Monday, 29 July 2013

MLS ALL STARS TAKE ON AS ROMA LATER TODAY

Roma star Francesco Totti is expecting a testing encounter when his side take on the MLS All-Stars on Wednesday.

The Major League Soccer all-star team have faced British opposition in their last eight mid-season outings, and beat European champions Chelsea 3-2 in last year's fixture courtesy of a 91st-minute winner by Eddie Johnson.

Roma are now set to become the first Italian side to take part in the showpiece, but Totti does not expect to be given an easy ride as a result.

"I believe that going up against a team that has players like (Thierry) Henry, (Tim) Cahill, Robbie Keane or my good friend (Marco) Di Vaio will make the game much more than a simple preseason test for us," he told FutbolMLS.com.

"The fact that they have beaten (a team like) Chelsea speaks for itself. There will be a lot of quality on the field, so I bet it will be a beautiful encounter in which the big winner is the spectacle."

The game will be hosted at Sporting Park, the home of MLS Eastern Conference leaders Sporting Kansas City, and the franchise will also lend the services of head coach Peter Vermes.

The 46-year-old was forced to make a late change to his squad, however, after Los Angeles Galaxy forward Robbie Keane sustained an injury which will rule him out.

The Irishman's Galaxy team-mate Landon Donovan has replaced him, earning his 13th All-Star inclusion in the process.

Roma's American midfielder Michael Bradley is returning to his homeland for his team's pre-season tour, which also includes games against Toronto FC and Chelsea.

By contrast, Rome-born Montreal Impact striker Di Vaio will come up against Italian opposition for the first time since his move to Canada.

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