Does the MLS All-Star Game drive non-soccer fans away from MLS?

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Is it actually worse for the MLS when the non-soccer fan happens to check out the game and sees the best of his country's league getting stomped 4-0?

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It is. Of course, the MLS all stars had never lost until last year even though, the quality on the pitch has drastically increased.

A non-soccer fan would probably not be able to read any deeper than the scoreline. Even though the MLS all-stars probably played better soccer than they ever have, they were trounced 4-0.

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What's far more likely is those who have always hated MLS saying things like "The MLS will never be on par with the bigger leagues," because the MLS is probably always wrong with a certain contingent of American soccer fans.

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Those people aren't real American soccer fans. Those people are soccer fans. They obviously aren't any more American than Rossi.

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I think they have unreal expectations about how well a 15 year old league can perform.

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That, and they don't understand that MLS has to be successful for our national team to be successful. Soccer has to compete for and win American athletes who are playing American football, Basketball, and Baseball in order to become a world power. In order for that to happen, there has to be economic incentive to play the game in America. In order for that to happen, people have to support the league so that it can afford to pay higher wages. Higher attendances and wages would draw better athletes from the American pool. Eurosnob haters are actually hurting American soccer when they bash MLS.

It sort of like watching CFL vs NFL.

Everyone has made really good points. But the reason they schedule Man U in the first place is to attract a wider audience. I mean how many people would watch the MLS all-star game if it were just a typical East-West format, compared to the top players in the league taking on arguably one of the best franchises of all time?

Keep in mind, that the MLS throwing together players from every team for one game and expecting them to mesh against a team who really hasn't seen many changes to its starting XI in the past 5 years is asking a little too much. The reason for the matchup is simply to gain a bigger audience.

And I agree itawambadog, it is analagous to the CFL all stars taking on the Steelers, or another top NFL team.