Chivas de Guadalajara will play Arsenal in Los Angeles on July 31, 2016.
REUTERS/THE NEWS English Premier League giants Arsenal will face the best of Major League Soccer in the MLS All-Star game in San Jose, California this summer, MLS announced Thursday. The match will be held at the Avaya Stadium on July 28. The Gunners will also take on Liga MX side Chivas de Guadalajara at the StubHub Center in Los Angeles on July 31. Arsenal are currently in contention for the EPL title, five points behind leaders Leicester with 13 games remaining. The two sides come together in an all-important clash at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday. The Gunners team, managed by Arsene Wenger, includes global stars such as Chilean forward Alexis Sánchez, German attacking midfielder Mesut Ozil, Czech goalkeeper Petr Cech and Spanish midfielder Santi Cazorla. Former Arsenal players such as Thierry Henry and Fredrik Ljungberg have previously made the switch to the MLS following their careers in North London. Arsenal’s participation will continue the tradition of the MLS All- Stars facing famous international clubs. Though the match is billed as a friendly, it can be a serious contest as the MLS players seek to make a mark against famous opposition. MLS stars including Mexican Giovani dos Santos, Brazilian World-Cup winner Kaká and Italian legend Andrea Pirlo are all in contention to feature for the All-Star side. Two years ago, the All-Star team faced Bayern Munich, whose manager Pep Guardiola refused to shake hands with MLS coach Caleb Porter at the end of the contest, instead wagging his index finger at his counterpart. Guardiola was upset by a couple of clattering tackles All-Star players made on Xherdan Shaqiri and Bastian Schweinsteiger. Arsenal, after playing the All- Stars, will travel to the Los Angeles area to meet Mexican side Chivas de Guadalajara at the StubHub Center on July 31. Wenger said that the whole squad is excited by the prospect of taking on the best of the MLS next summer. “Preseason is a critically important time for us and we are delighted to be going to San Jose and Los Angeles to participate in the 2016 MSL All-Star game and to play Chivas. We have tremendous support across America and enjoyed our visit to New York in the summer of 2014 when we played the New York Red Bulls at Red Bull Arena. We look forward to giving our U.S. fans the chance to see the team play live,” Wenger said in a statement.
