Last week I had the opportunity to travel to Washington, DC for the 2023 MLS All-Star game. It was a whirlwind trip, full of excitement!
When I arrived in DC I decided to take the first day for sightseeing. I walked to The White House, passed Black Lives Matter Plaza, and then headed to city center to do some shopping. That evening Apple invited myself and the other MLS Season Pass Ambassadors to attend the MLS All-Star Concert at The Anthem. It was great to finally meet the other ambassadors for LAFC, LA Galaxy, Seattle, Houston, Austin and Miami. We had a blast! DJ PeeWee was amazing and Kehlani had a packed house.
The following day was the All Star Skills Challenge at Audi Field. The ambassadors had a cabana on the field so we were able to see all the action up close. John Tolkin, JMi of the New York Red Bulls, stopped by to say hi and I was able to wish him good luck. The skills challenge was really fun to watch and included players from MLS and Arsenal competing in five challenges to showcase their precision, agility and creativity on the field: shooting; touch; cross & volley; passing; and crossbar. MLS came away with a win in the cross & volley challenge thanks in large part to LAFC forward Dénis Bouanga and D.C. United goalkeeper Tyler Miller. As part of the MLS All-Star Skills Challenge presented by AT&T 5G, both MLS and Arsenal competed on behalf of organizations making positive change in local communities – resulting in $25,000 donations to DC SCORES (which creates local youth soccer teams to foster confidence on the field, in the classroom, and in life) and Special Olympics DC (which provides sports, health and inclusion programs that benefit children and adults with intellectual disabilities).
On my last day it was time for the All Star Game! Audi Field was jam-packed (a record crowd of 20,621) for the MLS All-Stars to take on international powerhouse, Arsenal. The crowd was incredibly welcoming to Arsenal and they ended up coming away with a 5-0 win over our All Stars. Arsenal forward Bukayo Saka was named MLS All-Star Game MVP. The MLS All-Stars had nine different nationalities represented in their starting lineup – Argentina, Belgium, Gabon, Germany, Norway, Spain, Switzerland, United States and Venezuela. This was MLS’ first loss in an All-Star Game since 2019 and they are now 9-5-5 verses international competition.
I want to extend a huge thank you to Apple and MLS for their hospitality. It was an unforgettable experience!