Saturday - MLS All Star Game

MLS ALL-STARS TO FACE BRIAN MCBRIDE AND FULHAM IN 2005 SIERRA MIST MLS ALL-STAR GAME

English Premier League Club Visits Crew Stadium On Saturday, July 30, At 3:30 p.m.

Currently The Only Way To Get Tickets To The All-Star Game Is To Have Crew Season Tickets

COLUMBUS, Ohio (Tuesday, March 8, 2005) - Major League Soccer Commissioner Don Garber and Crew General Manager Mark McCullers today announced that the MLS All-Stars will face English Premier League club Fulham FC as MLS goes global in the 2005 Sierra Mist MLS All-Star Game to be played on Saturday, July 30, in Columbus Crew Stadium (live on ABC Sports at 3:30 p.m. ET).

The match will mark the second time in three seasons that the League's best players battle the world's top clubs in the new format for the Sierra Mist MLS All-Star Game, which was adopted to ensure the most competitive All-Star spectacle in U.S. professional sports. In 2003, the MLS All-Stars downed storied Mexican club CD Guadalajara, 3-1, at The Home Depot Center.

The game on July 30 will represent the return of forward Brian McBride to the city which he called home for eight seasons while playing for the Crew before joining Fulham in January 2004. Former Chicago Fire defender and U.S. National Team stalwart Carlos Bocanegra, a two-time MLS Defender of the Year, will also make his return to the All-Star Game wearing the black and white of Fulham.

"We are proud to present American soccer fans an All-Star Game that celebrates the League's 10th season and the lasting impact MLS has had in the U.S. and around the soccer world," said Garber. "We look forward to welcoming Fulham and former MLS All-Stars Brian McBride and Carlos Bocanegra back to Columbus in July for what is sure to be one of the most competitive matchups in the event's history."

"Hosting the Sierra Mist MLS All-Star game, in the league's 10th season, is a tremendous honor for our organization," said Crew General Manager Mark McCullers. "We look forward to seeing Brian McBride back in Columbus and believe that the format and the energy surrounding the Sierra Mist All-Star game will create an outstanding experience for the fans. I would also like to thank our friends at G & J Pepsi-Cola Bottling Company of Columbus and Sierra Mist for their continued support and look forward to working with them to produce a special event."

Fulham, one of the oldest clubs in world soccer dating back to 1879, is owned by Chairman Mohamed Al Fayed and coached by Welsh Manager Chris Coleman. The team, which makes its home in London's renowned Craven Cottage, features several high profile internationals in its ranks: Dutch goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar, Canadian star forward Tomasz Radzinski, the second highest all-time goal scorer in the Premiership Andrew Cole, and Senegalese international midfielder Papa Bouba Diop, who scored the winning goal against France in his country's shock 1-0 win in the opener of the 2002 World Cup in Korea/Japan. Following Saturday's 0-0 draw at home against Charlton Athletic, Fulham stands in 15th place with 30 points and 10 matches to play in the 2004-2005 season.

"I am delighted that we have been able to secure such a high profile fixture as part of our pre-season preparations, and especially pleased that we will be playing the best that the United States has to offer," said Fulham Manager Chris Coleman, speaking at the club's training ground. "We will be expecting a tough game as there will be a lot of pride at stake on the pitch, and it will give us a great platform in which to show what we are capable of against top class opposition before the new season kicks off."