Major League Soccer and Chelsea FC today announced that the star-studded English Premier League champions will face the MLS All-Stars in the 2006 Sierra Mist MLS All-Star Game to be played at the new home of the Chicago Fire in Bridgeview, IL on Saturday, August 5 (live on ESPN at 6:30 p.m. ET). The announcement was made during a press conference at Bridgeview Stadium featuring MLS Commissioner Don Garber, Chelsea Business Affairs Director Paul Smith, Chicago Fire President/CEO John Guppy and Pepsi-Cola North America Marketing Manager Andrew Jaffe.
Chelsea, currently atop the Barclays Premiership and nine points ahead of Manchester United, is poised to win its second straight Premier League title and has consistently ranked among the world's top clubs in recent years. The London-based club is one point away from becoming only the second club to win back-to-back titles. And with the possible addition of the FA Cup, the most famous club soccer knock-out competition in the world, Chelsea could have its most successful season in its 100-year history.
Chelsea returns to the United States for the third time under Manager Jose Mourinho. Last July, Chelsea withstood a spirited first half by D.C. United to capture a 2-1 victory in an international match before 31,473 at FedEx Field. Nearly all of Chelsea's top players - including Frank Lampard, John Terry, Wayne Bridge, Joe Cole and Sean Wright-Phillips of England, Didier Drogba of Ivory Coast, Hernan Crespo of Argentina, Arjen Robben of Holland and Damien Duff of the Republic of Ireland - saw significant minutes of action in that game. Chelsea's full squad is scheduled to make the trip in August to take on the MLS All-Stars.
"We are thrilled to welcome Chelsea, one of the world's great teams, back to the United States for another quality match against the best of MLS and we are excited to once again present our fans with a world-class All-Star Game matchup," said MLS Commissioner Don Garber. "We think our top players will relish this opportunity and will represent the League well. We expect that this event will showcase a number of players on both teams who will have just made their mark at the World Cup in Germany."
This will be the third time that the League's best players battle one of the world's top clubs in the Sierra Mist MLS All-Star Game, which was adopted to ensure the most competitive All-Star spectacle in U.S. professional sports. Last year, the MLS All-Stars, led by MLS Honda All-Star MVP Taylor Twellman, defeated English Premier League club Fulham FC, 4-1, at a sold out Columbus Crew Stadium and in 2003, the MLS All-Stars downed storied Mexican club CD Guadalajara, 3-1, at The Home Depot Center with Carlos Ruiz capturing MVP honors.
Chelsea Business Affairs Director Paul Smith, said: "It is an honour to be invited to play in the MLS All-Star Game, and in the new home of the Chicago Fire. Our participation confirms Chelsea's long-term commitment to football in the United States. No other global team is prepared to invest in U.S. soccer from top to bottom.
"As well as playing in showcase matches like this against the best US players we will also seek, through MLS and other partners to develop a programme of activity that will also cover the huge interest in soccer at youth level, as well as the professional game.
"By building the profile and interest in Chelsea in this way we are confident we can expand our business and build a platform for increasing our fan base, merchandising and sponsorship opportunities."
The venue for the event is a new, world-class, 20,000-seat stadium that the Chicago Fire will inaugurate on June 25, 2006. The stadium - designed with a solid red brick façade resembling late 19th Century era Chicago-style architecture - is located approximately 15 minutes southwest of downtown Chicago. It is the fourth soccer-specific stadium in MLS following Columbus Crew Stadium, The Home Depot Center (home of the Los Angeles Galaxy and Chivas USA), and FC Dallas' Pizza Hut Park. The Village of Bridgeview funded the facility's $98 million construction and AEG oversees its operation. The stadium's amenities will include a state-of-the-art grass field with undersoil heating, 1,102 club seats, 48 luxury suites, 9,000 sq. ft. banquet facility, five hospitality decks, a media conference center, and east and west grandstand roofs that will protect fans from weather and enhance game atmosphere.
"Today's announcement of the All-Star game being awarded to Bridgeview is the first of many very exciting developments for Chicago area soccer fans this year," said Fire President/CEO John Guppy. "There is no doubt that this is a landmark year for our sport. In a World Cup year and with the opening of the Bridgeview Stadium, 2006 is clearly the year of soccer in Chicago."
Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich, Chairman Bruce Buck and Chelsea Chief Executive Peter Kenyon joined forces with Manager Jose Mourinho to guide the team to glory last year as it celebrated its 100th anniversary. Playing at storied Stamford Bridge, "The Blues" last year won their second ever English league championship, the first coming in 1955. Chelsea also captured the 2005 League Cup, 2005 Community Shield, and reached the UEFA Champions League semifinals in 2004 and 2005.
The match falls just two weeks before the start of Chelsea's 2006/2007 domestic campaign.
Jose Mourinho said: "I am very happy to be coming back to the United States again. This will be our third year preparing for the new Premiership season in America and it is ideal preparation.
"This time we will have a very tough game against the best players in the MLS. Last year we played D.C. United and I have to say I was very impressed with the standard of American players then. We have several in England and, of course, the U.S. national team has qualified for the World Cup again. It will also be great to come to Chicago for the first time. The American fans are very welcoming and knowledgeable about English and European football, and in Europe we all know about Chicago's famous sporting history, with the Chicago Bulls, Michael Jordan and the White Sox."
Pepsi and Sierra Mist continue to support soccer in the United States by being the title sponsor of the MLS All-Star Game for the fifth straight year.
"This event is always one of the highlights of the MLS season. It gives fans the unique opportunity to see a competition between some of the best soccer players in the world," said John Galloway, vice president of sports marketing and media for Pepsi-Cola North America. "We are pleased to support the MLS All-Star game for the fifth straight year and we're looking forward to another exciting event."
The 11 MLS All-Star games have offered fans a variety of formats. On six occasions All-Stars squads from the Eastern Conference and Western Conference have squared off. In 1998 the best players in the League faced each other in a USA vs. World format, while in 2002 the MLS All-Stars defeated the U.S. National Team 3-2 at RFK Stadium in a celebration of the team's historic World Cup Quarterfinal finish.
Originally slated for July 29, the 2006 Sierra Mist MLS All-Star Game's new date of August 5 required Major League Soccer to reschedule August 5 matches to July 29. Thus, the updated MLS schedule for July 29 and August 5 follows:
Saturday, July 29, 2006 (times ET)
Columbus Crew at Chicago Fire, 8:30 pm
Colorado Rapids at FC Dallas, 8:30 p.m.
Red Bull New York at Houston Dynamo, 8:30 p.m.
D.C. United at Real Salt Lake, 9 p.m.
Saturday, August 5, 2006
Sierra Mist All-Star Game, 6:30 p.m. ESPN
Chicago Fire season ticket holders will receive a priority offer to purchase All-Star tickets before they go on sale to the general public. The on-sale date for the general public will be announced in the near future. For more information call 1-888-MLS-FIRE or visit www.Chicago-Fire.com.
