The stars of the U.S. World Cup team and the best players in Major League Soccer face off Saturday in the MLS All Star Game at Robert F-Kennedy Stadium in Washington. The game should be a celebration of both the Americans' success in the World Cup and the League that produced a majority of the national team players.
The game is sure to be a celebration of MLS, which provided a majority of the players on the U.S. team that reached the quarterfinals of this year's World Cup in South Korea and Japan.
Sixteen of the U.S. players were from MLS or had played for the U.S. league. MLS players Clint Mathis, Landon Donovan, and Brian McBride scored goals for the U.S. team in the World Cup.
Bruce Arena will coach the U.S. National team while Frank Yallop of the San Jose Earthquakes will lead the MLS All-Stars. Friday, the national team visited the White House, and Coach Arena said that the players showed how far U.S. Soccer has come.
"They have given alot for U.S. Soccer and I am thrilled for them. They had a fantastic World Cup. They have gotten their due appreciation and attention and again, capped off with a visit with the President was outstanding for these young men, who are great representatives of our country," he said.
Saturday's game will be a departure from the usual format, which usually has the best MLS players from the Eastern and Western Conferences face off.