MLS stars come out tonight

SANDY — The most asked question of the players and coaches in the buildup to tonight's MLS All-Star Game has been about the importance of winning. But really, how critical can the outcome of a friendly be?

There's nothing on the line when the MLS squad and Everton FC walk out of the tunnel at Rio Tinto Stadium. Securing three points is the last thing on anyone's mind. For Everton, they're focused on the buildup to an Aug. 15 English Premier League opener against Arsenal. For MLS players, they'd like to extend their unbeaten streak in the current All-Star format to six, but they know it's no big deal if they don't.

Tonight's game is as much about pride as anything else, but it's also about putting on a show, according to All-Star coach Dominic Kinnear.

"Fans come out to be entertained, they want to see chances and good play around the box, and hopefully the way we've talked and the way we've set it up this can happen," said Kinnear.

The Houston Dynamo coach has no intention of sitting back and playing for a 1-0 victory against last year's fifth-place team in the EPL. He wants to entertain the sold-out Rio Tinto Stadium crowd in the 15th annual MLS All-Star Game at 7:30 p.m.

"It's important we try and win this game, but in the end the fans are coming here to be entertained and you have to let the individually talented players that we have express themselves and enjoy the game as much as possible," said Kinnear.

If that means Cuauhtemoc Blanco doesn't defend, so be it. The Chicago midfielder is one of the main attractions in this year's All-Star game, and he's capable of a scintillating goal at any moment.

If letting the players express themselves leads to a 4-3 final score, so be it as well. With attack-minded players like Blanco, Landon Donovan, Freddie Ljungberg, Freddy Montero and Javier Morales, MLS is capable to scoring plenty of goals.

Everton won't let it come to that, though. The opener to its 2009-10 campaign is just weeks away and players are working hard to prove they belong in the starting 11 in the opener. Losing 4-0 to the MLS All-Stars like Celtic did two years ago is probably the wrong way to impress a manager.

"It's very important now, we only have two weeks until the season starts, so in terms of a fitness exercise, it's vitally important we play top-class competition," said Everton's Philip Neville.