Everton defeats MLS All-Stars 1-1 (4-3 on penalties) – Video Highlights

Everton was able to be the first European club to beat the MLS All-Stars in the the annual Major League Soccer All-Star game. The story of the match was Tim Howard who played exceptional and made a few saves that kept Everton in the match.

1st Half

The first half saw Everton start very strong and grab the early lead as Stuart Holden made a mistake that Louis Saha capitalized on. Holden made a back pass and Saha intercepted it and easily beat Kasey Keller for the first goal. Everton took the 1-0 lead but couldn’t hold onto it as the MLS All-Stars quickly started to find their form. After the goal, the All-Stars started to get pressure and were able to find the equalizer. A long ball was played to Conor Casey who was able to find Holden making a run into the box who passed it to the far post for Brad Davis who scored. It remained 1-1 into halftime but the All-Stars had all the momentum.

2nd half

The 2nd half was dominated by the MLS team who just couldn’t convert on their chances. Everton and American goalkeeper Tim Howard made 2 or 3 saves that should have been goals in most games. He singlehandedly kept the club in the match including a header from Arnaud from a few feet away. The best chance was probably Donovan from point black but his shot hit the post. Overall, it was a little disappointing that the All-Stars couldn’t convert as the definitely deserved the victory. The score remained tied at 1-1 at the end of the 2nd half and it went to penalty kicks.

Penalty kicks

The penalties began with the MLS All-Stars grabbing the early advantage as Everton missed the first two. The first was missed way wide and the next was saved by Keller. For the All-Stars they were able to convert 1 out of 2 and had the early lead. Tim Howard came up big in the next few kicks as he saved another shot to make it tied at 2-2 after 4 rounds. Both teams converted the next round to make it 3-3. In the 6th round, Everton easily converted as Keller was unable to guess right on the penalty. Freddie Ljungberg was now up for the All-Stars and had to convert to keep it going. He tried a chip shot down the middle and didn’t hit it well as Howard guessed to the side but was still able to get a hand on it as Everton won.

Conclusion

It’s safe to say that without the great play of Tim Howard that the MLS All-Stars could have easily won 3-1 or 4-1. Also, the mistake of Holden was a gift to Everton who didn’t have nearly the chances as the MLS side. Everton may have snapped the streak but the fact it was an American and former MLS goalkeeper that led them is a good thing. It shows how far the American level of players has grown and that MLS players can make the jump to the top leagues.

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Match Preview

Everton will be in their preseason form while the MLS All-Stars will be in mid-season form. It will be a tough task for Everton to come into Rio Tinto Stadium and expect to get a win against a solid and very deep MLS side. Everton is one of the top teams in the English Premier League but no team has been able to win against the All-Stars.

A midfield of Freddie Ljungberg, Kyle Beckerman, Stuart Holden,  and Javier Morales should have success as all players are in mid-season form. The only problem for the All-Stars is they will be missing several key players due to injury. The midfield alone will be without Shalrie Joseph, Guillermo Barros Schelotto and Dwayne De Rosario, who will be gone because of Toronto FC having a CONCACAF Champions League game the same night. Even with these missing players, the All-Stars have enough depth and quality in midfield to have the advantage.

As far as the forwards, the MLS All-Stars will plenty of talent with Landon Donovan, Fredy Montero, and Conor Casey. Montero and Donovan are two players that could be gone after this season to Europe and this match could provide a showcase. The two top goalkeepers for both sides will  be American as Everton have Tim Howard and the MLS All-Stars have Kasey Keller. Howard will have the advantage as he’s younger and a bit quicker but dont discount the experience and intelligence of Keller.

Everton could easily win this game and has a talented side that includes Tim Cahill, Joleon Lescott, and rising star Marouane Fellaini. The teams should be fairly evenly matched but the difference will likely be that one will be in preseason and the other in the middle of the the season.

Prediction

So what will happen? The MLS All-Stars have much more to play for in this match and should get the victory. Tim Howard could easily steal the game for Everton if he plays the same level he did in the Confederations Cup. Donovan is going to be the MVP and the MLS All-Stars will win. Prediction – MLS All-Stars win 2-1