Just one month from now the MLS Homegrown Team will take on Liga MX club Chivas de Guadalajara’s Under-20 team in the fourth annual MLS Homegrown Game presented by Energizer. Behind the bench at Toyota Park will be U.S. Soccer and MLS legend Brian McBride, announced Saturday as the Homegrown Team head coach, and former MLS MVP Mike Magee. The August 1 match (8 p.m. ET) will be broadcast live on national television on UDN, with a live stream on facebook.com/univisiondeportes (MLS LIVE in Canada).
"It's an honor to be a part of it, to coach it in the city I grew up in" McBride said. "I played soccer here, and at the age these guys are going to be playing here, I was nowhere near the level they are. To get a chance to have them so young and be a part of it, it's going to be a fantastic time."
In each of their first years participating as coaches of the MLS Homegrown Team, McBride and Magee bring a winning pedigree as MLS legends and Chicago natives. During his playing career, Magee won 2013 MLS MVP honors playing for the Chicago Fire, while McBride participated in three World Cups with the United States National Team, concluding his outstanding MLS career with the Fire.
"Getting a chance to coach, in Chicago, it's incredible," Magee said. "Brian McBride was my childhood idol, so getting to do anything with him, let alone coach beside him, is really cool.
"And getting a chance to meet these kids that are the future stars of MLS is cool. They're already succeeding and doing well, but now I'll get to know them on a personal basis and follow them for the next 10-20 years of their careers. It's exciting."
Tickets, starting at $10, may be purchased on Ticketmaster.com and include entrance to two events during 2017 MLS All-Star Chicago: the MLS Homegrown Game as well as the Generation adidas ESP Showcase Match being held immediately prior at 6 p.m. ET at Toyota Park. Tickets are now available.
