The match will be played at 8 p.m. Wednesday, July 25, and will air nationally on ESPN2 and Univision, plus other networks around the world.
"We felt this is something we had to bring to Philadelphia, based on all the hard work [the Union's] ownership group has done to bring this sport forward, not just on a broad scale, but locally in this city," Garber said. "To launch this team and get it so quickly connected throughout the region . . . I'd also to acknowledge the fact that we have a terrific stadium right down the river. [We at MLS] are very, very proud of that facility, and we consider it not only one of the best venues in Major League Soccer, but around the world."
With MLS' decision this offseason to grant the club with the best regular-season record hosting rights to the MLS Cup, the All-Star Game has become the marquee event. In the past, the match has sold out football arenas, most recently the 2010 All-Star Game at Houston's Reliant Stadium, where 70,728 watched the MLS All-Stars take on Manchester United. Last year, 26,760 flocked to soccer-specific Red Bull Arena in Harrison, N.J., for the rematch against the Red Devils.
That's an average of 48,744 in a 2-year span, proving the All-Star Game is a hot ticket. But while the consensus is ecstasy over Philadelphia-Chester hosting the event in a stadium not even 2 years old, it remains to be seen how the intimate, 18,500-seat setting of PPL Park will accommodate the masses trying to acquire tickets, especially considering demand from Union season ticketholders. At the end of the 2011 season, the Union's season ticketholder cap was 12,000 strong.
