Will the MLS All-Stars improve their head-to-head record against English teams?
By Rohit Menon
The MLS-All Stars will be confident heading into their matchup against Arsenal in San Jose on July 28th, in what will be their eighth encounter against an English Premier League side in the history of the MLS All-Star Game.
Ever since the older ‘East vs West’ format of the game was scrapped permanently in exchange for an ‘MLS All-Stars vs Guest’ format in 2005, 11 editions have been played, with the All-Stars winning seven of them. Celtic (2008), Roma (2013) and Bayern Munich (2014) are the only clubs outside of England to have competed in the MLS All-Star Game, with 8 out of the 11 matches having been played against teams from EPL. It all began with an encounter against Fulham (2005) and was eventually succeeded by matches against Chelsea (2006, 2012), West Ham (2008), Everton (2009), Manchester United (2010, 2011) and Tottenham (2015).
5-3 lead against English teams
Five wins and three losses doesn’t make for the best reading, but the fact that the MLS All-Stars leads the head-to-head against English teams shows how much better prepared they are as compared to their visitors who, as the visiting teams generally do, use the fixture to improve the fitness levels of their players and fine-tune game plans as part of their pre-season preparations.
MLS-All Stars actually had a 3-0 record against English teams before 2009, with wins against Fulham (4-1) in 2005, Chelsea (1-0) in 2006 and West Ham United (3-2) in 2008 showcasing the ability of the players in the MLS and the general aspirations of the league for the future. However, what followed in the next few years wasn’t the best sight for MLS fans.
The misery of losing to Everton on penalties in 2009 was further compounded by thrashings from Sir Alex Ferguson’s magnificent Manchester United, who managed to score nine goals and concede just two after their visits to America in 2010 and 2011.
Since then the MLS’ All-Stars has crawled back; wins against Chelsea (3-2) in 2012 and most recently Tottenham (2-1) has brought back some credibility to the league. Another mention is a 2-1 win over Pep Guardiola-coached Bayern Munich in 2014, even if it wasn’t against an English club.
All 5 wins against London teams
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Four London-based teams have participated in this annual fixture and none of them have won so far. Chelsea have been unlucky in two tournaments (2006, 2012). Fulham and West Ham also failed to beat the All-Stars side in their attempts to do so.
Tottenham Hotspur were yet another London team that struggled to deliver in the 2015 MLS-All Star game despite being favourites. What does that mean for Arsenal FC, who are the Spurs’ biggest rivals and yet another team from London? Can the MLS All-Stars topple yet another London side to improve their record to 6-0?
The good news is they should definitely be able to. And it would be quite a disappointment if they don’t.
On comparing the Arsenal roster to the MLS All-Star one, it is evident that Gunners don’t exactly have the required depth or potential match-winners, after they were all left out following international endeavours. Manager Arsene Wenger announced that Olivier Giroud, Alexis Sanchez, Mesut Ozil, Laurent Koscielny and Aaron Ramsey will not be making the plane to America, although there are some good young talent and experienced professionals in the squad besides these obvious stars.
Defence and attack are positions which are particularly alarming – Hector Bellerin and Nacho Monreal are the only starting XI defenders in the squad after Per Mertesacker picked up an injury recently, while Theo Walcott is the only experienced striker. This means that there are plenty of youngsters in the squad including the likes of Krystian Bielik, Jeff Rein-Adelaide, Chris Willock, new signing Rob Holding and USMNT prospect Gedion Zelalem, all of whom will definitely get minutes under their belts.
Another thing lacking for Arsenal is match fitness. With just one pre-season game under their belts (1-1 draw at Lens), Wenger’s side haven’t yet achieved the fluency that their passing game demands. This rustiness might play into the home side’s hands, as they seek to post a commanding 6-3 lead over English teams in their overall head-to-head record – all of them coming against teams from London.
Depends on how well the coach Dominic Kinnear (San Jose Earthquakes) utilizes his squad of stars during the 90 minutes.