In the height of summer in July, the major professional baseball leagues have organized star-studded star games, Major League Baseball, Nippon Professional Baseball, and even the Chinese Professional Baseball, which has been absent for three years, are no exception. Last Wednesday, Major League Soccer (MLS) also celebrated its annual event, the All-Star Game. I'm going to reveal the highlights of this star-studded game for you.
Photo credit: 2022 MLB All Stars Game (https://www.mlssoccer.com/)
Major League Soccer's inaugural All-Star Game was played in the summer of 1996 at Giants Stadium. Initially, the tournament utilized an East-West rivalry format similar to the NBA, with coaches selecting players to compete. In order to attract more attention, the league continued to try innovative models, such as the league team versus the national team or international team, etc. Until 2005, a fixed format was established. It was not until 2005 that a fixed format was established: European teams were invited to challenge selected teams of the league's most popular players.
Since 2005, the MLS All-Stars have won their first six matches in a row, and it wasn't until 2009 that they were defeated on penalties by Premier League side Everton. Perhaps because of the connection to the other side of the Atlantic, the European teams invited are mostly Premier League teams. The main reason the USL chose to invite European teams is that the European leagues have inter-annual seasons, and the USL's star week coincides with the European leagues' off-season, which allows European teams to take advantage of practicing to come to the continental U.S. to participate in the extravaganza. However, come 2020, the USL All-Star Game will no longer invite European teams, instead partnering with the Mexican Premier Soccer League to feature the star teams from both leagues.
The USL's list of star teams is a combination of fan votes and coach nominations. There are no shortage of exceptions, such as England legends Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard, who were selected to participate in 2015 even though they did not play in the USL. In addition, if a player selected for the All-Star Game refuses to participate, he or she will be suspended for one league game.
Photo credit: Beckham at the MLB Stars game (https://bleacherreport.com/)
Numerous soccer greats have represented the USL All-Star team over the last decade, such as legendary French strikers Henry, David Beckham, Steven Gerrard, Lampard, Ibe and David Villa (the list is too long to mention).
As we all know, the reason why the four major sports leagues in North America are so popular in the ratings is not only the level of competition and mature business operation, but also because they know how to plan various special and gimmicky activities to attract viewers. The All-Star Week is one of the highlights. Drawing on the NBA's well-established star week model, MLB All-Star Week features a variety of activities and special events for three days in a row, including Saturday's Tech Challenge, which is highly anticipated by basketball fans.The NBA's Tech Challenge includes three-point contests, slam dunks, and tech challenges, injecting excitement into Sunday's star games.
However, the MLB, which has always been "unique," has also tried technical challenges. But those specials didn't last due to dismal ratings. Fortunately, in 2019, they finally launched a series with content and excitement.
The so-called Technical Challenges are contests on specific techniques, such as the NBA's three-point and slam dunk contests. The MLB has introduced five Special Technical Challenges, in which both leagues will send designated players to compete in a five-set best-of-three series to determine the winner. The five special technical challenges include:
1. Shooting Challenge (Shot Challenge)
2. Touch Challenge (TCA)
3. Cross & Volley Challenge
4. Passing Challenge (PASSING CHALLENGE)
5. Hit the Crossbar Challenge (HCC)
After the first day's challenges, the second day's highlight was the showdown between the USL All-Stars and the Mexican Premier League All-Stars. With two days of packed programs, let's take a look back at the just concluded 2022 USL All Stars.
The 2022 USL All-Star Game is the twenty-sixth annual All-Star Game and the second time it will be played against the Mexican Premier League All-Star Team. The two-day program included technical challenges, concerts and other events, as well as All-Star team matchups. The Star Game was held at Allianz Stadium in Minnesota, USA.
Photo credit: The playing field for the 2022 MLB All Stars Game (https://www.mnufc.com/allstar/)
