Fans of the Philadelphia Union have had plenty to cheer about in the club's brief two-year MLS existence. From the opening of PPL Park in 2010, to the team's MLS playoff debut in 2011. Now Union fans are ready to have a new experience to celebrate in 2012, the hosting of an MLS All-Star Game.
The Union and MLS have scheduled a press conference in Philadelphia for Tuesday, where Philadelphia mayor Michael Nutter and MLS commissioner are expected to announce that PPL Park will be host this summer's 2012 MLS All-Star Game. The match is expected to be scheduled for late July.
Philadelphia and Sporting Kansas City were among the leading candidates to secure the rights to the event, which annually features a match-up between MLS stars and a top international club. In 2011, Manchester United defeated the MLS All-Stars at Red Bull Arena in a sold-out event.
What do you think of the Union hosting the All-Star Game? Plan on attending this year? Who are you hoping MLS faces?
Share your thoughts below.
ugh, please get rid of this stupid all star game, its worthless now!
Better be Houston next year…
Not the name that Le Toux is…this will hurt
Good…As lomg as it isn’t Barca, Madrid, or Man U, MLS should look good.
MLS All-Stars v. FMF All-Stars. I suggested it on MajorLeagueSoccerTalk and I’m suggesting it again here. It makes SO much sense. Only problem would be that demand for tickets would likely push it to an NFL stadium or that FMF.
*Timbers Army
I wait for the day when most MLS teams can be comparable in size to the Timbers and their 16 sections devoted to them.
They’re on their way to signing a veteran Colombian forward Lionard Pajoy. Him Chandler, Martinez and an improved Mwanga could all round up to Le Toux. Especially if Marfan stays where he was last year and his brother Gabe plays like that when he gets to play his natural position in the midfield
MLS All-Stars vs The Cosmos. Oh wait they don’t have a real team.
Ho-hum. The biggest attendance in the league is in a football stadium with astroturf in Seattle. Meanwile FCD and Columbus are down near the bottom with NE and SJ, and FCD’s park lost its naming rights deal. From a fan perspective, yes, I’d prefer to be in a stadium for my sport, and a nice one, and from a business perspective it is a better division of the spoils. But you may be paying debt service too. NY, LA, and Toronto have done well with their SSSs and I assume Montreal will be solid as well. But I put SSSs solve everything right up there with Americans Abroad are better in terms of US soccer myths that don’t entirely hold water.
Do a skills contest like the weird exhibitions they do for NFL. I’d enjoy that.
This is exactly what I was going to suggest… I think that an MLS v FMF All Star match would be great!
I am all for fueling the partnership & rivalry with Mexican football (short of merging of course).
Ives, have you ever heard any rumblings of this idea? What are some of the thoughts?
-Lee
Congrats to PPL and Philly Union, but the ONLY thing Philly fans are inerested in right now is the fate of one Seba LeToux. What was really interesting is that on the Union Facebook Page they posted that “a very special announcement” is schedule for noon tomorrow. literally every other comment was someone wondering if it was news of who is replacing LeToux… Union have some great talent, but seriously if they can’t address this then hosting the all-Star game will be the only happy news of the coming season.
MLS All-STARS vs. USMNT.
so there.
HAHAHHAHAHAHA I love it. Grumpy = Eurodouche
well, considering the source any staadium is a fantastic facility 🙂
(dc supporter here as well)
I saw a comment on another blog suggesting:
MLS ALL-STARS versus FMF ALL-STARS.
Please Ives, you are more connected than anyone that I know, make it happen. Watching another cheesy game against an English team isn’t going to happen with me. Pretty sure I am not alone on that.
NY’s supporter section has twice the ammount of people as the…. cauldron..
I’m enjoying the comments. So great that we can argue over which new SSS should host the ASG!
Philly is a great place. For next year though I hope they put in Vancouver’s new stadium, that would look awesome as a sell out, this coming from a galaxy fan
1. Philly’s place is a solid venue (even as NY fan I have to to admit that).
2. SKC _just_ opened. PPL Park is going into it’s 3 season. Yes, SKC has been around, but give them a season in their new home before you start tossing things there.
3. “SKC has both the stadium and the support”
Let’s see what happens when the “new stadium” and “rebanding” new car smell wears off.
4. “(NY lacks it greatly, despite with people proclaim).” Really? This old canard again? Get over yourself. NY had the 5th highest attendance in the league (over 19k). (Philly beat out SKC as well, coming in 7th).
eurodouche
The All-Star game is the epitome of weird, Americanized soccer. Knock yourselves out, Philly.
I’m more than okay keeping the All-Star Game on the East Coast and having the MLS Cup out west. Wishful thinking, I know.
KC to host the MLS cup!
The stadium seems nice but Chester, well…..24 murders (2010) in a town of 37,000 is insane. But they’ll party in Philly and play in Chester, gloss that part over.
MLS seems to try and reward new SSSs so it’ll be KC, the Saputo remodel, Houston, etc. the next few years.
Fair enough … but PPL Park opened its doors well before Livestrong did, so the Union should’ve been higher in the pecking order to host the ASG. Not a dig on SKC nor LSP for that matter.
PPL park is a fantastic facility, and that’s coming from a DC United supporter.
Congrats to Philly but I hope this means SKC gets it in 2013. KC is the only team of the original 10 not to host an All-Star or MLS Cup.
Of course, with the new playoff changes we’ll settle for hosting the MLS Cup this year instead.
yawn
Likely to be Arsenal or Liverpool.
Both are heavily touted to be touring US this summer along with Roma, Chelsea, and Celtic.
MLS has already played Chelsea and Celtic (06-07All stars).
Roma isn’t popular enough with the average fan.
Disappointed not to see SKC get it, as a neutral. PPL Park seems rather generic, despite the background scenery.
SKC is the class of our league and that includes LA/NY. LA’s fans are hard to rival and NY’s stadium is impressive but SKC has both the stadium and the support (NY lacks it greatly, despite with people proclaim).
On the bright side, I hope to see more spring/fall/summer national team games at LSP.
Congrats to Philly. Looks like a good place for the game. However, while back to back All-Star games on the east coast is OK, the next one better be a bit further west.
DOOP is our goal celebration song. Listen here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nx-Jmq8k_Ps
And here’s the backstory: http://www.philadelphiaunion.com/news/2010/07/do-you-doop
Now it’s become kind of a catch-all for Philly doing anything great, and a terrific hashtag. #DOOP
BTW — thrilled that we’re hosting. Hopefully this time MLS will return to our old habit of winning these games.
Does those stands have “DOOP” in giant letters on it or am I just seeing things? What does that stand for/mean?
NICE!!!
Good choice. I like that they are keeping it in MLS stadiums, not NFL.