But in a crowded sports landscape, MLS and the game itself have little choice but to engage in these kinds of efforts.

Real Madrid has captured back-to-back Champions League titles and a record 33 La Liga championships and sports a roster that features some of the biggest names in the sport, including Gareth Bale, Karim Benzema, Toni Kroos, Sergio Ramos, Marcelo, Luka Modric, Isco and others.

With the European Supercup against Manchester United around the corner, Zidane will treat the MSL game as a dress rehearsal and will therefore play his strongest side and resists the temptation to make too many changes.

For the 13th straight year, North America's best take on a top international team, this time glamour-boys Real Madrid on Wednesday night at sold-out Soldier Field.

With the huge incentive of downing the best team in Europe to spur them on, the MLS All-Star side could well pull off a shock on Wednesday and down Real in Chicago.

Real Madrid is a powerful team but can lose tonight if the odds are to be believed.

But Howard expects Real Madrid to bring their best as they prepare for the upcoming La Liga campaign.

"I spent a lot of great years here, four years at the beginning of my career", Beasley said. An ankle problem prevented him from playing the second and third matches of the pre-season International Champions Cup, which was held in Miami, Florida.

"But it will be certainly exciting to play Real Madrid - there's no question about that". The All-Stars' 2-1 win over Bayern Munich in 2014, however, may have been too competitive; then-Bayern manager Pep Guardiola left that game without shaking hands, instead wagging his finger at what he considered unnecessarily hard tackles by MLS defenders.

Everybody had a good laugh, and we moved on.

"When you have friendly matches, you want to win 100 per cent. I don't like to lose, even friendly matches", Schweinsteiger said on Tuesday.

Former Revolution defender and native New Englander Michael Parkhurst (Cranston, R.I.) will suit up for the All-Stars.

Bastian Schweinsteiger, who is a first participation, wants to launch a message in the face of adversary prestigious as Real Madrid, especially given that the Soldier Field, home of the Bears of the NFL, will be filled to full capacity. "We have to be sharp". Only one player - Montreal's Ignacio Piatti, who has eight goals to his name this season - from either of MLS's other two Canadian teams, the Impact and the Vancouver Whitecaps, will represent his club Wednesday.

Schweinsteiger won't be alone on the pitch as the Fire will be well-represented in the game. If they're not the biggest soccer team in the world they're in the top two or three, and they have fans all over the globe who would be thrilled to see them play regardless of whether Ronaldo is on the field. "Toronto's my club. I've never been more committed to trying to finish what I went there for, which was to win, to hold up trophies".

Accam did not know anything about MLS while he was growing up in Ghana.