Drew with VW
After attending the Waterfest German Car Show in July, I stayed on the east coast to catch the Major League Soccer (MLS) All-Star Game, where the best soccer players from North America faced off against Chelsea F.C. from England. The match was held at PPL Park in Philadelphia and it ended with a thrilling upset win, with our All-Star team coming out ahead 3-2.
I’m a D.C. United fan, so I was elated to see Chris Pontius and Dwayne De Rosario represent Volkswagen USA’s home team and have such great games. Chris Pontius was even named Most Value Player after scoring the game-changing goal, a true accomplishment after suffering from a broken leg earlier this season.
That day, I arrived at the stadium early for premiere VW owner parking and to visit the VW area just outside of the stadium. This “hang out” space included a 22-person foosball table, soccer simulator and soccer clinic with players Raymon Gaddis, Michael Lahoud and Zac MacMath, along with a handful of 2012 and 2013 VW models for attendees to sit in and debate which color they’d choose.
For the two days leading up to the MLS All-Star Game, the U12 (under 12 years old) Volkswagen Junior Masters teams battled for the top spot in their annual National Tournament. Eight of the best teams from across the nation traveled to Philadelphia to test their skills against other regions. By the afternoon before the MLS All-Star Game, the tournament was down to two teams: Real Colorado and Chicago Sockers FC. The match ended scoreless, with each side showing excellent defense. In the end, the Chicago Sockers FC won the match in a riveting shootout.
Professional soccer player Josh Wolff from D.C. United came out to present gold and silver medals to the top two teams. At the end of the day, all eight Junior Masters teams met at the MLS All-Star Game to watch some of their favorite players compete.
Soccer is one of the fastest-growing sports in the U.S., and Volkswagen owners across the world follow it closely. The All-Star Game is one of two MLS events Volkswagen is promoting this year; the second event will be the MLS Cup on December 1 at a location being announced two weeks prior. VW is also the presenting global sponsor of the 2012 Volkswagen Junior Masters program. Earlier this year, teams from all over the world met in Poland for the world finals, held every two years.
For the latest news on the tournament, sign up for updates on our Junior Masters page.