MLS All-Stars vs Arsenal score, result, and highlights as Declan Rice debuts, Kai Havertz scores in 5-0 win

Simon Borg

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MLS All-Stars vs Arsenal score, result, and highlights as Declan Rice debuts, Kai Havertz scores in 5-0 win image

Arsenal looked every bit the part of a Premier League title contender as they romped to a 5-0 win over the MLS All-Stars in their second friendly of the 2023 preseason.

Declan Rice and Jurrien Timber made their Gunners debut, and Kai Havertz scored his first Arsenal goal, but there will be concern over the injury picked up by Leandro Trossard after a knee-on-knee collision in the second half which spoiled a sensational performance from the Belgian.

The Arsenal goal-fest started with a chip of exquisite quality by Gabriel Jesus after just five minutes, and Trossard later thrashed a ball past the 'keeper for a 2-0 lead at halftime.

Jorginho scored from the penalty spot just minutes after the break and substitutes Gabriel Martinelli and Havertz got late goals against a punchless MLS side which only got its first shot on goal with four minutes left in the game.

Arsenal next face Manchester United on Saturday, July 22 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., while the MLS players will be heading into a new-look Leagues Cup tournament together with all the clubs from Mexico's Liga MX. The competition kicks off with Lionel Messi's Inter Miami debut on Friday, July 21.

MORE: Beginner's guide to Messi's new MLS club Inter Miami

MLS All Stars vs Arsenal final score

  Final Goal scorers
MLS All-Stars 0  
Arsenal 5 - Gabriel Jesus 5'
- Leandro Trossard (Bukayo Saka) 23'
- Jorginho (penalty) 47'
- Gabriel Martinelli (Martin Odegaard) 84'
- Kai Havertz (Marquinhos) 89'

Bukayo Saka named MVP, as Arsenal attackers shine

The players on the Arsenal forward line were the standouts — not just for their goals, but their overall play. Leandro Trossard roamed and played connector, Gabriel Jesus scored the best goal of the night, Bukayo Saka was a terror in the first half and was named MVP, and Eddie Nketiah was electric running at the defense.

Arsenal's USMNT forward Folarin Balogun had a quieter spell in the second half after the game had become disjointed with all the substitutes made. With rumours swirling about interest from other clubs in Europe, he spoke to Apple TV about his future after the match:

"My aim is to build on last season. I was away on loan [at Stade de Reims] and I wanted to make an impact and show people I can play at that level. And I felt like I did that," Balogun said. "Me coming back here [to Arsenal] I just want to earn my stripes and with games I'm sure I can do that. 

"I try not to look at my future. I let me agent and my family handle that," he continued. "For sure, I'm happy being here. I'm enjoying every minute. Just looking forward to the future."

Arsenal takeaways

Outside of the attackers who stole the show, midfielder Martin Odegaard was bright as a sub (his pass to Gabriel Martinelli on his late goal was sensational), and Declan Rice just did enough to get his feet wet in his first appearance. But Fabio Vieira struggled to impact the match or even get involved in any meaningful way. His struggles from last season persist into preseason.

It was also notable that manager Mikel Arteta had left-back Jakub Kiwior and left center-back Gabriel switch positions often throughout the match depending on whether Arsenal had the ball. Gabriel would move wide left when the Gunners were in possession, with Kiwior getting on the ball from a central position.

Lastly, there were a handful of shaky moments in which Arsenal giveaways in their own half of the field could have proven costly, but the MLS team was not fine-tuned enough — the team came together only two days before — to take advantage.

Wayne Rooney postgame 'show'

Rooney was his brutally honest self after the match, pointing a finger at referee Ted Unkel who set an MLS All-Star record for most yellow cards handed out in a match (six). Unkel also called a penalty (scored by Jorginho), though he denied Arsenal a second spot kick with the help of video review. It was the right call by Unkel based on the replays.

Questions about MLS All-Star format

From an MLS perspective, the biggest takeaway just might be whether this format still works for a league that is now in the global spotlight with Lionel Messi in its stable of stars.

Having your collection of best players get thumped 5-0 by Arsenal is not a good look with the game exposed to a global audience via Apple TV. There are more eyeballs on MLS than ever before, and many will form an opinion on a league they know little about based on the 5-0 final result of what amounts to a preseason friendly.

It's perhaps time that MLS decides to make the MLS All-Star Game an annual match against the Liga MX All-Stars from Mexico — a matchup between two newly assembled teams on equal footing should be more competitive — or instead have an established MLS club team use that stage to show off what they can do against a top international side, replacing the All-Star packaging with something more apt for a true club friendly.

Lineups:

Arsenal 1st Half (4-3-3, right to left): 1-Ramsdale (GK) — 4-White, 2-Saliba, 6-Gabriel, 15-Kiwior — 21-Vieira, 20-Jorginho, 19-Trossard — 7-Saka, 9-Jesus, 14-Nketiah.

Arsenal 2nd Half (4-3-3, right to left): 31-Hein (GK) — 4-White, 2-Saliba, 6-Gabriel, 15-Kiwior — 8-Odegaard, 20-Jorginho, 29-Havertz — 21-Vieira, 9-Jesus, 19-Trossard (11-Martinelli 56')

Arsenal 65th min. (4-3-3, right to left): 31-Hein (GK) — 12-Timber, 4-White (32-Trusty 80'), 18-Tomiyasu, 3-Tierney— 8-Odegaard, 41-Rice, 29-Havertz — 27-Marquinhos, 26-Balogun, 11-Martinelli

 

MLS All-Stars 1st min. (4-3-3, right to left): 1-Burki (GK) — 24-Hollingshead, 3-Glesnes, 25-Zimmerman, 31-Barreal — 6-Puig, 8-Martinez, 10-Mukhtar — 99-Bouanga, 20-Benteke, 11-Acosta

MLS All-Stars 33rd min. (4-3-3, right to left): 28-Miller (GK) — 24-Hollingshead, 3-Glesnes, 25-Zimmerman, 31-Barreal — 22-Carles Gil, 5-A. Morris, 23-Almada — 19-Espinoza, 9-Ferreira, 11-Acosta.

MLS All-Stars 46th min. (4-3-3, right to left): 28-Miller (GK) — 17-Gallagher, 21-Miazga, 26-Parker, 47-Tolkin — 22-Carles Gil, 5-A. Morris, 23-Almada — 19-Espinoza, 9-Ferreira, 30-Zelarayan.

MLS All-Stars 68th min. (4-3-3, right to left): 12-Petrovic (GK) — 17-Gallagher, 21-Miazga, 26-Parker, 47-Tolkin — 30-Zelarayan, 29-Choiniere, 16-Herrera — 13-J. Morris, 7-Giakoumakis, 38-Kamara.

MLS All Stars vs Arsenal live updates, highlights, commentary

Final: MLS All-Stars 0-5 Arsenal

89th min.: Goal Arsenal! Kai Havertz gets it for his first tally in a Gunners' shirt. Fantastic work by Marquinhos down the right and his chip cross is chested down by Havertz who calmly finishes for the 5-0 victory for Arsenal.

86th min.: First shot on target by the MLS side and it's right at the Arsenal goalkeeper.

84th min.: Goal Arsenal! Martin Odegaard feeds Gabriel Martinelli in behind on the left flank and he goes all the way to slot home easily past the latest MLS goalkeeper Petrovic.

81st min.: SUB Arsenal. We're not done. It's Auston Trusty in for Ben White who started the match. Now it's Tomiyasu at right center-back and Trusty at left center-back.

78th min.: Hydration break! So much for no stoppages. It's a hot, humid night in D.C.

68th min.: SUBS MLS All-Stars. All these subs just take any rhythm out of a game. It's another slew of substitutions. Let's see if we can get 10 minutes without a stoppage.

65th min.: SUBS Arsenal. It's a debut for Declan Rice as he's among six substitutes brought on.

62nd min.: VAR review. Referee Ted Unkel is at the monitor looking at a potential handball in the box by Matt Miazga. And several subs are about to come in. No penalty.

61st min.: YELLOW card record! Kai Havertz picks up a caution to set a new MLS All-Star record for yellow cards in a match with six.

54th min.: Injury stoppage. Leandro Trossard is down after a knee-on-knee collision with Jon Gallagher. And he has to come out of the match with Gabriel Martinelli substituting him.

47th min.: Goal Arsenal! And Jorginho steps up to wrong foot goalkeeper Tyler Miller to make it 3-0.

46th min.: Penalty Arsenal! The second half has started (and there are several subs) and just 13 seconds in Arsenal have a penalty after a Tim Parker handball on a Gabriel Jesus cross!

Halftime: MLS 0-2 Arsenal

Halftime: The MLS players started the game by putting on a show, and then Arsenal took it to another level with the two goals. But it wasn't just the goals, because Bukayo Saka, Leandro Trossard, Gabriel Jesus, and Eddie Nketiah starred in attack. Even Jorginho had his moments.

Arsenal fans will be disappointed by Fabio Vieira, who has cut a frustrated figure. A handful of MLS takeaways have meant that Arsenal's backline has been on its heels on a few occasions, but the MLS All-Stars have been unable to take advantage.

The difference between an established team like Arsenal and a team that was slapped together like the MLS All-Stars: the MLS players committed 12 fouls in the first half, picked up 4 yellow cards, and had 0 shots on target.

51st+ min.: YELLOW card to MLS's Jakob Glesnes for blocking Eddie Nketiah who was making another dangerous run. Trossard takes this dead ball as well, but Gabriel can't nod down the header on target.

48th+ min.: YELLOW card to MLS's Thiago Almada for pushing Eddie Nketiah from behind as he ran at goal. The ensuing set piece is about 25 yards from goal and Leandro Trossard takes it and nearly scores with a right side-footed technique.

45th min.: Six minutes of stoppage time. There's been little happening in recent minutes. MLS misfired through Thiago Almada and Carles Gil (latter play was offside), and Arsenal seem content to take this 2-0 lead into halftime.

33rd min.: SUBS MLS All-Stars. Before play resumes after the break, MLS manager Wayne Rooney makes a number of subs. Thiago Almada, Carles Gil, Cristian Espinoza, Jesus Ferreira, Aidan Morris, and goalkeeper Tyler Miller are in.

30th min.: Chance MLS! A corner kick bounces into the middle of the box, where Ryan Hollingshead gets a touch on it and nearly redirects it on target. And now the teams head to the benches for a hydration break.

28th min.: Chance Arsenal! It's Leandro Trossard bossing the game with a curling cross to the far post, but Gabriel Jesus can't get his header on target.

23rd min.: Goal Arsenal! Another spectacular strike, this time by Leandro Trossard. The Belgian receives the pass from Bukayo Saka and then puts the ball on his right foot before blasting it inside the right post.

18th min.: YELLOW card to MLS's left-back Alvaro Barreal. And it's Bukayo Saka drawing another yellow in this match.

15th min.: Exhibit A that this is an All-Star Game. MLS's Denis Bouanga nutmegs Jorginho and proceeds to attempt a chip from 40 yards out. It nearly went out for a throw-in.

13th min.: YELLOW card to MLS's Jose 'Brujo' Martinez for stopping a promising attack by Bukayo Saka. American referee Ted Unkel didn't hesitate.

11th min.: Chance MLS! Riqui Puig lays off a pass to the wide-open Christian Benteke in the Arsenal box, but Benteke can't control and the chance is lost.

Before that Arsenal goal put them in their place, the MLS players were ballin' out between Lucho Acosta and Hany Mukhtar. But they're not seeing the ball nearly as much.

5th min.: Goal Arsenal! What a strike by Gabriel Jesus who is already in midseason form. It was an excellent transition and Jesus chips the goalkeeper from outside the box!

3rd min.: For Arsenal, Eddie Nketiah is playing at left wing with Gabriel Jesus predictably down the middle of the attack. Leandro Trossard is on the left side of central midfield.

1st min.: MLS All-Stars kick off. The MLS players are wearing black and Arsenal are in electric yellow kits.

Kickoff

5 minutes to kickoff: The teams are out on the field and we're getting ready for national anthems.

20 minutes to kickoff: It'll be the new Arsenal jersey for tonight's game:

30 minutes to kickoff: The starting lineups are out.

1 hour, 30 minutes to kickoff: According to reports, it's looking like a predictable Arsenal-heavy crowd in Washington, D.C. for tonight's match.

MORE: How last year's MLS All-Star Game went

MLS vs Arsenal lineups

Major League Soccer's roster features players from over 15 nations appearing on the list. There are nine Americans, four Argentines (including World Cup winner Thiago Almada), and MLS top scorer Hany Mukhtar from Germany. Inter Miami's Lionel Messi is not an All-Star despite officially signing with the league four days before.

D.C. United goalkeeper Tyler Miller was Wayne Rooney's coach's selection on the roster, while veteran striker Kei Kamara was named to the squad as an MLS commissioner's pick.

MLS lineup (4-3-3, right to left): 1-Roman Burki (GK) — 24-Ryan Hollingshead, 3-Jakob Glesnes, 25-Walker Zimmerman, 31-Alvaro Barreal — 6-Riqui Puig, 8-Jose Martinez, 10-Hany Mukhtar — 99-Denis Bouanga, 20-Christian Benteke, 11-Luciano Acosta

MLS subs (18): 28-Tyler Miller (GK), 12-Djordje Petrovic (GK), 17-Jon Gallagher, 21-Matt Miazga, 26-Tim Parker, 47-John Tolkin, 23-Thiago Almada, 29-Mathieu Choiniere, 16-Hector Herrera, 22-Carles Gil, 5-Aidan Morris, 30-Lucas Zelarayan, 19-Cristian Espinoza, 7-Giorgos Giakoumakis, 38-Kei Kamara, 23-Thiago Almada, 9-Jesus Ferreira, 13-Jordan Morris

MORE: MLS all-time attendance records

We could see the debut of Declan Rice with the Gunners after he officially signed on July 15. It will have to be off the bench after he was not included in the starting XI. Mohamed Elneny, Thomas Partey, Emile Smith Rowe, and Oleksandr Zinchenko are not on the roster.

American defender Auston Trusty is on the roster, but U.S. national team goalkeeper Matt Turner is not, as he is away on vacation following his recent participation in the CONCACAF Nations League and Gold Cup. U.S. international striker Folarin Balogun is also in the squad, as rumors swirl regarding whether he will leave this summer for a new club or fight for a place at the top of the Arsenal attack.

Arsenal lineup (4-3-3, right to left): 1-Aaron Ramsdale (GK) — 4-Ben White, 2-William Saliba, 6-Gabriel, 15-Jakub Kiwior — 21-Fabio Vieira, 20-Jorginho, 19-Leandro Trossard — 7-Bukayo Saka, 9-Gabriel Jesus, 14-Eddie Nketiah.

Arsenal subs (14): 13-Alex Runarsson (GK), 31-Karl Hein (GK), 16-Rob Holding, 12-Jurrien Timber, 3-Kieran Tierney, 18-Takehiro Tomiyasu, 32-Auston Trusty, 45-Amario Cozier-Duberry, 29-Kai Havertz, 8-Martin Odegaard, 41-Declan Rice, 26-Folarin Balogun, 27-Marquinhos, 11-Gabriel Martinelli

MORE: Arsenal preseason fixtures | Arsenal squad for 2023/24 season

MLS All Stars vs Arsenal live stream, TV channel

The MLS All-Star Game will be played on Wednesday, July 19, kicking off at 8:30 p.m. ET.

The match will be broadcast around the world exclusively and for FREE on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV, as part of the league's exclusive media rights deal with the media giant.

MORE: All the trophies that Lionel Messi can win 

  TV channel Streaming
USA — MLS Season Pass on Apple TV (FREE)
Canada — MLS Season Pass on Apple TV (FREE)
UK — MLS Season Pass on Apple TV (FREE)
Australia — MLS Season Pass on Apple TV (FREE)
New Zealand — MLS Season Pass on Apple TV (FREE)
India — MLS Season Pass on Apple TV (FREE)
Hong Kong — MLS Season Pass on Apple TV (FREE)
Singapore — MLS Season Pass on Apple TV (FREE)
Malaysia — MLS Season Pass on Apple TV (FREE)

Simon Borg

Simon Borg Photo

Simon Borg is a senior editor at The Sporting News who has covered football/soccer for over a decade. A supporter of Italian club Parma Calcio from his years growing up in Europe, he was previously a long-time member of Major League Soccer's digital media team, as a multimedia content producer, on-air personality, and Editor-in-Chief. Based in New York City, Borg is multilingual and has covered the domestic and global scene for TSN since 2021.