordan Graye allowed Fredy Montero to break away.  Montero’s cross found a loosely marked Roger Levesque, who finished nicely with a diving header.  When you can’t score goals, there’s even more pressure on the defense.  DC’s defense has been held together by duct tape and prayers this season, and it shows in the stats.

I’m hoping we’ll get a better overall performance out of the team on Sunday night as the LA Galaxy come to town.  The thought of Landon Donovan and Edson Buddle running at this defense is scary though.

The MLS took another huge step today announcing that French striker Thierry Henry has signed with the New York Red Bulls. The former Barcelona and Arsenal striker will take his game to the United States to prove he still has the ability to score goals.

Henry has won a FIFA World Cup, European Championship, and UEFA Champions League trophy.

“Some people might think I am going to go there for vacation — I do actually go there for vacation — but it won’t be for vacation this time,” Henry said in a video interview on the club website. “I’m a competitor and I don’t like to lose.”

Henry has agreed to a multi-year deal with New York and will be considered a designated player. Henry will be compared to the David Beckham signing to bring attention over to the MLS. The MLS has come a long way and the league has improved each year with stadium attendance growing astronomically.

Yes, Henry is far past his prime, but he still has the ability to score goals and lead his teammates on and off the pitch. Henry will make his Red Bulls debut in an exhibition match against English Premier League power Tottenham on July 22.