EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – The MLS Eastern All-Stars defeated the MLS Western All-Stars, 5-4, in front of 24,816 fans at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
Dante Washington gave the West a 1-0 lead when he found the back of the net in the 11th minute. A goal from Los Angeles Galaxy goalkeeper Jorge Campos, who entered the game as a substitute field player, doubled the West’s lead just moment before halftime.
However, Tampa Bay’s Carlos Valderrama paced the East to five goals in the second half.
Valderrama got the East on the scoreboard when he tallied in the 50th minute, and a 63rd minute strike from his Mutiny teammate Giuseppe Galderisi leveled the match at 2-2.
Robert Warzycha added another one just three minutes later, and in the 70th minute, D.C. United’s Richie Williams extended the lead to 4-2. Valderrama, who assisted on Williams’s goal, earned MVP honors for his performance.
The West rallied to score two goals in the 80th and 86th minutes when Digital Takawira and Cobi Jones netted, but it was the East’s Brian McBride who hammered home the game-winner in the 88th minute off a feed from Galderisi.
MLS All-Star Game 1997: July 9, 1997
Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey
MLS All-Stars East: 5 MLS All-Stars West: 4
MVP: Carlos Valderrama (EAST)
Scoring summary
WST—Washington (Preki, Sonora) 11
WST—Campos (Preki, Damian) 44
EST—Valderamma (Galderisi, Warzycha) 50
EST—Galderisi (Williams, Valderrama) 63
EST—Warzycha (McBride, Ralston) 66
EST—Williams (Valderrama) 70
WST—Takawira (Cerritos, Cienfuegos) 80
WST—Jones (Johnston) 86
EST—McBride (Galderisi) 88
EAST: Walter Zenga (Tony Meola 46), Eddie Pope (Ted Chronopoulos 46), Alexi Lalas (Frank Yallop 46), Jeff Agoos, Robert Warzycha (Diaz Arce reenters 79), John Harkes (Richie Williams 46), Roberto Donadoni (Steve Ralston 28), Carlos Valderrama, Marco Etcheverry (Guiseppe Galderisi 46), Raul Diaz Arce (Chiquinho Conde 46), Jamie Moreno (Brian McBride 46)
WEST: Mark Dodd (Takawira reenters 58), Diego Sonora, Richard Gough (John Doyle 46), Marcelo Balboa (Mark Santel 46), Chris Henderson, Damian (Cobi Jones 46), Mauricio Cienfuegos, Preki (Mark Chung 46), Alain Sutter (Jorge Campos 35), Digital Takawira (Mo Johnston 46), Dante Washington (Ronald Cerritos 46)
Referees: Arturo Angeles; Jorge Reyes, Thomas Bobadilla
ARCHIVE:1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010
