2007 MLS All-Star Game explained

Sierra Mist 2007 MLS All-Star Game
Event:MLS All-Stars
Team1:MLS All-Stars
Score1:2
Team2:Celtic
Score2:0
Date:July 19, 2007
Venue:Dick's Sporting Goods Park
City:Commerce City, Colorado
Man Of The Match1a:Juan Pablo Ángel (MLS All-Stars)
Weather:Cloudy, 85 °F
Referee:Baldomero Toledo
David Bragg
Jose Corro
Michael Kennedy
Attendance:18,661
Previous:2006
Next:2008

The 2007 Major League Soccer All-Star Game was the 12th annual Major League Soccer All-Star Game. The 2007 MLS All-Star Game took place on July 19, 2007 between the 2007 MLS All-Stars and Celtic.

Dick's Sporting Goods Park, the new home stadium of the Colorado Rapids in Commerce City, CO, hosted the 2007 Sierra Mist All-Star Game.[1] This was the first time that Dick's Sporting Goods Park hosted the MLS All-Star game.

David Beckham made an appearance and participated in a special introduction to the fans on hand as well as in a halftime ESPN interview, and watched the game from the Commissioner's Box.

The MLS All-Stars defeated Celtic 2–0, giving them a perfect 4–0 record against international competition.

Background

Major League Soccer announced on Thursday, January 25, 2007 that Dick's Sporting Goods Park, the new home of the Colorado Rapids located just outside downtown Denver, will host the 2007 Sierra Mist MLS All-Star Game on July 19, pitting Scottish club Celtic FC against the best from MLS. MLS announced the news during a press conference at The Pinnacle Club in the Grand Hyatt featuring MLS Deputy Commissioner Ivan Gazidis and Colorado Rapids Managing Director Jeff Plush. "We are thrilled to welcome Celtic, one of the world's most popular teams, for a quality match against the best of MLS at our newest soccer cathedral, Dick's Sporting Goods Park," said MLS Commissioner Don Garber. "We look forward to an exciting evening in this tremendous new soccer-specific venue."

A week before the 2007 All-Star game the ColoradoRapids.com posted a news release on their website stating that less than 1,000 tickets remained for the 2007 Sierra Mist MLS All-Star Game on July 19 at Dick's Sporting Goods Park. Tickets for the All-Star Game went on sale to the public Saturday, May 5, 2007 at 10:00 am MT.

Celtic

See main article: Celtic F.C.. Glasgow-based Celtic captured their 41st Scottish championship in April (2007), and featured such high-profile players as Polish goalkeeper Artur Boruc, Scottish defenders Steven Pressley and Stephen McManus, Japanese midfielder Shunsuke Nakamura, Danish midfielder Thomas Gravesen and Dutch striker Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink. Celtic has one of the most dedicated and widespread fan bases in all of club soccer, and were the first British club to win the European Cup in 1967. Celtic had a long and historic rivalry with fellow Glaswegian club Rangers, the two being known as the Old Firm.

2007 All-Star Game Rosters

Major League Soccer

Players in bold denotes First XI status.[2]

Pos. Player Team MLS Exp.
MLS All-Star Starters
F Juan Pablo Ángel 0
F Eddie Johnson 6
M Dwayne DeRosario 6
M Shalrie Joseph New England Revolution4
M Juan Toja 0
M Ricardo Clark 4
M Ronnie O'Brien ~ 5
D Jimmy Conrad 8
D Jonathan Bornstein 1
D Michael Parkhurst 2
GK Matt Reis 9
All-Star Subs
F Brian Ching ~ 5
F Landon Donovan ~ 6
M Cobi Jones11
M Pablo Mastroeni ~Colorado Rapids9
M Christian Gomez 3
D Eddie Pope11
GK Kevin Hartman ~ 10
All-Star Reserves
F9
F0
F5
M7
M5
M8
M0
M11
M0
D0
D[Toronto FC] 3
D6
GK[Houston Dynamo] 5
GK3

~ – Players selected by coach

† – "Commissioner's Picks"[3]

Celtic

Pos.Player
GK Artur Boruc
D Lee Naylor
D Mark Wilson
D Stephen McManus
D John Kennedy
M Scott Brown
M Massimo Donati
M Aiden McGeady
M Theódór Elmar Bjarnason
F Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink
F Scott McDonald

All-Star Selections By Club

Club
  1. Selections
5
4
4
3
3
2
2
2
1
2
1
1
1

Match details

GK 1
CB15
CB12
CB3
LM5
CM21 Shalrie Joseph
CM 26
RM 8 Juan Toja
AM 14
FW 7
FW 9
Substitutions:
GK
DF
MF
MF
MF
FW
FW
Coach:
Steve Nicol

|valign="top"||valign="top" width="50%"|

width=25!width=25
GK 1
LB 3
CB 44 Stephen McManus
CB 17
RB 12
LM 20
CM 18
CM 8
LM 11 Paul Hartley
FW27
FW10
Substitutions:
CB 6
CM 16
FW 46
FW 7
FW 9
Coach:
Gordon Strachan
MLS All-Star MVP:
Juan Pablo Ángel (MLS)
Assistant referees


David Bragg
Jose Corro
Fourth official


Michael Kennedy

Match rules
  • 90 minutes.
  • Unlimited substitutions.
  • No extra time.
  • Penalty shoot-out if scores still level.

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Rapids to host '07 MLS all-star game. January 24, 2007.
  2. Web site: Hot strikers lead MLS All-Star First XI. Jason. Halpin. 2007-07-05. https://web.archive.org/web/20100119114733/http://web.mlsnet.com/mls/events/all_star/article.jsp?ymd=20070705&content_id=103519&vkey=allstar2007&fext=.jsp. 2010-01-19.
  3. Web site: Toronto FC's O'Brien earns all-star call. 2007-07-10. The Globe and Mail.