Report: Premier League-leading Arsenal tabbed as 2023 MLS All-Star Game opponent
Arsenal, the club currently on top of the Premier League table with 10 match days left in the 2022-23 season, will head across the Atlantic in July to take on the best of the MLS as the designated 2023 MLS All-Star Game opponent, per a report from The Athletic.
The game is scheduled for July 19 in Washington, D.C. The MLS All-Star side is set to be coached by English soccer and Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney, the current head coach of D.C. United. Rooney accidentally revealed Arsenal's participation in the 2023 game during a recent fan event in which he used it as a dig against his longtime rival club from his playing days.
[MLS Footnotes: Jordan Morris is ready to lead Sounders back to playoffs and beyond]
According to The Athletic, Rooney answered a fan question about possibly scheduling a future friendly with Manchester United in D.C. by saying he would welcome the opportunity to play a big club unlike this year's All-Star opponent — Arsenal.
Arsenal's participation returns the MLS All-Star Game to its tradition of hosting a top European club, which the event has not done since 2019, before the onset of the coronavirus pandemic that canceled the 2020 game. The MLS All-Stars faced off against an All-Star side from Mexico's Liga MX in the 2021 and 2022 editions of the game.
Arsenal will be making its second appearance in the MLS All-Star Game, having also done so in 2016, a 2-1 victory for the English side. The club is owned by American magnate Stan Kroenke, who also owns the NBA's Denver Nuggets, NFL's Los Angeles Rams, NHL's Colorado Avalanche — and MLS' Colorado Rapids.
Top stories from FOX Sports:
- USMNT captain Tyler Adams out indefinitely with hamstring injury
- Tim Weah to miss USMNT Nations League matches due to head injury
- Has 'Ted Lasso' hurt soccer in U.S.? 'We'll be happy in the long run,' says Brendan Hunt
- France legend Thierry Henry reportedly 'keen' on coaching USMNT
- Christian Pulisic backs Gregg Berhalter, says coach has been 'extremely unfortunate'
- USMNT has kept 'open dialogue' with dual national striker Folarin Balogun
- USMNT Nations League roster: Gio Reyna headlines European-heavy squad
- Gregg Berhalter remains candidate as coach after U.S. Soccer investigation
- Madrid gets Chelsea, City to meet Bayern in Champions League
- FIFA expands 2026 World Cup again to create 104-game program
