Wayne Rooney has revealed the name of this year’s opponent for the MLS All-Star Game. It will be the current Premier League leader

The traditional event hosted by Major League Soccer (MLS) will take place on July 19 at D.C. United. The current Premier League leader Arsenal will face the All-Star team of the American competition. Wayne Rooney, the current coach of the club playing on the host field and a Manchester United legend, was scheduled to speak about the opponent.

The top scorer of the English national team (53 goals, just like Harry Kane) let his mouth drop, so to speak. He revealed to several V.I.P. people that this year’s challenger for the MLS All-Star selection will be London Arsenal.

He also jokingly remarked that he would rather welcome Manchester United, the team whose jersey he wore for 13 long years. Rooney himself has played the game twice. The first time was in 2011, when he and his teammates celebrated a 4-0 victory.

The second time he joined the match on the opposite side, however, in 2019, even he could not prevent a 3: 0 defeat to Spain’s Atlético Madrid. This year, he is expected to make his debut on the bench.

The clash will be played on July 19 at Audi Field, the home of the D.C. team. United’s home ground. And as a rule, it is the coach of the host city who leads the All-Star selection in these duels.

The game is a classic 90-minute match. In the event of a tie, penalties are kicked. Before the opening whistle, there’s a skills competition where teams of three play against each other.

This will be the second visit to this traditional event for the Gunners squad. Back in 2016, under Arséne Wenger’s leadership, they won here 2-1 thanks to goals from Joel Campbell and Chuba Akpom. Didier Drogba reduced the deficit for the home side.

At the moment, however, this is a completely different Arsenal than the one people have known in recent years. And perhaps because of their attractive style of play, the current English Premier League leaders have been invited this year.

The Gunners are one of “England’s seven chosen ones.” In addition to them, Everton, Chelsea, Fulham, Tottenham, West Ham and the twice-mentioned Manchester United are also here. And the Red Devils have won twice, while the Toffees and the Gunners have added one win each.

Source: The Athletic