MLS WORKS and ESPN today announced the full rosters for the 2017 Special Olympics Unified Sports All-Star soccer match. The match takes place on Tuesday, August 1 at Toyota Park, home of the Chicago Fire, at 4:45 p.m. CT, one day before the 2017 MLS All-Star Game presented by Target.
For the fourth year in a row, MLS WORKS and ESPN will host 44 delegates as part of the Special Olympics Unified Sports All-Star Experience, which this year will feature participants representing all 22 MLS clubs. The Unified Sports All-Star soccer teams are comprised of players with and without intellectual disabilities, and will play an 11 v. 11 match consisting of two 25-minute halves. The team uniforms for the game will be provided by adidas. The teams will take the pitch in an East vs. West matchup prior to the fourth annual MLS Homegrown Game presented by Energizer® on Tuesday, August 1 at 7:00 p.m. CT at Toyota Park.
Tickets for both matches are available now by CLICKING HERE. Gates will open to the public at 2:00 p.m. CT. The Unified match will be streamed live on MLSsoccer.com, MLS’ Facebook page and MLS’ YouTube page.
Player rosters can be found by CLICKING HERE. Brothers O'nelle and Zacharia Copeland will represent the Dynamo Unified team, presented by 76®.
ExtraTime Radio hosts David Gass and Andrew Wiebe will provide play-by-play analysis and color commentary on the live stream. MLSsoccer.com personalities, Calen Carr and Susannah Collins, will serve as sideline reporters, interviewing players and coaches throughout the match. Chicago Fire players will serve as celebrity coaches for both teams, as well as present the Unified athletes with medals following the game.
The game will showcase the Special Olympics Unified Sports exchange program, the cornerstone of the ongoing partnership between MLS, ESPN and Special Olympics North America. Through the Unified Sports soccer exchange program, Unified teams from MLS cities travel to other MLS markets to compete in exhibition matches with their Special Olympics counterparts. Unified matches are scheduled in conjunction with MLS club matches, providing MLS fans with an opportunity to witness first-hand the talents and abilities of Special Olympics athletes. Supporting the matches is ESPN, media partner to both MLS and Special Olympics International and the Global Presenting Sponsor of Special Olympics Unified Sports.
The match is part of the one-year countdown to Special Olympics’ 50th anniversary celebration which will take place in Chicago July 17-22, 2018. Included in next year’s events will be the first ever Unified Football (Soccer) Cup which will showcase 24 Unified teams from around the world.
The best in MLS will face Spanish giants Real Madrid, the newly minted back-to-back reigning UEFA Champions League winners, in the 2017 MLS All-Star Game presented by Target on August 2 at Soldier Field in Chicago. The summer showcase will air at 8:30 p.m. ET on FS1, Univision, TSN and TVA Sports domestically as well as more than 170 countries globally.
Tickets to the 2017 MLS All-Star Game presented by Target are available via Ticketmaster.com or by calling 800-745-3000. Click here for more information about the Chicago Fire All-Star Plan and All-Star Group 2-Pack or call the Fire at (888) MLS-FIRE.
