Major League Soccer will put its best athletes on display in Chicago this summer. City and league officials announced on Tuesday that the 2017 MLS All-Star Game will be held on August 2 at Soldier Field.
As part of the deal, the city plans to host a variety of events during the week leading up to the annual match. Events will include player appearances, concerts, community service initiatives and the fourth annual MLS Homegrown Game, which features the league’s best homegrown players.
This summer’s All-Star Game isn’t Soldier Field’s first foray into the world of soccer (or football, for some). Past events include last summer’s Copa America Centenario, the World Cup Qualifiers, 1994 FIFA World Cup matches and CONCACAF Gold Cup matches.
Soldier Field was also the home of the city's very-own soccer club, the Chicago Fire, from 1998 to 2001 and 2003 to 2005. Chicago Fire head coach Veljko Paunovic will manage the All-Star team against a yet-to-be announced opponent.
“Chicago is one of the great sports cities in America, and Soldier Field is one of the most historic venues in this country and around the world,” MLS Commissioner Don Garber said in a statement. “The MLS All-Star Game is an opportunity to take the best of our league and put them up against one of the best clubs while broadcasting it around the globe.”
The 2017 All-Star Game will air in more than 170 countries. In the U.S. market, the game will be broadcast live on FS1, UDN and UniMás.
In a news release, Mayor Rahm Emanuel stated that Chicago is an ideal city to showcase a global sport such as soccer. “This match will not just bring more world-class soccer to the city, it will help inspire future generations of soccer stars who are learning the game on playgrounds and fields in neighborhoods throughout the city of Chicago.”
This is the first MLS All-Star Game to be played in the city but not the first time the league brought its annual summer showcase to the Chicago area. In 2006, the MLS held its All-Star Game at Toyota Park in Bridgeview.
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