Arsenal ‘chosen as 2023 opponent for MLS All-Star Game’ with Wayne Rooney set to take charge of MLS
Arsenal ‘chosen as 2023 opponent for MLS All-Star Game’ as part of their pre-season schedule in July… with DC United boss Wayne Rooney set to take charge of the US league team
- Arsenal are reportedly set to play in an MLS All-Star Game for the second time.
- They previously faced the league’s stars in 2016, winning 2-1 in San Jose.
MLS’s opponent for this summer’s All-Star Game will be Arsenal, according to a new report.
The league has brought elite European competition with it since it abandoned the ‘East vs. Oeste’ in 2005, with Chelsea, Manchester United, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid taking on the stars of the league over the years.
Now, the Gunners are set to battle the best in MLS in Washington DC on July 19 at DC United’s Audi Field, according to anonymous sources cited by the athletic.
Arsenal also took part in the game in 2016, with the likes of Jack Wilshere and Theo Walcott starting, and will be the first English team to take on MLS since then.
The DC setting of the game also means that MLS will have some Premier League experience in its own dugout.
MLS All-Stars celebrate a goal against the Liga MX All-Stars last season at Allianz Field
Arsenal will reportedly take on MLS All-Stars this summer in Washington DC
Wayne Rooney has played in the game before, and now he seems ready to coach him.
Wayne Rooney has managed DC United since last summer, and the coach of the host city team normally manages the All-Star team.
The Manchester United great also revealed Arsenal’s involvement in the match to fans at a recent event, according to The Athletic, while joking that “the city deserved to welcome a great club, unlike the opponents of the Game of Stars this year: Arsenal”.
Rooney’s DC team sits 11th in the Eastern Conference with four points after a 3-2 loss to New York City FC on Saturday.
Man United’s all-time top scorer is unfamiliar with the MLS All-Star Game.
He played as a player in United’s 4-0 win in 2011, while he dressed for the other team as a player for DC in 2019 against Atlético Madrid.
Arsenal’s place in the game represents a departure from the league’s recent trends of facing a Liga MX All-Star team, which has happened in the past two seasons.
The newly formed Champions Cup and Leagues Cup have given fans the opportunity to see MLS teams against Mexican teams on a more consistent basis.
