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.

TORONTO-HOUSTON: 1-1

Toronto kept their seven game unbeaten run alive, although not in the most impressive fashion.  The teams traded headers, Brian Ching put the Dynamo up in the 73rd minute before Dan Gargan tied it for the Reds in the 84th minute.  The teams also traded red cards, with both Julian de Guzman and Joseph Ngwenya sent off.

REAL SALT LAKE-NEW ENGLAND: 5-0

RSL welcomed back Robbie Findley with an emphatic 5-0 win over the Revolution.  Costa Rican Alvaro Saborio scored two and put himself in contention for MVP status as he continued his great play since joining the club.  Findley contributed a goal late as RSL put four past Matt Reis in the second half.

COLUMBUS-CHICAGO:  2-1

The Crew beat Chicago at Crew Stadium in the regular season for the first time since 2004 with goals by Adam Moffat and Jason Garey. The Fire was able to equalize Moffat’s tally only through a Frankie Hejduk own goal right before halftime.  The win moves the Crew two points in front of New York for first place in the Eastern Conference.

DALLAS-KANSAS CITY:  1-0

David Ferreira drew a PK in the second half and converted it to give FC Dallas a 1-0 victory over the Wizards.  Kevin Hartman shut out his former employers in a rainy, sloppy affair.

SAN JOSE-DC UNITED:  1-1

Ike Opara put the Earthquakes up after DC was unable to clear a corner kick in the first half.  Andy Najar answered with an excellent finish off a Stephen King cross to earn United a point on the road.  San Jose owned the first half of play, but couldn’t put anything together in the second to hold their early lead.

CHIVAS USA-PHILADELPHIA:  1-1

The expansion Union were able to get a point at the Home Depot Center against struggling Chivas USA.  Rookie Danny Mwanga scored in the 21st minute to put Philly in the lead, Blair Gavin equalized with a blast from outside the box before halftime.  Zach Thornton made a huge save on Fred in the second half to preserve the draw for Chivas.

COLORADO-NEW YORK:  1-1

Juan Pablo Angel salvaged a point for the Red Bulls on the road in Colorado.  Omar Cummings put the Rapids up 1-0 on an excellent pass from Conor Casey.  Angel answered after being left alone on a New York corner kick.  The Rapids had their chances in the second half to take the victory, but couldn’t beat former goalkeeper Bouna Coundoul.

LOS ANGELES-SEATTLE:  3-1

Edson Buddle returned from South Africa with a goal off a Landon Donovan corner kick.  Juninho scored one of the goals of the season with a thirty yard blast that left Kasey Keller with no chance.  Seattle’s Steve Zakuani scored an excellent goal of his own to cut the lead in half, but a James Riley own goal ended up doing them in late in the second half.

With all of the World Cup excitement recently, it’s easy to forget about Major League Soccer here in the US.  Let’s try to get caught up, shall we?

STANDINGS

We are just under the midway point of the season for most teams, and it’s the Los Angeles Galaxy who have been the class of the league so far.  With 33 points in 14 games, and a stout defense only giving up four goals all year, LA is definitely setting the pace.  Landon Donovan and Edson Buddle are returning to the squad this Sunday at home against Seattle on ESPN2.  Will Donovan finish the season with the Galaxy, or will a European squad swoop in with a bag of cash?  We’ll see once the transfer window opens up…

Trailing the Galaxy in the West are the defending champions, Real Salt Lake.  Colorado is surprisingly in third, followed by three teams on 18 points in Houston, Dallas, and San Jose.  Seattle has been a disappointment so far with only 15 points and Chivas USA is on the bottom with only 10 points.  The road is only going to get harder for Chivas as they sold star midfielder Sacha Kljestan to Belgian giants Anderlecht last month.

The East is led by Columbus and New York with 24 points, although the Crew have a game in hand on the Red Bulls.  Toronto is chasing a playoff berth with 19 points.  Chicago is sitting on 17 points.  Kansas City and New England have struggled this season, Philadelphia is a tougher team than expected even in their first year.  It’s DC United that has been the biggest disappointment this season.  A promising run before the World Cup break was extinguished with a 2-0 loss in Columbus last week.

STARS

Edson Buddle’s early season tear earned him a trip to South Africa, he’s still leading the league with 9 goals.  Dwayne De Rosario (TOR) and Juan Pablo Angel (NY) trail him with 8.  Landon Donovan is leading in assists with 9, followed by the revival of Bobby Convey (SJ) who has 7.  San Jose has been one of the surprises of 2010, with Convey and Chris Wondolowski (7 goals) leading the way.

Sebastien Le Toux has kept the expansion Philadelphia Union competitive, showing the form that dominated the USL D-1 before the Sounders moved up to MLS.

The Galaxy’s Jamaican goalkeeper Donovan Ricketts has been the class of the league, only giving up four goals all year.  His defense, led by young American Omar Gonzalez, has been outstanding.

NEWCOMERS

Expect to see more additions as the transfer window opens on the 15th, but a few have started to be announced by MLS clubs.  Seattle made a deal to acquire Swiss international and World Cup player Blaise Nkufo.  He’s 35 years old and has starred with FC Twente for the last seven years, hitting double digits in goal in each of those seasons.  He started all of Switzerland’s games in South Africa.

DC United has made a pair of signings to try to reverse their fortunes.  Branko Bošković, a member of the Montenegro national team, and Pablo Hernandez, a young Argentine forward, will be joining United in the coming weeks.  Bošković played briefly with Paris Saint-Germain before settling at Rapid Wien in Austria.  Hernandez joins the team on loan from Uruguayan Club Defensor Sporting.

There is also the rumored signing of Thierry Henry to New York.  While nothing has been announced officially, Barcelona has let Henry out of his contract.  This paves the way for a free transfer to the Big Apple.

SCHEDULE

Highlights this week include an Eastern Conference battle in Columbus as the Crew take on the visiting Chicago Fire on Saturday night on Fox Soccer Channel.  ESPN2 picked up the homecoming July 4th match for Landon Donovan and Edson Buddle against Seattle.  Sunday also sees New York travel to Colorado in an interesting match between two of the league’s bigger surprises this season.

Check back with us Monday for a recap of the weekend’s action.

Manchester United will play the 2010 MLS All-Star team on July 28, in Houston, Texas. This is a great match for English Premier League fans here in the United States to see the most popular team in the world. I think this is a great idea to get more fans interested in the MLS game.

In addition to the MLS All-star game, Manchester United will play exhibition matches against the Philadelphia Union, Kansas City Wizards and Celtic from Scotland while in the U.S.

Last year, the MLS all-stars tied Everton 1-1 in regulation. For the fans sake the game went to penalties with Everton winning 4-3. In 2008, the all-stars defeated West Ham United 3-2 in Toronto. The 2007 all-star game was against Celtic in Colorado, with the MLS stars winning 2-0.

MLS commissioner Don Garber was quoted: “We are proud to once again present our supporters with one of the most compelling All-Star Game formats in sports and we believe Manchester United’s North American tour will be a tremendous celebration of the sport following the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.”

This format is great for fans here in the U.S. but with this being a World Cup year there is a possibility that most household names will not not participate in this tour. The match will still be a great asset to soccer here in the U.S.

Here is the full article from the New Jersey Star Ledger-Manchester United to face MLS All-Stars in Houston

David Beckham’s recovery from surgery to his ruptured Achilles tendon is already a few months behind schedule.  Beckham was quoted, “I won’t be running for another three months, so I will be playing again in, probably, November.”

This not good news for MLS fans as Beckham will not be able to return to the pitch at all this season for the LA Galaxy unless they make a deep run in the postseason.  He injured the ankle while on loan with A.C. Milan.  Beckham is far past his prime years but still is an excellent distributor of the ball and  his a huge presence on the field for the Galaxy.

With the amount of money MLS has invested in Beckham it makes you wonder if these loans to European clubs are good for the fans.  Players can go to Europe to keep their form or keep their shape but injuries could be devastating.   Imagine if Landon Donovan would have been injured playing for Everton this Winter.  The U.S. would have been in trouble without their superstar.

For more quotes from Beckham and the full story click here for the A.P. article from ESPN.com- Beckham Recovery Behind Schedule

The LA Galaxy remained undefeated in the 2010 MLS season drawing with Kansas City 0-0.  The Galaxy were fortunate to get out with a tie.  Kansas City dominated from whistle to whistle.  An unfortunate slip on the wet surface caused Kansas City striker Kei Kamara to handball an extremely easy chance in front of goal early in the match.  At this level players should have the ability to put these types of chances away with their eyes closed.

Also, Edson Buddle did not help his cause for a spot on the World Cup roster.  Buddle only managed to attempt one shot on goal the entire match.  I like Buddle’s pace but I don’t think he can be an impact player for the U.S. at the international level.