This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2011, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
The Major League Soccer All-Star Game did not turn out so well, for the all-stars or Real Salt Lake.
Not only did the All-Stars lose 4-0 to Manchester United at Red Bull Arena on Wednesday night after the league focused expressly on building a roster it believed could win, but RSL's Jamison Olave — the reigning league defensive player of the year who started the game — left with a knee injury after barely a half-hour at Harrison, N.J.
Team officials said Olave suffered a sprained left knee and is expected to miss 10 to 15 days.
The hulking Colombian will be examined when he returns to Utah, and presumably will not play when RSL resumes its league schedule against Columbus at Rio Tinto Stadium on Saturday. Given his timetable for return, he could also miss league games at Sporting Kansas City on Aug. 3 and against the New York Red Bulls at home on Aug. 6.
Anderson, Ji-sung Park, Dimitar Berbatov and Danny Walbeck all scored for Manchester United, one of the best and most famous teams in the world that beat the All-Stars 5-2 last season at Reliant Stadium in Houston.
The reigning champions of the English Premier League have outscored their opponents 18-2 in winning the opening four games on their preseason U.S. tour, and will play their final game against FC Barcelona in Washington on Saturday in a rematch of the UEFA Champions League final that they lost to the Spaniards.
Superstar striker Wayne Rooney set up two of the goals against the All-Stars, and the Reds scored twice on each side of halftime while the All-Stars narrowly missed several promising chances early that might have changed the complexion of the game.
RSL's Kyle Beckerman played the second half, after Olave left in the 38th minute.
Like most midseason classics, this one started with a show.
Parachutists floated into the double-decked arena that is in its second year of operation, fireworks lit the sky and a helicopter flyover all preceded the start of the game. The All-Stars even looked good for awhile, with the Los Angeles Galaxy's David Beckham, who starred for the Reds in his prime, missing just barely wide in the seventh minute.
But the All-Stars were playing without the Galaxy's Landon Donovan because of a lingering injury, and several other players who had been voted onto the team by fans were unavailable due to injuries or conflicting games with their regular teams.
And after the opening 20 minutes or so, though, it was almost all Manchester United. —
Columbus at RSL
P Saturday
7 p.m.