There are only a handful of teams in the world that strike fear in the heart of their opponents just on the mention of their name alone: Real Madrid, Barcelona, Manchester City, Juventus and Bayern Munich. For all intensive purposes, these clubs are international all-star teams. They bolster the brightest, and the best talent the world has to offer.
So on paper, when the MLS All-Stars take the pitch against Bayern Munich on Wednesday night in Portland, the teams should be evenly matched, right? WRONG. Although the match should be a fun spectacle and a great display of talent, many of the MLS All-Star team would not even make the Bayern Munich roster, let alone be in the staring XI.
Bayern is fresh off another Bundesliga title last year and finished third in the UEFA Champions League. The team which is currently in preseason form features six German players fresh off their World Cup victory: Thomas Mueller, Manuel Neuer, Jerome Boateng, Phillip Lahm, Bastian Schweinsteiger and the hero of the final, Mario Goetze. In addition to half the World Cup champions, the team also has the Netherlands, Arjen Robben, France’s Franck Ribery, Robert Lewandowski and the future of Team USA, Julian Green.
Green will be reunited with many of his teammates from the United States Men’s National Team as the MLS squad will feature: Nick Rimando (goalkeeper), Matt Besler, DeAandre Yedlin, Michael Parkhurst, Maurice Edu, Michael Bradley, Graham Zusi, Clint Dempsey and Landon Donovan. All of which were on the 30-man World Cup roster before final cuts were made.
In addition to the American stars, head coach, Caleb Porter will have Australia’s Tim Cahill, Nigeria’s Obafemi Martins and France’s Thierry Henry at his disposal.
The match will mark the 10th consecutive game that the annual MLS All-Star game has featured MLS stars versus a European club. Overall, The MLS is 5-3-1. They beat Chelsea 3-2 in 2012, but lost to Roma 3-1 in Kansas City last year. Bayern will have the advantage not only in talent, but of a team that has played together for many years. The MLS All-Stars have only had a couple days to prepare and strategize for the Bundesliga squad.
The game offers an opportunity for both teams to showcase their talent for the United States market. For Bayern Munich, it allows them to add their name to the list of top teams in the world with Manchester United, Real Madrid and FC Barcelona in the psyche of American fans who can catch those other teams in person in scrimmages here in the U.S. and on television throughout the season.
For the MLS, showcasing Team USA stars, Michael Bradley, Clint Dempsey and London Donovan alongside Thierry Henry and Tim Cahill will allow the MLS to build upon the momentum of the World Cup as well as prove to the rest of the world that the MLS has an influx of international and American talent in hopes of luring more international players to play for the growing league.
Despite being huge underdogs amongst oddsmakers, I do believe that the MLS All-Stars have a punchers chance in this match. Expect Bayern Munich to try and outrun the MLS squad as Bayern coach, Pep Guardiola has been using the tiki-taka style made famous by Spain for the past two seasons. Henry gave his teammates some advice on Tuesday by saying “Drink a lot of water, you’re going to run a lot.”
Seattle Sounders forward and Team USA captain, Clint Dempsey added, “They’re a good team, a world-class team. You have to be confident in yourself and go out there and show what you’re capable of and enjoy the moment.”
Expect the MLS All-Stars to play with a little bit of a chip on their shoulder as many of the Bayern players beat the USMNT members in the final game of group play, 1-0. Additionally, the game means much more to the MLS squad as they know the importance of beating one of the best teams in the world in front of millions of fans across the globe.
Bayern will be evaluating talent, and I look for them to rest some of their bigger name starters and use all of their substitutions during the match. Despite the fact that the game is being played on U.S. soil at Providence Park home of the Portland Timbers, Bayern is still the vastly more superior side. I expect a lot of goals in this match with Bayern holding on to the victory.
The game is set to kick off at 9:30 PM EST at Providence Park in Portland, Oregon. It can be seen on ESPN 2 and in Spanish on ESPN Deportes. For those that are not near a TV, you can live stream the match in English and Spanish on WatchESPN.
My Prediction: 3-1 Bayern Munich.
Betting Odds courtesy of Bovada.lv:
MLS All-Stars: +2 (-165) // (+700) Moneyline
Liverpool: -2 (+125) // (-400) Moneyline
Draw: +475
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