Two outfits looking to find their to form will do battle today in a friendly between the MLS All-Stars and Bayern Munich. The match scheduled for 9:30 p.m. ET will be held at Providence Park in Portland and can be live streamed here free. Additional TV coverage can be found on ESPN2.
For some, tonight's friendly will serve as an opportunity to showcase MLS's talent against some of the world's most prolific footballers. For others, it's less poetic than that. Though he's excited about the potential of the 2014 MLS All-Star Game, Seattle Sounders forward Clint Dempsey believes a return to the old format is in the best interest of the league.
"I think it would be cool to go back to the old system—East vs. West—because I think you could reward more players and you can reward more coaches for doing a great job," Dempsey said (via MLS's official website). "But at the same time, it's still exciting to play against a team like Bayern."
Real Salt Lake goalkeeper Nick Rimando echoed that sentiment, adding: "Personally, I would love to go back to that [old format]. I think that's kind of cool. Maybe there could be something up for grabs for the winner, MLS Cup in the East or the West. It was good back in the days when it was East vs. West, competitiveness and fun at the same time."
In the meantime, MLS aficionados must suffer through another Malaysia-style all-star game in 2014.
Tactical Preview
Player to Watch: Having missed the 2014 World Cup due to injury, Bayern Munich's Franck Ribery is looking to return to form ahead of the upcoming Bundesliga campaign. The 31-year-old finished last season with 10 goals and 10 assists.
MLS All-Stars' Projected Lineup (4-2-3-1): Rimando; Parkhurst, Besler, Collin, Yedlin; Bradley, Alonso; Donovan, Dempsey, Henry; Wright-Phillips
Bayern Munich's Projected Lineup (4-4-2): Starke; Martinez, Badstuber, Alaba; Rafinha, Rode, Hojbjerg, Bernat; Ribery, Lewandowski, Shaqiri
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