It was just a friendly so take from it what you will, but wow! Arsenal put a real beat down on the MLS All-Stars. Sure, All-Star games are even more meaningless than your typical preseason exhibition match, but hey, credit where it is due. Declan Rice and Jurrien Timber made their Gunners debuts.
Kai Havertz scored his first goal in an Arsenal shirt, as part of a 5-0 rout in the 2023 Major League Soccer All-Star Game.
Havertz scored in the 89′, the fifth and final goal of the game. Gabriel Jesus opened the scoring in then 5′, at Audi Field in Washington, D.C. The rout was totally on from there, with Arsenal dominating shots 16-7 and shots on goal 5-1.
Leandro Trossard (proving he is totally match fit), Jorginho (from the penalty spot) and Gabriel Martinelli rounded out the rest of the scoring.
Rice came on for Jorginho in the 65′ while Timber came on for William Saliba at the same time.
The side that Arsenal faced was pretty lackluster. Christian Benteke is probably the only household name you might have recognized on the MLS All-Star roster. Wayne Rooney, the side’s manager, had little to work with.
Up next for Arsenal is a trip to Met Life Stadium, home of the New York Giants and New York Jets, in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
They’ll take on Manchester United in a friendly branded the “Old Rivals.”
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He’s written for numerous publications, including the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. He regularly appears on NTD News and WGN News Now. Follow the website on Twitter and Instagram.