Topics: ESPN2, ESPN3.com, ESPN, Chelsea, Liverpool, AS Roma, Major League Soccer
Coverage starts at 8:30 p.m. ET following Liverpool FC vs. AS Roma from Fenway Park

ESPN will air MLS All-Stars vs Chelsea on Wednesday, July 25, 2012.ESPN2 and ESPN3.com will present live the 2012 AT&T MLS All-Star Game Presented by adidas on Wednesday, July 25, beginning at 8:30 p.m. ET from PPL Park in Chester, Pa.  The MLS All-Star telecast will follow the 2012 ESPN Summer Soccer Series match between Liverpool FC and AS Roma live from Fenway Park at 6:30 p.m. on ESPN2, ESPN3 and ESPN Deportes.  Both ESPN2 telecasts will be available in high definition. 

In the soccer doubleheader, many of Major League Soccer’s most accomplished professional players will play in the All-Star match, such as former England National Team captain David Beckham (Los Angeles Galaxy), 1998 FIFA World Cup champion Thierry Henry (New York Red Bull), and US Men’s National Team goal-scoring leader Landon Donovan (Los Angeles Galaxy), competing against the UEFA Champions League title-holders Chelsea FC.

 

Chelsea is coming off an improbable 2011-2012 season after winning its first European Cup and the FA Cup.  The team’s roster for the All-Star Game includes veteran midfielder Frank Lampard and captain John Terry (England), goalkeeper Petr Czech (Czech Republic), Ramires (Brazil), Michael Essien (Ghana), Raul Meireles (Portugal), newly acquired players such as Belgian international Eden Hazard and German National Team player Marko Marin, and more.

ESPN soccer doubleheader commentators:

Adrian Healey and Taylor Twellman, ESPN’s primary MLS commentator team, will call the MLS All-Star Game, with former Mexican Women’s National Team captain Mónica González as sideline reporter.  Max Bretos, Alexi Lalas and former US National Team goalkeeper Kasey Keller will host studio coverage including pre-game, halftime and post-game segments from PPL Park.  Coverage will also include live, in-game interviews with select coaches and/or players.

ESPN UK’s lead commentator for the Scottish Premier League Derek Rae and ESPN International’s Robbie Mustoe will call the Liverpool-Roma match in English, while Richard Mendez and Tato Noriega will provide Spanish-language match commentary.

Major League Soccer’s most-watched season on ESPN/ESPN2:

Through the 2012 MLS All-Star Game, Major League Soccer matches on ESPN and ESPN2 have been seen by an average audience of 345,000 viewers (261,000 household impressions), reflecting an increase of 12 percent in viewers and nine percent in television homes from the same period in 2011.  This marks the most-watched MLS season on cable television, thus far.

The top five markets for Major League Soccer on ESPN-ESPN2 are: Portland (0.5), New York (0.5), Norfolk-Portsmouth-Newport News, Va. (0.5), San Diego (0.4), and Greensboro-High Point, N.C. (0.4).