2003 MLS All-Star Game
The 2003 Major League Soccer All-Star Game was the 8th Major League Soccer All-Star Game, played on August 2, 2003 at The Home Depot Center, now known as StubHub Center, in Carson, California. The All-Star Game celebrated both the opening of the league's second soccer-specific stadium that season, as well as the announcement of the league's expansion with an eleventh team purchased by the owners of Mexico's Club Deportivo Guadalajara. Then-MetroStars head coach Bob Bradley was tapped to lead the MLS All-Stars against Guadalajara, commonly known as Chivas, and led by their head coach, Eduardo de la Torre.
A scoreless first half was marked by a defensive effort for the All-Stars. The Los Angeles Galaxy's Kevin Hartman made several key saves, while a backline led by Carlos Bocanegra of the Chicago Fire weathered a persistent Chivas attack. The Fire's Ante Razov scored the first goal in the second half thanks in part to a feed by the San Jose Earthquakes' Landon Donovan past a beaten Oswaldo Sánchez. Jair Garcia broke away from the defense and beat Hartman to tie the game, but the All-Stars responded shortly thereafter with the eventual-game winner by the Galaxy's Carlos Ruiz. The Fire's DaMarcus Beasley tipped in the All-Stars' third goal, which Chivas contested because of an assistant referee's offside call, which was waved off by Kevin Terry. A sellout crowd at The Home Depot Center celebrated the win, as well as the awarding of MVP to local favorite Carlos Ruiz.
