Arsenal’s Gabriel Jesus (second from left) and MLS All-Star Luciano Acosta (11) line up during a free kick in the MLS All-Star Game on July 19, 2023 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, D.C. — For about three minutes it seemed like the Major League Soccer All-Stars were going to put up a fight at Audi Field. Hany Mukhtar, Denis Bouanga and Luciano Acosta were on the doorstep and trying to put some pressure on Arsenal goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale.
Then Jorginho found some space and fed Bukayo Saka a perfect ball up the right wing. Saka fought off Álvaro Barreal and Walker Zimmerman, and then Gabriel Jesus hit a delicate chip from outside the box, with a little help from a deflection, into the back of the net.
Five minutes into the All-Star game and the Arsenal showcase was officially on. The crowd of 20,621 at the home field of D.C. United, which was a sea of red shirts representing the London club, were treated to a 5-0 victory over a collection of the biggest stars in MLS.
Saka was a menace all first half, dancing past Barreal again in the 23rd minute and feeding Leandro Trossard for a great goal from distance to double the lead.
MLS All-Stars like Riqui Puig and Acosta tried to cook up some magic but never really threatened Ramsadale. As has become tradition in these games, MLS deployed a hockey-esque line change in the 33th minute, bringing in a slew of new players. Thiago Almada and Carles Gil flashed slight glimpses of their brilliance but nothing significant to get MLS on the board.
Instead it was Eddie Nketiah that took over the end of the second half with two consecutive dangerous runs, resulting in a pair of free kicks for Arsenal.
“I thought the All-Star lads were a bit nervous and hesitant especially in the first half when we got into good areas,” said MLS head coach Wayne Rooney. “I think you see a difference of course with Arsenal being one of the best teams in Europe.”
The second half was no better for the hosts as Tim Parker was called for a hand ball in the area and Jorginho calmly converted from the spot to extend the lead.
As MLS was trying to push high in the closing minutes to give fans something to cheer about, they got caught lacking defensively and Martin Ødegaard picked out Gabriel Martinelli with a sensational ball that left him 1v1 with goalkeeper Djordje Petrović for the fourth goal of the night.
Arsenal newcomer Kai Havertz added one more to put the stamp on it in the 88th minute by netting a volley.
For a game that’s considered friendly, six yellow cards were given. But it was clear from the beginning that one side was better than the other, even if they are just in preseason. Arsenal is a team that is coming off an excellent Premier League season and has familiarity with each other. This group of MLS players have been together for a few days and not trained much.
The past two years MLS has played against Liga MX All-Stars in this event, making it a much more even matchup.
“The emphasis is on fun, celebrating us as players the league, growth and ultimately trying to put together some kind of fun product for the fans to enjoy,” said Zimmerman. “Unfortunately, it’s tough and that’s the nature of the All-Star Game.”
Playing against European competition isn’t a foreign concept for the league as they’ve done it in the past. And while it’s great to see how many Arsenal supporters were present in the nation’s capitol throughout the festivities, for MLS fans it was a complete letdown from a competition standpoint.
When asked what he took from the game as a coach and honing his craft, Rooney responded, “absolutely nothing.”
What was supposed to be a display of the league’s best players seemed like anything but that.
