Major League Soccer Commissioner Don Garber announced Monday that Houston will host the 2010 All-Star Game. Houston is the home of the 2-time MLS Cup winners, Houston Dynamo.
“Houston will be a tremendous site for the 2010 MLS All-Star Game. We are pleased to reward its vibrant soccer community,” Garber said. “The city of Houston has consistently and fervently supported the Dynamo in recent years.” Commission Garber was joined by Oliver Luck, Houston’s President and General Manager, at the announcement from Park City, Utah. “We are very proud to be hosting the MLS All-Star Game in 2010,” Luck said. “Our selection as the host city is a true testament to the fans and the unique soccer culture that makes Houston one of the top soccer markets in the country.”
The Dynamo moved from San Jose in 2005, won the MLS Cup in 2006 and 2007, and have finished near the top of the Western Division in each of its three seasons.
The game will be held either at the 71,500 capacity Reliant Stadium or the 32,000 capacity Robertson Stadium, where the Dynamo play their home games. Many fans speculated that the game would be held at the soon-to-be-opened opened Red Bull Stadium in New York, but Houston will be the site of the 15th annual showcase of MLS talent.
The All-Star game will be held after the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, at the start of many professional league’s preseason period. There has already been much speculation as to who the All-Stars will play in the match, but some believe that, given the large Hispanic fanbase in Houston, it could by a popular F.M.F. side like Club America. The last time the MLS All-Stars played a Mexican side was in 2003 when the All-Stars beat Chivas de Guadalajara 3-2.
The All-Stars have previously played Scottish powerhouse Celtic and such English Premier League teams as Chelsea FC, West Ham United, and Fulham FC. Before the All-Stars played against foreign opposition, the game was played out in a West v. East format.
The MLS All-Stars are playing English side Everton FC in this year’s All-Star game in Utah.
The All-Star game is the culmination of a week-long celebration of the beautiful game in the United States. More information regarding the game and tickets will be available at www.houstondynamo.com, the Dynamo’s official website, in the coming months.
You can follow Jordan Wise’s other thoughts on the beautiful game on Twitter @FCShambles.
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