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The MLS All-Star Game has been held each season that Major League Soccer has existed. The set-up for the game has been far more fluid than that of All-Star games in more traditional leagues such as the NHL, NBA, NFL, and MLB. In six out of eleven years, the Eastern Division players have played Western Division players. Twice, both during World Cup years, the league featured matchups based on nationality - in 1998, the Americans of MLS played the internationals; in 2002, the U.S. national team faced off against the (remaining) All-Stars of MLS. In 2003, the MLS All-Stars played Chivas de Guadalajara in Los Angeles. In 2004, an attempt to pit MLS All-Stars against Real Madrid fell through when Real Madrid failed to achieve automatic qualification for the Champions League, forcing MLS to return to traditional East-West play. The 2005 MLS All-Star Game was played by selected MLS All-Stars against the English Premier League side Fulham at Columbus Crew Stadium in Columbus, Ohio as Fulham's American forward Brian McBride, the MVP of the 1998 MLS All-Star Game and a former Columbus Crew forward, made an anticipated return to the city (and also former Chicago Fire Carlos Bocanegra in the Fulham side). The 2006 MLS All-Star Game was held at Toyota Park on August 5 versus English Premier League champions Chelsea, resulting in a 0-1 loss for Chelsea and a possible sign that the MLS is trending towards playing major foreign clubs in an effort to boost interest and improve international and domestic perceptions about the quality of MLS players.
The 2007 All-Star Game was held in Commerce City, Colorado, site of the new stadium of the Colorado Rapids and the all-star team beat the Scottish Premier League champions, Celtic 2-0. The 2008 edition will be held in Toronto, home to the MLS' newest franchise Toronto FC. A provisional date of July 24th has been set, with the All-Stars set to play English Premier League side West Ham United [1].
[edit] Previous results
| Date Played |
Winning Team |
Losing Team |
Score |
Location |
City |
Att. |
| 1996 |
East |
West |
3-2 |
Giants Stadium |
East Rutherford, NJ |
78,416^ |
| 1997 |
East |
West |
5-4 |
Giants Stadium |
East Rutherford, NJ |
24,816 |
| 1998 |
MLS USA |
MLS World |
6-1 |
Citrus Bowl |
Orlando, Florida |
34,416 |
| 1999 |
West |
East |
6-4 |
Qualcomm Stadium |
San Diego, California |
23,227 |
| 2000 |
East |
West |
9-4 |
Columbus Crew Stadium |
Columbus, Ohio |
23,495^ |
| 2001 |
East |
West |
6-6† |
Spartan Stadium |
San Jose, California |
23,512 |
| 2002 |
MLS All Stars |
USA |
3-2 |
RFK Stadium |
Washington, D.C. |
31,096 |
| 2003 |
MLS All Stars |
Guadalajara |
3-1 |
Home Depot Center |
Carson, California |
27,000^ |
| 2004 |
East |
West |
3-2 |
RFK Stadium |
Washington, D.C. |
21,378 |
| 2005 |
MLS All Stars |
Fulham |
4-1 |
Columbus Crew Stadium |
Columbus, Ohio |
23,309^ |
| 2006 |
MLS All Stars |
Chelsea |
1-0 |
Toyota Park |
Bridgeview, Illinois |
21,210^ |
| 2007 |
MLS All Stars |
Celtic |
2-0 |
Dick's Sporting Goods Park |
Commerce City, Colorado |
18,661^[2] |
| 2008 |
MLS All Stars |
West Ham United |
To be played |
BMO Field |
Toronto, Ontario |
|
[edit] Game MVPs
[edit] Halftime Shows
MLS All-Stars (6 times)
MLS All-Star 2008
