The MLS All-Stars will resume their rivalry with the English Premier League when Tottenham Hotspur come to Denver for this year’s AT&T All-Star Game, adding to the All-Stars' tradition of facing off against top-tier international teams.
It all started in 2002, after an East-West format in the competition’s infancy, when the All-Stars took on the US national team – winning 3-2 on goals from Jason Kreis, Marco Etcheverry and Steve Ralston.
In 2003, Chivas Guadalajara became the first foreign club to participate, as the US-Mexico rivalry continued to grow, and the game produced another All-Star win by the same scoreline.
The game returned to East vs. West for one more season, 2004, before ushering in its current format on a full-time basis with a 4-1 victory over Fulham in 2005. In 2006, it was another Premier League opponent, Chelsea, and another All-Star victory, 1-0.
Since then, teams from West Ham United to Manchester United have hopped the pond for the mid-summer exhibition, and the MLS All-Stars have actually tasted defeat a time or two. The Premier League got the upper hand for the first time in 2009, with Everton winning in a shootout after the game ended in a 1-1 tie in regulation, and Manchester United earned big regulation wins in 2010 and 2011.
Here’s the MLS All-Star’s history against international teams (EPL teams in italics):
2002: MLS 3, US national team 2
2003: MLS 3, Chivas Guadalajara 2
2005: MLS 4, Fulham 1
2006: MLS 1, Chelsea 0
2007: MLS 2, Celtic 0
2008: MLS 3, West Ham 2
2009: MLS 1(3), Everton 1(4)
2010: MLS 2, Manchester United 5
2011: MLS 0, Manchester United 4
2012: MLS 3, Chelsea 2
2013: MLS 1, Roma 3
2014: MLS 2, Bayern Munich 1
