Goals and highlights
Analysis
So it's defeat for the MLS All-Stars, their fourth in a row and heaviest since 2011.
Few players really had the chance to look a glaringly obvious contender for Man of the Match, though as a collective the side gave it a real go.
Joao Felix made the difference when he came on, providing a goal and assist worthy of his heavy price tag. However for the All-Stars, both Kaye and Hedges are worthy contenders for the MOTM award. A good game and now the players will reconvene with their club sides whilst Atletico prepare for the start of the La Liga season on August 18.
Full-time
FULL-TIME: MLS All-Stars 0-3 Atletico Madrid (Llorente '43, Joao Felix '85, Costa '90)
Atletico Madrid have won the 2019 MLS All-Star game! The All-Stars deserved a goal at the very least tonight but came up short, in the end the gulf in quality showed once the Spanish side brought on their first-team talent in the second half, even despite the MLS side knocking on the door.
A valiant effort and they can hold their heads high.
GOAL! 3-0 ATLETICO!
GOAL! A misery compiler in the final minute of the game as Diego Costa scores Atletico's third off a sumptuous Joao Felix assist.
MLS All-Stars 0-3 Atletico Madrid
Added time
'90: THREE additional minutes.
GOAL! 2-0 ATLETICO!
'86: GOAL! So cruel on the All-Stars who looked to be edging closer to an equaliser. $140m man Joao Felix converts with a beautiful curled knuckleball from the edge of the box that troubles Rimando and puts the tie to bed.
MLS All-Stars 0-2 Joao Felix
Another All-Stars chance
'81: German legend Schweinsteiger is next to go close from a free-kick, this time a little further out.
All-Stars chance
'80: Knocking on the door... Barco fires a free-kick from the very edge of the box around the wall and towards Oblak. He parries the effort and no one can get onto the rebound.
All-Stars so close!
'77: Dos Santos intercepts a miscued pass, charges forward and feeds Martinez one-on-one who fires over the bar. Looked harder to miss!
More All-Star subs
'73:
ON: Barco, Pomykal.
OFF: Rossi, Moralez.
History repeated?
'70: In the previous two editions of the All-Star game, the MLS side have come from behind to draw 1-1 and take the game to penalties. Will it happen a third time? They've only got 20 minutes to make history repeat itself.
Atletico chance
'60: Thomas Lemar looked like he was about to net Atletico's second with his head. That was until Diego Costa attempted a bicycle kick that swiftly ended his intentions. Still 1-0.
A couple more All-Stars subs
'59:
ON: Wondolowski, Rimando.
OFF: J. Martinez, Blake.
Two MLS legends on the field for the final half hour.
Atletico subs
'56: The entire Atletico Madrid squad is withdrawn.
ON: Costa, Lodi, Koke, Saul, Joao Felix, Trippier, Lemar, Camello, Montero, Savic.
OFF: Correa, Felipe, Herrera, Llorente, Isaac, Vitolo, Riquelme, Sanchez, Moya, Hermoso.
BIG All-Stars chance
'54: Kaye slides in Lodeiro who has to fire quickly on his left from an angle but Adan is down well to make the save.
All-Stars chance
'47: Lodeiro from the right side of the box picks out LAFC's Diego Rossi on the left who volleys against the side netting. Crowd thought that was in.
Second half
'46: We're back underway in Orlando and moreorless the entire All-Star squad has been subbed...
ON: Rossi, Gonzalez, Kaye, Metanire, Lodeiro, dos Santos, Moralez Schweinsteiger, G. Martinez.
OFF: Nani, Hedges, Zusi, Lawrence, Vela, Pozuelo, Zimmerman, Rooney, Chara.
Half-time
HALF-TIME: MLS All-Stars 0-1 Atletico Madrid (Llorente '43)
Been a fairly even affair at the halfway stage but Atletico snatched the lead towards the end. The All-Stars took a while to get settled but this could well be down to familiarising themselves with their new teammates. Atletico are targeting the flanks and crossing but FC Dallas defender Matt Hedges has been solid and first to most balls into the middle.
Pozuelo, Vela and Rooney look very lively as well, though the Englishman is dropping considerably deep and lost goalscorer Llorente as the Spaniard made a darting run into the box to finish Riquelme's flicked pass.
GOAL! 1-0 ATLETICO!
GOAL! 1-0 ATLETICO! Lovely flick inside from Riquelme which feeds new signing Llorente. The former Real Madrid man leaves Rooney hanging and breaks through to slot beyond Blake.
MLS All-Stars 0-1 Atletico Madrid
James O'Connor
'40: Orlando City and All-Star manager James O'Connor on what he's looking for: "A little bit more forward movement, getting the lads on the ball would help. Just to settle down a bit."
Atletico sub
'35:
ON: Moya.
OFF: Sanabria.
All-Star subs
'30:
ON: J. Martinez, Blake.
OFF: Ibrahimovic, Guzan.
The Swedish superstar is off for last season's MLS MVP, Josef Martinez.
Atletico chance
'28: It's becoming end-to-end in Orlando as 21-year-old Carlos Isaac fires inches wide of the far post from the edge of the box.
Huge All-Stars chance
'26: Another good passage of play around the 18-yard box eventually sees Rooney teed up from 25-yards out. The former Manchester United man smashes his effort first-time towards Adan but it's narrowly over the crossbar.
The Los Angeles connection
'24: Ibrahimovic and Vela are playing off each other well, the Swede just produced a delightful little flick through but the LAFC winger had no support in the box and was crowded out by three red shirts.
'21: Rooney's dropping deep almost as a number six. Either way it's working and the All-Stars have moved forward well in the last five.
Atletico on top
'19: Atletico move the ball well around the penalty box, eventually Riqeulme tees it up for himself on the volley but his effort is well over the bar.
All-Stars corner
'9: Rooney pulls off a beautiful cross-field pass to Vela on the right side who wins a corner but this comes to nothing.
Atletico chance
'7: First chance of a quiet opening ten as Vitolo squares for the youngster Sanabria, who fires wide.
Goalkeeper Brad Guzan on the microphone
"It's electric down here on the field. We're ready, we're excited."
Kick-off
'1: We're underway at Exploria Stadium in Orlando!
Pre-match
What's an MLS All-Star game without fireworks?
🎆 HYPED! 🎆
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) August 1, 2019
#MLSAllStar Game pres. by @Target pic.twitter.com/RNPuGusJid
Here come the teams...
The teams are on their way to the field and the pre-match ceremony is about to begin! We're about ten minutes away from kick-off in Orlando.
A further delay
Kick-off time has been pushed back another 12 minutes to 8:42pm ET.
#MLSAllStar Update: Kick is now set for 8:42 PM ET.
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) August 1, 2019
We'll be on FS1, UniMas, TSN and TVA Sports.
This. Is. Sick.
Rooney. Zlatan. Schweinsteiger. 😍
Legends meet legends. #MLSAllStar pic.twitter.com/bhngfdmJHo— B/R Football (@brfootball) July 31, 2019
Delayed kick-off
Tonight's MLS All-Star game is now scheduled to start at 8.30pm ET, half an hour late, due to bad weather in Orlando.
The kick-off of tonight’s #MLSAllStar Game will have a 30-minute delay due to weather conditions.
— Atlético de Madrid (@atletienglish) July 31, 2019
That's what you get for $140m!
In yesterday's All-Star skills challenge, Joao Felix displayed the kind of precision you pay nearly $140m for. He starts on the bench tonight.
.@joaofelix70 AT THE BUZZER.
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) July 31, 2019
< #MLSAllStar Skills Challenge pres. by @Target > pic.twitter.com/y8AZkHqtXx
New signings Marcos Llorente and Hector Herrera are amongst the Atletico starters. No Costa, Felix or Trippier in the eleven.
Atletico Madrid line-up
Adan, Isaac, Felipe, Hermoso, Manu, Herrera, Llorente, Sanabria, Riquelme, Correa, Vitolo.
👥 | LINE-UP
— Atlético de Madrid (@atletienglish) July 31, 2019
Here's @Simeone's starting XI for the #MLSAllStar Game!
🧤 Adán
🛡 Isaac, Felipe, Hermoso, Manu
⚙ Herrera, Llorente, Sanabria, Riquelme
⚽ Correa and Vitolo#AúpaAtleti #AtletiSummerTour
The MLS All-Stars line up in a 4-1-4-1 formation, with Ibrahimovic leading the line and the likes of Rooney, Nani and Vela amongst the starters.
Last year the MLS gave goalkeeper Brad Guzan a microphone to wear during the game, this time round the 34-year-old will do the same alongside Walker Zimmerman. Chris Wondolowski and Paxton Pomykal on the bench will also be mic'd up.
MLS All-Star roster
Guzan, Lawrence, Zimmermann, Hedges, Zusi, Chara, Nani, Rooney, Pozuelo, Vela, Ibrahimovic.
🗣️ SQUADDDD
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) July 31, 2019
Your #MLSAllStar XI to face @Atleti. pic.twitter.com/ckoMC3IIxy
Legends of the game
The MLS attracts legends - and consequently so does the All Star game. These two have got to be two of the fixture's best decorated individuals EVER. 35 major honours between them.
In the building.@Ibra_official x @WayneRooney // #MLSAllStar Game pres. by @Target pic.twitter.com/W3Na14eAeE
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) July 31, 2019
Bridging the divide
They're rivals on matchday, but teammates on All-Star day; Zlatan for LA Galaxy and Vela for LAFC. How will this partnership fare tonight?
Zlatan & Vela: Locker buddies. 😳#MLSAllStar Game pres. by @Target pic.twitter.com/Wo20lMxDjd
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) July 31, 2019
Captain's compliments
Atletico club captain Koke also spoke, this time regarding the importance of the match and that his side will take it seriously: “It’s an honour to represent Atlético de Madrid in these kinds of matches. We are very excited and we hope it will be a great game."
Simeone quotes
Atletico manager Diego Simeone wants his side to keep improving, as he told the club's website: “We’re currently in pre-season. The players have to get game time. These kinds of matches are important to lay the foundation for the upcoming season. We want to keep improving and winning games."
The stage is set
We're under five hours away from kickoff in Orlando - and the locker rooms are looking good!
#MLSAllStar locker makeover 👌 pic.twitter.com/68lO96FkvO
— Orlando City SC (@OrlandoCitySC) July 31, 2019
Tune in here
Do not miss a detail of the match with the with VAVEL.
Follow along with us all the details, commentaries, analysis and rosters for the MLS All-Star vs Atletico Madrid game.
Up next for Atletico is a trip to face Mexican side San Luis before taking on Juventus in their final International Champions Cup game.
How to watch the MLS All-Star game
To watch the 2019 MLS All-Star game in the US, it will be on FS1 and Univision Deportes. If you want to watch it on internet, your best option is VAVEL.
Advantage Orlando!
A skills challenge yesterday featured the All-Stars players and Atletico Madrid stars, culminating in triumph for the hosts which can be viewed in its entirety over on the MLS Twitter account! Will Nani repeat history tonight in the real thing?
Give it up for the home team!
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) July 31, 2019
Congrats to the 2019 #MLSskills champs, @OrlandoCitySC!
< #MLSAllStar Skills Challenge pres. by @Target > pic.twitter.com/jaiB4mYauR
Previous All-Star games
The MLS All-Star game has existed since 1996 but featured an 'East' team against a 'West' team. In 2003 they started playing club sides and have a record of nine wins and seven losses.
They played mostly British sides until 2013 where they lost to Roma before stunning Bayern Munich the following year. Most recently the All-Stars lost to Juventus on penalties after a 1-1 draw and haven't been victorious since 2015 where they beat Tottenham 2-1.
Atletico Team News
Below is the squad that the Spanish side announced for their tour of the US, including tonight's All-Star clash, which features the likes of £110m summer signing Joao Felix, as well as Kieran Trippier, Marcos Llorente and more. Diego Costa was sent off in their 7-3 thrashing of Real Madrid, but is expected to start as suspensions don't carry over in pre-season.
SQUAD LIST
— Atlético de Madrid (@atletienglish) July 22, 2019
Find out what players will participate in our summer tour!
Oblak, Adán, Alex; Lodi, Savic, Felipe, Hermoso, Trippier, Isaac, Montero,Sánchez; Koke, Saúl, Lemar, Llorente, Herrera, Vitolo, Sanabria, Moya, Riquelme; João Félix, Morata, Correa, Šaponjić, Costa and Camello
The All-Star Squad
Roster: █████ 100%
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) June 24, 2019
Meet the full squad for the 2019 #MLSAllStar Game pres. by @Target! pic.twitter.com/tBYxpMvkWT
The All-Stars
Atlanta United are the best-represented club in the MLS with five players making the squad, while Los Angeles FC have four. City rivals LA Galaxy have two, as do FC Dallas. Then thirteen clubs all have one representative; Philadelphia Union, Portland Timbers, New York Red Bulls, Seattle Sounders, Minnesota United, NYCFC, Toronto, Real Salt Lake, DC United, Chicago Fire, San Jose Earthquakes and Sporting Kansas City. Orlando City are the thirteenth club but also have Irish manager James O'Connor in charge of the squad.
Welcome along to coverage on VAVEL USA of the 2019 MLS All-Star Game, as they welcome Atletico Madrid to the the Exploria Stadium in Orlando, Florida.