MLS vs. the 'world'

• by Mike Woitalla  @MikeWoitalla, Jul 27, 2011

[MLS ALL-STAR GAME] For the seventh straight year and eighth time in MLS's 16-year history, the MLS All-Star game pits the league against a foreign club. Only once has MLS lost, but that was 5-2 thrashing by Manchester United, which again provides the competition on Wednesday (8:30 pm ET, ESPN2, Telefutura). Here's a recap of MLS All-Star Game history ...

In MLS’s first two seasons (1996-97), the MLS All-Star Game took the traditional American East-West format, although the first game was a doubleheader with a FIFA-UNICEF world all-star game that drew 78,416 fans to Giants Stadium.

In 1998, the All-Star Game was a clash between MLS Americans and its foreign stars. (MLS USA beat a squad with virtually no defenders, 6-1.)

From 1991 to 2001, it was East vs. West again, and in 2002, the U.S. national team played the MLS All-Stars and won, 3-2.

In 2003, MLS introduced the format that has made the event unique. It invited a foreign opponent, Chivas Guadalajara.

One more East-West game took place in 2004, but since then it’s been MLS vs. a foreign club. Last year, Manchester United – again the opponent this year -- thumped the MLS stars. But that was an abberation.

Here are the results of MLS All-Star games against foreign clubs:

2003
MLS 3, Guadalajara 1
2005
MLS 4 Fulham 1
2006
MLS 1 Chelsea 0
2007
MLS 2 Celtic 0
2008
MLS 3 West Ham 2
2009
MLS 1 Everton 1
2010
Manchester United 5, MLS 2