Thoughts From the MLS All-Star Game Against Manchester United
By Ty Duffy
The Match: Manchester United obviously plays at a higher level, though there’s not much to gleam about relative strengths from the 4-0 result. One was a coherent team, the other was an assembly of all-stars together for a single training session. Conditions were unrealistic with upright defenses. Under competitive circumstances, Ji-Sung Park has far less space to score this goal.
The MLS starters did not hold their manhoods cheap. They hung with Man U for the first half. Playing the Red Devils seemed to enliven both Henry and Beckham. Shalrie Joseph played some nice balls in a more advanced role, with Beckham sitting deep. They had a few good cracks at the goalkeeper. They struggled to finish chances, however, and Manchester United did not. The 2-0 halftime score was a bit harsh. Backe brought out the subs in the second half, almost all American, and they got wrecked by Man U’s reserves. The 4-0 final score was more than a bit forgiving.
Selection: MLS all-star selections drew criticism before the match. The roster were heavily weighted with Galaxy and hometown Red Bulls players, including Juan Agudelo who does not start. The Columbus Crew, tied for first-place in the Eastern Conference, had no representative among the 32 players. The league also named “inactive” all-stars which seemed pointless and bizarre. Voting perhaps failed to reflect reality, but, as with the latter half of Cal Ripken’s career, who cares? It’s an all-star game.
Old Dogs: Beckham’s elite skills, his vision and technique, have not faded. The only trouble is he can no longer run. He was impressive, playing a full match in the deep-lying playmaker role. Left space on the ball, he picked out passes and distributed quite well. One wonders why England, perpetually bereft of intelligent ball-playing from the back, never tried him there. The crowd still stops every time he lines up for a dead ball. Thierry Henry’s game, more predicated on speed, is in decline. He’s still great by MLS standards, but watching him try to take Phil Jones one on one and losing the ball was just depressing. He’s still must-watch, but increasingly it’s for his amusing petulance rather than his play.
USMNT: Agudelo came on for a cameo. Ream should be a fixture come 2014. I still believe Bradley gave up on him too quickly in the Gold Cup. Bobby Convey did not implode at left back and, unlike Bocanegra, will still be able to masticate solid food when Brazil rolls around. Just saying…
Man United: Man United’s strength is its veteran continuity. Recent signings Phil Jones and Ashley Young started still look as though they’re trying to absorb themselves into the pack. Anderson and Carrick are decent enough in the middle, but, to beat Barcelona or Real Madrid in the Champions League, they need to land a Nasri/Sneijder/Modric type who can be a more mobile version of Paul Scholes.
Fireworks: It was Red Bull Arena, meaning everything must be EXTREME. Aerial stunts, fireworks and more fireworks. There was smoke everywhere. Soccer balls were kicked into the press box. It felt like a bloodless, Battle of the Somme. It did lead to a cute moment with Wayne Rooney comforting his young kid who was terrified and covering his ears.
[Photo via Getty]