The 2011 MLS All-Star game is very quickly approaching, and this year it looks like we might have a very intriguing matchup on our hands.

The MLS All-Star team will be matching up against the English Premier League champion, Manchester United, at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, N.J., on July 27.

Not only will all of the best players that Major League Soccer has to offer be on the pitch, but so will some of the world's.

Not to mention arguably the most popular club in international soccer.

MLS commissioner Don Garber had this to say about the game:

“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. 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.”

The game will kick off at 8:30 pm ET.

Manchester United is going to be an incredible foe for the MLS All-Stars. United boasts a bevy of superstars, including the likes of Wayne Rooney, striker Javier “Chicharito” Hernández and Nani on the wing. The club has won the domestic league 19 times, has been European champions three times and won the FIFA Club World Cup in 2008.

The MLS will bring their own star-studded lineup to the table, though. David Beckham and Landon Donovan of the LA Galaxy could be the headliners, along with the hometown New York Red Bulls' most famous representative, Thierry Henry.

The game can be found on ESPN2, Galavisión and TSN.

The following ticket information is from MLSSoccer.com:

Tickets for the 2011 AT&T MLS All-Star Game will be available for purchase by Red Bulls season-ticket holders and plan holders on April 20 at 10:00 a.m. EST. Any remaining tickets will go on sale to the general public on June 2 at 2:00 p.m. EST. For more information visit www.newyorkredbulls.com/tickets/allstarinfo or call 877.RBSOCCER.

Follow Andrew on Twitter: @AKonSports

Read more MLS news on BleacherReport.com

Source: Click Here

The 2011 MLS All-Star roster is out!

Do you care to guess who made it?

If you’re as tired of the guessing games and the melodrama leading up to this as I am, then join me in breaking down the roster.

The game-day roster will consist of 22 players from 12 teams and will be highlighted by David Beckham, Landon Donovan and Thierry Henry.

2011 MLS All-Star Game Roster:

Head Coach:

Hans Backe – New York Red Bulls

Goalkeeper:

Tally Hall – Houston Dynamo

Faryd Mondragon – Philadelphia Union

Defense:

Corey Ashe – Houston Dynamo

Matt Besler – Sporting Kansas City

Geoff Cameron – Houston Dynamo

Bobby Convey – San Jose Earthquakes

Sean Franklin – LA Galaxy

Jamison Olave – Real Salt Lake

Heath Pearce – Chivas USA

Tim Ream – New York Red Bulls

Midfield:

Kyle Beckerman – Real Salt Lake

David Beckham – LA Galaxy

Brad Davis – Houston Dynamo

Jack Jewsbury – Portland Timbers

Shalrie Joseph – New England Revolution

Nick LaBrocca – Chivas USA

Forward:

Juan Agudelo – New York Red Bulls

Omar Bravo – Sporting Kansas City

Omar Cummings – Colorado Rapids

Landon Donovan – LA Galaxy

Thierry Henry – New York Red Bulls

Chris Wondolowski – San Jose Earthquakes

Inactive:

Kasey Keller – Seattle Sounders FC

Omar Gonzalez – LA Galaxy

Rafa Marquez – New York Red Bulls

Brek Shea – FC Dallas

So there you have it ladies and gentlemen: Your 2011 MLS All-Star team!

How do you feel about the All-Star selections? Are you satisfied with the picks? Do you think anybody got snubbed?

Let us know!

The team will be taking on Manchester United, English Premier League champion, on July 27th at the Red Bull Arena in Harrison, New Jersey.

Follow Andrew on Twitter: @AKonSports

Read more MLS news on BleacherReport.com

Source: Click Here

Father for the fourth time David Beckham will join up with Thierry Henry in the lineup chosen for the upcoming MLS All-Star friendly match against the Englishman's former side Manchester United next week.

The 22-man MLS All-Star squad will face the English Premier League champions in New York on July 27 and gives the L.A. Galaxy star the opportunity to step back onto the field against his former charges.

Ex-Arsenal striker Henry will also get the chance to renew hostilities and friendships with his former English Premiership rivals, joining with five other forwards looking for a starting spot in New York.

Team USA star Landon Donovan leads the charge of American-born players who will face Manchester United in the penultimate game of their American tour. Donovan currently sits level with Henry at the head of the MLS goal-scoring charts this season with nine.

All-Star veterans such as Shalrie Joseph (New England Revolution), Brad Davis (Houston Dynamo) and Kyle Beckerman (Real Salt Lake) also feature in Hans Backe's side, as do exciting newcomers like Sporting Kansas City's Omar Bravo, Colombian international Faryd Mondragon and speedy Jamaican striker Omar Cummings.

The MLS All-Star team will be hoping for better luck than last years match where Manchester United outclassing the MLS team, winning 5-2 with relative ease.

MLS All-Star squad:

Goalkeepers: Tally Hall (Houston Dynamo), Faryd Mondragon (Philadelphia Union).

Defenders: Corey Ashe (Houston Dynamo), Matt Besler (Sporting Kansas City), Geoff Cameron (Houston Dynamo), Bobby Convey (San Jose Earthquakes), Sean Franklin (Los Angeles Galaxy), Jamison Olave (Real Salt Lake), Heath Pearce (Chivas USA), Tim Ream (Red Bull New York).

Midfielders: Kyle Beckerman (Real Salt Lake), David Beckham (Los Angeles Galaxy), Brad Davis (Houston Dynamo), Jack Jewsbury (Portland Timbers), Shalrie Joseph (New England Revolution), Nick LaBrocca (Chivas USA).

Forwards: Juan Agudelo (Red Bull New York), Omar Bravo (Sporting Kansas City), Omar Cummings (Colorado Rapids), Landon Donovan (Los Angeles Galaxy), Thierry Henry (Red Bull New York), Chris Wondolowski (San Jose Earthquakes).

Marc Roseblade is a Contributor for Bleacher Report as well as Not Just Scottish Football and youth development reporter for Ayr United Football Academy. All quotes are obtained first-hand unless otherwise stated.

Read more MLS news on BleacherReport.com

Source: Click Here

New York Red Bulls head coach Hans Backe has announced his game day roster for the upcoming Major League Soccer All-Star game.

The All-Star team will face English Premier League Champion Manchester United on July 27th in New York.

After the fan vote to determine the First XI and league commissioner Don Garber adding his two selections, Backe finalized the 22-man roster today.

Backe was somewhat limited in his selections due to being able to choose only from players who could play in the match. Injured players were not considered, and players from the Seattle Sounders and FC Dallas were left off of the list because both teams will participate in the CONCACAF Champions League tournament.

Players on the game day roster include:

Goalkeeper: Tally Hall (HOU), Faryd Mondragon (PHI)

Defenders: Corey Ashe (HOU), Geoff Cameron (HOU), Bobby Convey (SJ), Matt Besler (KC), Sean Franklin (LA), Jamison Olave (RSL), Heath Pearce (Chivas), Tim Ream (NY)

Midfielders: Kyle Beckerman (RSL), David Beckham (LA), Brad Davis (HOU), Jack Jewsbury (POR), Shalrie Joseph (NE), Nick LaBrocca (Chivas)

Forwards: Juan Agudelo (NY), Omar Bravo (KC), Omar Cummings (COL), Landon Donavan (LA), Thierry Henry (NY), Chris Wondolowski (SJ)

The First XI and Commissioner's picks included:

Goalkeeper: Kasey Keller (SEA)

Defenders: Omar Gonzalez (LA), Sean Franklin (LA), Rafa Márquez (NY), Tim Ream (NY)

Midfielders: David Beckham (LA), Jack Jewsbury (POR), Brek Shea (DAL)

Forwards: Landon Donovan (LA), Thierry Henry (NY), Chris Wondolowski (SJ), Juan Agudelo (NY). Omar Bravo (KC)

Kansas City defender Matt Besler was also added via the AT&T Fan Text Voting Contest.

The starting lineup for the match will not be revealed until the day of the game.

Roster Information found on the league website at www.mlssoccer.com

Chris Johstoneaux is a contributor to Bleacher Report who usually covers the NBA and Major League Soccer. If you liked this article, please take a moment to leave me a comment and follow me on Twitter @JazzRSLExaminer or Facebook at the Chris J. Sports Page

Read more MLS news on BleacherReport.com

Source: Click Here

This just in: The 2011 United States women's national soccer team have pulled off one of the biggest chokes in history, a 3-1 defeat on penalties to Japan at the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup after a 2-2 draw.

Wait a minute—that's the women's game! We're talking about the men's game here. So, while the women descend into the halls of ignominy, the men of MLS turn a blind eye and soldier on with their battles to attend to.

We've got movers. We've got shakers. We've got a new team on top. All that and more in this week's Major League Soccer Power Rankings.

Spare a thought for the ladies though, will you?

Begin Slideshow

Source: Click Here

A win is a win is a win.

The Portland Timbers managed their first road win of the year in a most unconvincing fashion in Chicago over the weekend. A 1-0 nail-biter won with Captain Jack Jewsbury's penalty kick.

The real hero of the match, however, was once again keeper Troy Perkins. He made three saves that would be considered remarkable in any league in the world—one of them might go down as the save of the year.

More on that later.

The soccer gods finally smiled on Portland, after nearly two months of having almost nothing but bad luck. The Timbers managed to lose games, and tie games that they should have won, in every conceivable fashion.

They gave up a goal on a set piece to Colorado in the last 10 seconds of the game that gave Colorado the win.

They committed a hand ball in the penalty area against New York in the last 20 seconds that resulted in a tie.

They gave up two leads in the second half against Seattle that resulted in a tough loss at home against their bitter rivals.

They played strong against Chivas and Kansas City, but still came away with a loss.

Finally, a bit of good fortune smiled on the Timbers.

The game came in spurts and fits, with Portland sometimes leading the attack, and sometimes sitting on their heels. In the 23rd minute a penalty was called on Jorge Perlazza at the top of the box, resulting in a PK and penalty on Gonzalo Segares. The call was probably harsh, but after what the Timbers have endured, it was deserved.

Jewsbury calmly struck in the left corner of the net.

Up 1-0, Portland then went into a defensive shell.

Chicago continually pressed the action and controlled possession for much of the remainder of the game.

Though Jorge Perlazza did have a break away and a one on one with the Chicago keeper that, honestly, should have resulted in a second goal.

Once again Perlazza showed a lack of composure and completely flubbed the shot.

Chicago had at least five excellent shots on goal. Two hit wood, and I have no idea how the second one didn't go in. It was an open shot for substitute Orr Barouch from about eight feet away and he shanked it.

Then, again, Portland received a fortunate result when Yamith Cuesta was sent off with a red card with 23 minutes to play.

You might think that up 1-0, with an extra player, that Portland would dominate play and press the action.

Think again.

Perkins had to make two world-class saves in the waning moments. One, a foot save off a deflection, might go off as save of the year.

By the end of the season, Perkins might be suffering from post-traumatic stress syndrome with all the action he's getting.

As far as the team is concerned, the defense is still a mess. I am liking the 4-5-1 formation implemented by coach John Spencer, though.

James Marcelin is definitely an improvement in the middle of the field and cuts down a lot of set pieces and headers. Perlazza had a decent game, but not a great one. Sal Zizzo actually made some great runs into space and put some pressure on the Chicago defenders. Kalif Alhassan had a quiet game.

It's becoming obvious to most that the defense is the weakness on this team. The outside defenders, Wallace and Jeremy Hall, are just horrible. They are continually getting beat on runs. The midfielders need to do a much, much better job of tracking back and defending against runs. Chicago had a ton of chances from their mid-fielders and defenders pushing up.

But, a win is a win is a win. Great to see the lads break their seven-game winless streak and get their first win on the road.

Read more MLS news on BleacherReport.com

Source: Click Here

I am frankly stunned as well, I thought this was the last one we could win playing like we do. The loss to Japan should be a wake-up call to the United States. A nation whose top women's league is semiprofessional just beat us.

Can we finally just admit that physicality and luck can only take us so far from now on, since more nations have caught up? Can we finally just admit that the "rich kids' game" approach to soccer has finally and totally failed?

Did you know that the L League, the top women's league in Japan, is a semiprofessional league, yet they have two tiers of promotion and relegation? You know, promotion and relegation, something American soccer is allergic to. Of course, Major League Soccer fanboys will say "the infrastructure is not there yet" for promotion and relegation for American soccer, despite little Qatar having such a system, with two tiers of 12 teams each.

 To develop the sport for the men, we must be able to have "superclubs." And we must start paying our top American players to play on such clubs in America. For the women, it's the perfect way to build teams at the grassroots level.  

The United States Soccer Federation, with their weak leader Sunil Gulati (who had a good view of the defeat), refuses to mandate such a system for the men, and of course dares not mandate it for the women.

It's interesting to note Gulati's conflict of interest working for a MLS team, who adamantly does not want to join the serious soccer world, preferring "McSoccer" to progress. Promotion and relegation shouldn't be MLS' call; it is Gulati's call supposedly.

Look at WPS attendance, you would think the attendance would be better than WUSA after learning so much about their failures, and it's far worse.

But that's not the only problem. A nation who treats soccer as the "rich kids' game" when it's the "poor kids' game" everywhere else can only succeed on the women's side for so long until other nations got more organized.

A story in Philadelphia (a city which is 43 percent African-American) noted that of the over 550 girls teams, only one had a majority of African-American players. Notice many African-American players on our team? We focus on "academies" not tied to professional teams, when high school soccer attendance stinks. It's horrible. Next time, without drastic change, it will get worse for sure.

Here's some free advice:

1. Start playing futsal everywhere. Notice how the ESPN commentators were raving about the short-sided soccer Japan's players had to play due to space issues? They're dancing around it; it had to be futsal.

Instead of overpriced soccer complexes (at taxpayer expense) which price a lot of African-American kids out of the sport, get futsal in every recreation center, every middle school and high school gym in America.

2. End these "academies." Focus on high schools for development. In high schools, the football coach runs the middle and elementary school program. This is why their attendance is so good on Friday nights.

No more "British camps" in the summer. No more traveling academies pricing kids out of the sport. From now on, the high school soccer coach is in charge of development of the kids at middle and elementary school levels. Those coaches will run the summer camps and futsal programs offseason.

3. Change when high school and college soccer is played. All states should play high school soccer in the spring for boys and girls. Also, colleges should be promoting soccer far better by playing in the spring and summer like college baseball does. Look at the attention college baseball has that soccer could be getting.

4. Promotion and relegation in American soccer. Finally. Both genders. Don't tell me it can't be done. Again, Qatar has two tiers of 12 teams each. Frankly, with the women's league done the way it is, now is the time to reshape the league.

5. Stop demanding overpriced "soccer-specific" stadiums and complexes paid by taxpayers. Believe it or not, your 8-year old Johnny's development won't be killed if he isn't playing on "FIFA regulation fields." Kids should be playing futsal in the early ages anyway, just like they do in Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and every other South American country.

How many men's World Cups did South America win again (hint: the answer is nine)? How many did the United States win again (hint: the answer is zero)? When possible, look at newer artificial turf fields built on existing school property (that taxpayers already paid for) and look for "eco-friendly" cooler fields from companies like Mondo and GeoTurfUSA, so many outdoor sports can be played.

6. Fire Sunil Gulati. For a variety of reasons. Red ribbons are not acceptable to Americans—not the men's Confederations Cup Final (in which we choked a two-goal lead to Brazil) and certainly not now. Especially with the "trained flea" mentality of the current United States Soccer Federation. A campaign has to start now to have any chance to replace him (or whoever MLS boss Don Garber elects to replace him) by the 2014 election.

I started a "citizen campaign" to replace Sunil Gulati, and I hope I'm not the only one to wage such a campaign. Please visit www.dennisjustice.com, join the Facebook page and follow my Tweets @DennisJustice.

The other women's programs have caught up to us. The other serious men's programs aren't even paying attention to us, they only say nice things about us because we mean television ratings and jersey sales to them. Neither situation should be acceptable to us anymore. Ultimately, this is a leadership problem, and it starts at the top. We need "leadership, not followship."

Read more MLS news on BleacherReport.com

Source: Click Here

There’s no doubt that the MLS is on its way up in American society. Fifteen years ago it would have been impossible to think about the incredible production the league has endured since its inception.

The MLS now boasts 18 teams, spread amongst each region, with many of these clubs becoming a top entertainment option in their respective location. In 1996, the league was begging cities to take on a team. Now, cities would do anything to buy a piece of the multi-million dollar enterprise.

The last couple of years we have seen multiple MLS bids come and go, mainly leaving fans drowned in speculation about who we will see grace the league in a few years. Rumors have gotten to a point where it is hard to tell what part of the body the whistle-blower's words are coming.

I am here to analyze the potential bids and distinguish the contenders and pretenders for the 20th MLS spot and beyond.

Begin Slideshow

Source: Click Here

Bruce Arena's Los Angeles Galaxy will take on Jose Mourinho's Real Madrid CF in the first of two matches in the 2011 Herbalife World Football Challenge.

Los Blancos are coming off a disappointing year, which only saw them win the Copa Del Rey against a second-place finish in La Liga and a UEFA Champions League semifinal loss at the hands of FC Barcelona.

As for the Los Angeles Galaxy, they are coming off a tough 3-1 defeat to the Seattle Sounders in the US Open Cup and will look to rebound with an upset victory over Real.

Kickoff is scheduled for 7:00 p;m. PT/10:00 p.m. ET. The live blog will begin hours to kickoff.

Keep it here on Bleacher Report for continuing coverage of World Football. 

Read more MLS news on BleacherReport.com

Source: Click Here

After this MLS season ends in November, David Beckham will be out of contract at the LA Galaxy. He has stated his desire to stay in the US after his Galaxy contract is up but he also constantly talks about how much he misses England.

The following is a list of potential options for Becks after this season.

Begin Slideshow

Source: Click Here