NEW YORK – The Big Apple will finally get another bite at the MLS All-Star Game.
For the first time in 14 years, the New York metropolitan area will host the 2011 AT&T MLS All-Star Game after the league announced on Tuesday that the 2011 edition will be played at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, N.J., on July 27 at 8:30 pm ET.
The All-Stars’ opponent and ticket details will be announced by MLS at a later date.
“The combination of one of the most spectacular stadiums of its size in the world with the passionate soccer supporters in the metropolitan New York area will provide a terrific showcase for our All-Star Game,” league Commissioner Don Garber said. “Red Bull Arena will be a tremendous venue for this marquee event and we are pleased to bring the All-Star Game to an area with a rich soccer tradition.”
Garber will join LA Galaxy midfielder Landon Donovan and New York Red Bulls forward Thierry Henry to discuss the event in further detail on a media teleconference call that will be streamed by MLSsoccer.com later on Tuesday at 3:30 pm ET.
New York was the venue for the All-Star Game in back-to-back years during the league’s first two seasons in 1996 and 1997. The old Giants Stadium hosted East vs. West matchups on both occasions.
The league has since moved to a format which showcases the stars of the league against renowned international opponents including Chelsea, Manchester United, Celtic, Chivas de Guadalajara and Everton. The MLS squad has lost only one of those eight matches, against Manchester United last year at Reliant Stadium in Houston in front of a record-breaking crowd of more than 70,000.
Now it will be the turn of $200 million Red Bull Arena, the 25,000-seat soccer-specific stadium opened last year.
Tickets for the 2011 AT&T MLS All-Star Game will be made available to Red Bulls full-season ticket members and partial plan holders before they go on sale to the general public.
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