If you’re looking to get a soccer fix after the Women’s World Cup earlier this month, there’s the MLS All-Star Game being played in Harrison, NJ tonight. ESPN2 will carry the game and it will have plenty of international stars including David Beckham and Thierry Henry playing for the MLS All-Stars as they go up against English Premier League Champion Manchester United, easily the world’s most popular club team in the sport and the most corrupt (I’m a Chelsea fan). Anyway, the game marks the time the MLS All-Star Game will have been played at Red Bull Arena. Coverage begins at 8:30 p.m. ET on ESPN2.
Calling the game for ESPN2 will be Adrian Healey and John Harkes.
2011 MLS All-Star Game Wednesday on ESPN2
David Beckham, Thierry Henry and Omar Bravo Lead MLS’s Best vs. Barclays Premier League Champion Manchester United
ESPN2 and ESPN3.com will show live the 2011 MLS All-Star Game on Wednesday, July 27, beginning at 8:30 p.m. ET from the Red Bull Arena in Harrison, N.J. – the first MLS All-Star event at the state-of-the-art soccer-specific stadium. The special telecast, available in high definition, will feature MLS All-Stars, led by Los Angeles Galaxy’s David Beckham, New York Red Bull Thierry Henry, and Sporting Kansas City’s Omar Bravo versus Manchester United, the most successful club in English football with a record 19 league titles and 11 FA Cups.
This will mark the second consecutive MLS All-Star game between the U.S. league’s best players and Manchester United. This year, the MLS All-Star roster includes players with more than 10 combined appearances on FIFA World Cup teams – Beckham (1998, 2002, ’06), Henry (1998, 2002, ’06, ’10), Kasey Keller (1998, 2002), Omar Bravo (2006) and Faryd Mondragón (1998). Tonight’s All-Star Game is also the first time Beckham will face his former team Manchester United in the U.S.
Manchester United is coming off its 19th league title after winning the 2010-2011 Barclays Premier League season. Led by Sir Alex Ferguson, who is entering his 25th season as the club’s manager, Manchester United’s roster is stacked with some of the top-tier players in the world. Former Welsh national team captain Ryan Giggs, England’s Wayne Rooney and Rio Ferdinand, Portugal’s Nani, French international Patrice Evra, Serbian national team star Nemanja Vidic, Mexico’s Javier “Chícharito” Hernández, South Korea’s Ji-Sung Park, and others return from last season’s Premier League title winners.
Adrian Healey and John Harkes, ESPN’s primary MLS commentator team, will call the action, with Rob Stone as sideline reporter. Max Bretos, Alexi Lalas, Steve McManaman and Taylor Twellman will host the studio coverage including pre-game, halftime and post-game segments live from Red Bull Arena. Coverage will also include live, in-game interviews with select coaches and/or players.
ESPN International
The All-Star game will be broadcast via ESPN International networks to over 39.3 million television home in 104 countries and territories across the world.
We’re done here.
