Major League Soccer’s best and brightest are headed to the Rocky Mountains this summer, and they’re bringing Tottenham Hotspur with them.
On Tuesday, MLS revealed that Dick’s Sporting Good Park, the home of the Colorado Rapids, will host the 2015 AT&T MLS All-Star Game on July 29 (9 pm ET), with the English Premier League club becoming the 10th different international club to take on the MLS All-Stars, who defeated Bayern Munich 2-1 last summer in Portland.
The game will be televised live on FOX Sports 1, UniMás and Univision Deportes Network (UDN) in the United States, TSN and RDS in Canada, and in more than 100 countries worldwide.
“The AT&T MLS All-Star Game continues to be one of the most entertaining and widely anticipated traditions for our league and for our sport in North America,” MLS president and deputy commissioner Mark Abbott said in a statement. “We are excited to welcome another world-class opponent in Tottenham and look forward to a competitive match and a tremendous week of events. We know that the Colorado Rapids, one of our inaugural clubs, will be great hosts and that Dick’s Sporting Goods Park will impress both the fans in the stadium and television viewers throughout the world.”
Following last year’s dramatic victory punctuated by a game-winning goal from Landon Donovan, the MLS All-Stars are now 7-3-1 against international competition, including world-famous opponents such as Manchester United (2010 & 2011), Everton (2009), Chelsea (2006 & 2012), Roma (2012) and Bayern Munich (2014).
Tottenham will bring a familiar face in defender
DeAndre Yedlin
, who started at right back for the MLS All-Stars in 2014 against Bayern and was selected to the 2013 team by MLS Commissioner Don Garber, the first rookie since 2005 to receive the honor.
"We'd like to thank Major League Soccer for the invitation to take part in the 2015 All-Star Game,” Tottenham head coach Mauricio Pochettino said in a statement. “The fact that this will be our only fixture outside of Europe during preseason says a lot about how we view this game. We enjoyed three tough matches last summer in North America and the quality of football in MLS continues to grow every year.
“Preseason is an important time for us and we are looking forward to being a part of one of the biggest events on the US football calendar. We know the quality of the facilities will be top-class and we see this fixture against the best players from MLS as good preparation."
Founded in 1882, Spurs, as they are affectionately known, are a mainstay in the English Premier League and regular participants in European competitions. The London-based club lifted the Football League Championship, now the Premier League championship, on two occasions (1951, 1961), as well as a host of domestic cups, including the FA Cup, which the club have won eight times.
“Once again, we’re thrilled to mobilize soccer fans’ passions at the AT&T MLS All-Star Game,” said Bill Moseley, AT&T's director of marketing and communications. “Each year, the game shows off the sport’s very best, and we can’t wait to share this summer’s experience with soccer spectators everywhere.”
An exclusive presale window for Colorado Rapids full season ticket members and additional partners will take place from April 16-23. Tickets will then go on sale to the general public starting on April 23 at noon ET. In addition to the All-Star Game, fans will be able to purchase tickets to the Chipotle MLS Homegrown Game, with a 50-percent discount offered to those who purchase All-Star Game tickets.
