MLS: All-Star Game has been memorable

Major League Soccer's All-Star Game has always provided a useful barometer to gauge the league's financial health, star power, entertainment value and international pecking order.

For fans with tickets to this Wednesday night's game at Rio Tinto Stadium -- the 14th annual -- it's a can't-miss opportunity to brush with American soccer royalty and debate whether gimmicky marketing or good soccer does more to advance the sport.

The first All-Star Game was a doubleheader featuring Brazil (World Cup champions at the time) and World All-Stars at Giants Stadium. Few of the 78,000-plus in attendance likely remember a diminutive Dallas Burn forward (Jason Kreis) scoring for the Western Conference in the preamble, but most

probably remember seeing Ronaldo, Bebeto, Roberto Carlos, George Weah, Jurgen Klinsmann and others on the field in the nightcap.

No All-Star Game since has attracted even half as many fans, but not for lack of trying. All-Star festivities have included multiple formats, community events, old-timers' games and lavish parties.

Up-and-coming halftime entertainers have been a staple as well, although no performer earned more enmity from soccer fans than Paulina Rubio in 2002. After a rainstorm delayed play for an hour in the first half, ABC and MLS decided to shorten the game in favor of showing the contractually obligated "Pepsi Halftime show" with Rubio.

That would be the low point for MLS All-Star Games, if it

weren't for 1999. In the second year of using the All-Star Game to develop new markets, dizzying heat and 50,000 empty seats (and maybe 20,000 occupied ones) greeted MLS players in San Diego. A pre-match friendly between Chivas of Guadalajara and Chile's Universidad Catolica did nothing to spur ticket sales, and four hours of soccer provided few memories -- particularly as the death of John Kennedy Jr. knocked the game off of television.

More goals has never meant more interest -- as 10-, 13- and 12-goal shootouts of 1999 through 2001 produced more yawns than thrills. The four-goal breakthrough of 19-year-old Landon Donovan was the highlight in 2001, although in his youthful exuberance, he tore off his jersey reveal he was wearing a sports bra in homage to 1999 Women's World Cup winner Brandy Chastain. Let's not go that route again.

But since 2003, MLS has hit its stride. The most important change has been to move the showcase games from aging NFL stadiums to its all-new "soccer cathedrals" and focus on real soccer.

The first such game was at the Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif. With memories still vivid of the USA's win over Mexico in the 2002 World Cup, MLS beat Chivas of Guadalajara in a game that foreshadowed Chivas USA's entry into the league a year later. Since then, MLS has beaten England's Chelsea, West Ham and Fulham as well as Scottish giants Celtic.

The most memorable game of all 13 editions was the lowest scoring. MLS surprised the naysayers in 2006, defeating English Premier League champs Chelsea on a 70th-minute Dwayne DeRosario goal.

Who will create this year's memories? Six of the last seven MVPs were foreign players; keep an eye on the group led by RSL's Javier Morales and Chicago's Cuauhtémoc Blanco.

My money, however, is on Seattle's Freddy Ljungberg, who faced off again Everton many times during his career in England.

Steve Pastorino was RSL's first general manager and writes an occasional column for The Salt Lake Tribune.