ORLANDO — As at all all-star games, the result of Major League Soccer’s is secondary. It’s the event that matters—the showcase, the parties, the networking and the stage. It’s as much about fans, executives and sponsors as it is the stars, and the on-field pyrotechnics tend to be literal rather than figurative.
But the MLS version features more of a competitive wrinkle then the rest, as a league select team matches up against a big-name foreign club. It looks like soccer. There’s defense. There’s even the occasional foul. Instincts may not take over, but they at least bubble to the surface as the MLS men aim to show their league has some quality, while the guests hope to avoid a defeat that might raise questions back home.