Real Madrid to play in All-Star Game in Chicago


Real Madrid will play the Major League Soccer All-Stars at Chicago on Aug. 2. Los Blancos, the defending European champion and current Spanish league leader, feature reigning FIFA player of the year Cristian Ronaldo, but it is unclear whether Ronaldo will be with Real that soonafter the Confederations Cup, which ends July 2. The All-Star Game, which since 2005 has featured European clubs against MLS All-Stars, will be played at Soldier Field. It is thefirst time a La Liga team has played in the All-Star Game."It's good for the league," Toronto forward Jozy Altidore said. "If we're going to have this event, you want to make it worthwhile for everybody. To play the biggest club in world football, it's exciting for a lot of reasons."New York City forward David Villa added: "To play against a team like Real Madrid, it's so very good," said NYCFCThe Chicago Fire, who play at Toyota Park in Bridgeview, Illinois, will host the event. The last time the event was held at a non-MLS venue was in 2010, when the All-Star game was played at Houston's Reliant Stadium. The Fire previously hosted the All-Star Game at Toyota Park againstChelsea in 2006. Fire midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger was with Bayern Munich when heplayed in the 2014 All-Star Game in Portland, Oregon. Arsenal defeated the All-Stars 2-1 last year in San Jose, California.