Major League Soccer has selected Portland, Oregon to host the 2014 AT&T MLS All-Star Game. The annual showcase event will feature several days of festivities, including a match between the top MLS players and an international club to be determined. The date of the game has not been set, but the event will be held in late July or early August 2014, at Jeld-Wen Field, home to the Portland Timbers.
The event will mark the first time Portland has hosted and all-star game in any major sport.
Jeld-Wen Field is an iconic sports and entertainment facility located in the heart of downtown Portland, and officially reopened to the public for MLS on April 14, 2011, after a significant renovation. Since then, the Timbers have sold out every MLS league match to date.
“The Portland Timbers and their passionate fans have certainly earned the honor of hosting the 2014 AT&T MLS All-Star Game,” said MLS Commissioner Don Garber. “This match will showcase to an international audience the incredible devotion to the game in the Pacific Northwest that serves as one of the most important stories for our league.”
Originally constructed in 1926, Jeld-Wen has played host to some of the Northwest region’s most memorable events, including Pelé’s official last professional game, the CONCACAF Gold Cup, FIFA World Cup qualifying matches and the 2003 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
“We are very pleased to host the national and international soccer community to Soccer City, USA, for the 2014 AT&T MLS All-Star Game and its surrounding events,” said Merritt Paulson, president of the Timbers. “This event will be the first major All-Star Game of any sport ever in Portland and the Timbers and our fans look forward to showcasing our fabulous city and Jeld-Wen Field next summer.”
“Portland is a soccer town, pure and simple, and we are honored that our city has been chosen to host the 2014 AT&T MLS All-Star Game,” said Portland Mayor Charlie Hales. “Our reputation as Soccer City, USA, began in the 1970s with the original Portland Timbers and has been put on display for many other wonderful events over the years, including the 2003 FIFA Women’s World Cup and a recent CONCACAF Gold Cup doubleheader. We earn that reputation every time the thunderous cheers for the Timbers and Thorns FC roll out of Jeld-Wen Field and wash over downtown Portland. And in the summer of 2014, we look forward to earning that reputation once again during Major League Soccer’s showcase summer event.”