Atletico Madrid to Be MLS's 2019 All-Star Game Opponent
Atlético Madrid will be the opponent for the best-of-MLS team at this year's MLS All-Star Game in Orlando, SI.com has learned.
The Spanish club, coached by Diego Simeone, features several big names including Antoine Griezmann, Jan Oblak, Diego Costa, Álvaro Morata, Thomas Lemar, Koke and Saúl Ñíguez. Atletico Madrid continues the trend of a major European club coming to the USA to take on MLS's top talent, something that has happened for the last 14 years.
Recent MLS All-Star opponents have included Juventus, Real Madrid, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur, with MLS falling to Juventus and Real in penalties in each of the last two seasons.
The All-Star Game at Orlando City Stadium joins Atletico Madrid's busy summer slate, with La Liga's second-place side set to play Chivas in Arlington, Texas, on July 23 and Real Madrid at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on July 26 as part of the 2019 International Champions Cup. Atletico Madrid will wrap up its participation in the ICC on Aug. 10 in Stockholm when taking on Juventus.
This will be the second All-Star Game held in Orlando. The first came in 1998, when the Citrus Bowl played host to a team of American MLS stars vs. the league's foreign stars. Tab Ramos, Alexi Lalas, Brian McBride, Preki, Roy Lassiter and Cobi Jones scored for the USA team in a 6-1 win.