MLS All Stars vs Bayern Munich: Post-Match Controversy Shouldn’t Be the Focus

The MLS All-Star game against Bayern Munich Wednesday night had a little bit of everything.  Two world-class goals. A game-winner from American legend and MVP Landon Donovan in what turned out to be his All-Star swan song. Thrilling, wide-open play. A slew of terrific saves. An unbelievable showing from Thierry Henry. Possibly the greatest substitution ever—the Bundesliga giants brought on four World Cup champions for the final 10 minutes.  And yet, all anyone can talk about is what happened after 93 minutes of scintillating play. Thanks a lot, Pep Guardiola.  For the uninitiated, the 43-year-old grumpy manager, as a result of some aggressive, unnecessary tackles from MLS stars Osvaldo Alonso and Will Johnson, refused to shake hands with opposing manager Caleb Porter, offering his best Dikembe Mutombo impression in the process.  SportsCenter's Twitter feed provided a look at the bizarre and attention-grabbing moment: Alright yeah, it's certainly not something you see every day. It was supposed to be an exhibition, and it ended with the manager of one of the best clubs in the world going on a tantrum. It's something worth talking about.  But it's not the only thing worth talking about.  Instead, let's talk about a pair of unbelievable strikes from Bayern's Robert Lewandowski and the New York ...

MLS All Star Game 2014: Win over Bayern Munich Gives League Valuable Momentum

The MLS All-Star Game pitted the league's best against Bundesliga powerhouse Bayern Munich in Wednesday's exhibition match at Providence Park in Portland, Oregon. Bayern were favorites, but a winning goal by retiring MLS star Landon Donovan gave his band of All-Stars a 2-1 victory. Although this fixture offered no tangible significance aside from pure entertainment, it was a big step for Major League Soccer to enhance its stateside popularity and international respectability. North American major sports have so many alternatives that the other continents simply don't have at their disposal. Another type of football is about to dominate the American sports landscape, but there's no denying that MLS' fanfare is growing. As part of Donovan's retirement announcement, he emphasized how important the fans are in keeping the trend of soccer's ascent in the USA, per CBS Sports: What will be vital is that American soccer can carry on the momentum generated by the MLS' landmark win over Bayern Munich, especially with its biggest star in Donovan walking away from the game at the end of the season. ESPN Stats & Info highlighted the impact Donovan has had in the MLS—not just when he scored Wednesday's winning goal, but also overall: Julie Stewart-Binks of Fox Sports 1 hinted ...

Landon Donovan’s Impact on American Soccer Transcends Stats, Awards and Trophies

On Wednesday night, in front of a packed house in Portland, Oregon, and a television audience around the globe, Landon Donovan netted the game-winning goal to lead MLS All-Stars over one of his former clubs, Bayern Munich. One day later, Donovan officially announced his retirement from professional soccer, effective at the end of this MLS season. It's a heck of a way to go out. Donovan officially announced his retirement on his Facebook page Thursday afternoon. In part: After careful deliberation and after many conversations with those closest to me, I have decided that this will be my last season as a professional soccer player. I don't write these words lightly and this day carries mixed emotions for me. I am sad to leave a profession that has brought me so much joy. ... ... I feel incredibly blessed and lucky to have played a role in the remarkable growth of MLS and US Soccer during my playing career. And while my career as a player will soon be over, rest assured I will stay connected on many levels to the beautiful game. It's hard to put into words exactly what Donovan has meant to soccer in this country. He is without question the best American man ever ...

MLS All-Stars Defeating Bayern Munich Is an Insignificant Result

The MLS All-Stars defeated Bayern Munich 2-1 on Wednesday night in Portland. Bradley Wright-Phillips and 14-time all-star Landon Donovan struck for the hosts, Robert Lewandowski registering a goal for Bayern. It's the second win for the All-Stars in the last three meetings against an international club team, per the official website. Two years ago, the All-Stars beat Chelsea, who were the holders of the 2011-12 Champions League title at that time. There were claims that the win was a significant one for MLS, but it wasn't. Half of the Chelsea starting X1 weren't regulars. The likes of Ashley Cole, Frank Lampard, etc. took part, but they were also in preseason condition. The same situation occurred with Bayern Munich. It is a great result to defeat one of the top clubs in the world, but it will be forgotten about very quickly, just like the Chelsea match.  Bayern started backup goalkeeper Tom Starke, with a back three of Javi Martinez, David Alaba and Rafinha. The latter two were regular starters in the 2013-14 season for Bayern, while Martinez was rotated.  However, manager Pep Guardiola hasn't used the three-man defense until recently. Youngsters such as Pierre Hojbjerg, Sebastian Rode and Gianluca Gaudino were also on the pitch. The German World Cup stars such as Manuel ...

6 Key Battles for MLS Matches from August 8-10

Now that the MLS All-Star match is over, in which Major League Soccer’s all-stars defeated Pep Guardiola’s German champions Bayern Munich 2-1, attention in the league will go back to its regular-season matchups and the emerging battles for playoff positions in both the Eastern and Western conferences. Here are six key battles for this upcoming weekend in MLS.Begin Slideshow

Landon Donovan Scores Winner as MLS All-Stars Beat Bayern Munich

Landon Donovan may have been left out of Jurgen Klinsmann's World Cup squad, but he still had time to score against Manuel Neuer this summer.The LA Galaxy man represented the MLS All-Stars in a showpiece friendly against Bayern Munich on Wednesday night in Portland, Oregon, and his 70th-minute strike, muscled in against his former club, handed the All-Stars a 2-1 win.Plenty of credit should go to the cross from Diego Valeri, which was pinpoint.After the match, Bayern Munich head man Pep Guardiola refused to shake hands with Portland Timbers and MLS All-Stars head coach Caleb Porter for what Guardiola believed was overly physical play in the midfield.[MLS, YouTube]Read more MLS news on BleacherReport.com

Bradley Wright-Phillips Scores a Screamer as MLS All-Stars Beat Bayern Munich

Bradley Wright-Phillips struck a brilliant goal to get the MLS All-Stars back on level terms with Bayern Munich in the second half of Wednesday's showcase.The striker, who left English football for the MLS in 2013, has been in great form for the New York Red Bulls—he leads MLS in goals—and showed it again with a fabulous hit from long range.After taking a moment to control the shot, he then hit a crisp drive from well outside the box, beating goalkeeper Tom Starke. With Landon Donovan scoring later, the MLS went on to wrap up the victory.[MLS, YouTube]Read more MLS news on BleacherReport.com

Julian Green Quiet in MLS All-Star Game Despite Status as Fan Favorite

Julian Green may have been wearing a Bayern Munich jersey Wednesday night, but it was clear that he was one of the fan favorites in Portland, Oregon, during the Major League Soccer All-Star game. Green played for the United States during the recent 2014 World Cup and was greeted with boisterous USA chants from the onlookers at Providence Park when he entered the game in the 36th minute. He was the first Bayern substitute to come off the bench, much to the delight of the packed house. Green didn’t score the goal he was looking for, but he did have one shot on target. It wasn’t the major breaking-out party some hoped to see, but Green still left his mark. It was no secret why the crowd was behind him from the moment he stepped on the pitch. At 19 years old, Green became the youngest American to score a goal at the World Cup with his dramatic extra-time shot against Belgium. Yes, the United States went on to lose that game, but Green’s raw talent, speed and athleticism had fans excited about the future. For his part, Green was certainly appreciative of the fan support Wednesday, even if he didn’t find the back ...

MLS All-Star Game: Pep Guardiola Eventually Shakes Caleb Porter’s Hand

This year's version of the MLS All-Star Game offered some great sport on the field, but it will be overshadowed by Bayern Munich manager Pep Guardiola's snub of a post-game handshake from Portland Timbers coach Caleb Porter. Guardiola's anger centers around a reckless challenge from Seattle's Osvaldo Alonso on Bayern's Xherdan Shaqiri. Indeed, the tackle came in with a lot of pace from behind and was extreme for a preseason match. Alonso was given a yellow card for the offense. When Porter offered his hand to congratulate his opponent, Guardiola and his staff refused to engage the Portland manager. Guardiola repeatedly refused to discuss why he wouldn't shake Porter's hand before eventually saying that he "didn't see him", as reported by Goal.com. Guardiola did mention that he wanted to come back and play the MLS All-Stars again next year in a "revenge" game, to which Porter responded that he was glad that he wouldn't coach the team next season. #MLSAllStar: Caleb Porter's comment on Guardiola wanting a rematch: "Good! I won't be the coach next year!" @MLS http://t.co/SRsf9tE1e6 — Soccerly (@soccerly) August 7, 2014 ESPN's Alexi Lalas made a fantastic point at the conclusion of the match, that if you're going to get mad about rough play, then don't ...

MLS All-Stars vs. Bayern Munich: Score, Grades and Post-Match Reaction

The MLS has shown immense growth as a league over the last several years, and a 2-1 victory for their All-Stars over powerhouse Bayern Munich will only help that progression.  Prior to the match, Portland Timbers and MLS All-Star head coach Caleb Porter discussed the importance of the contest, via Fox Sports' Kyle McCarthy: It’s a showcase for the league. Hopefully, we can make it a competitive game and try to make it exciting. We have a lot of very good attacking and defensive players, but it wouldn’t do these players justice to sit back all game. We’re going to attack and make it an exciting game. They were more than competitive. The MLS erased an early wonder goal from Robert Lewandowski with second-half goals from Bradley Wright-Phillips and Landon Donovan, earning the win in front of a raucous crowd at Providence Park in Portland.  Donovan was awarded the MVP after his game-winner.  Afterward, emotions ran high. Bayern manager Pep Guardiola refused to shake Porter's hand, presumably as a result of a handful of yellow cards from the MLS side: Much like Roma during last year's MLS All-Star Game, it didn't take Bayern Munich long to find the back of the net.  In the eighth minute, Lewandowski received ...