MLS All-Star Game a united front against a Premier power

Throughout professional sports, the concept of the All-Star Game has changed over recent years depending on the sport.

Baseball is widely considered the best All-Star Game because it remains the same throughout its history. The NBA and NBA basically hold glorified pickup games with little regard for competitive defense. Hockey has a 3-on-3 tournament among divisions. The NFL doesn’t even have a Pro Bowl anymore, it’s just flag football now because nobody wants to play football without stakes.

Major League Soccer is in an interesting position because, unlike the other sports in America, it’s not considered the best league in the world. So what do the MLS All-Stars do?

They come together like Voltron to take on a mighty foe. This year it’s their combined forces against Arsenal of the Premier League on Wednesday, July 19, in Washington, D.C.

St. Louis City SC enters the break on top of the Western Conference with a 13-2-8 record, 41 points, and a league-leading +16 goal difference. They will be sending two All-Stars; captain and goalkeeper Roman Bürki and defender Tim Kennedy.

As the success keeps piling up and the sellouts stacking up, it becomes ever so easier to confuse the expansion team with a flagship franchise.

“What started off to be a fairy tale has become business,” City SC head coach Bradley Carnell said. “It sparked an appetite, a hunger for more.”

Because soccer is a global sport with top-notch leagues all across North America and Europe, the MLS All-Star Game model is the relatively young league's way of comparing itself with the blue bloods. This model originally ran from 2005-19, with the MLS going 7-8.

“I would say even more exciting to play against a European top club like Arsenal because you play against each other during the season anyway,” Bürki said. “That's something that makes it even more attractive.”

The MLS returned to the model after winning two games against the All-Stars of Mexico's Liga MX. The league originally had a traditional All-Star Game from 1996-2004. There are some exceptions, starting with the 1998 ASG between U.S.-born players and international stars, the 2002 ASG between the MLS and USMNT, and the 2003 ASG against Guadalajara.

“I think as the league grows, I think it could grow to an East-West kind of All-Star Game,” Kennedy said. “I think where we’re at right now, it’s really cool that we’re able to time it pretty well where teams from Europe are able to come over and we’re able to play them.”

The arrival of Lionel Messi's arrival at Inter Miami only enhances the profile of the league and its mission to be counted among the top leagues in Europe.