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Pre-season Friendlies
Jul 30, 2015 at 2.15am UK
 
SL

2-1

Kaka (20' pen.), Villa (23')
FT(HT: 2-1)
Kane (37')

Live Commentary: MLS All-Star 2-1 Tottenham Hotspur - as it happened

:Headline: Live Commentary: MLS All-Star 2-1 Tottenham Hotspur - as it happened: ID:236168: from db_amp
Relive with Sports Mole all the action from the friendly match between the MLS All-Star and Tottenham Hotspur in Denver.

Tottenham Hotspur got their pre-season campaign underway against the MLS All-Star in Denver on Wednesday.

Mauricio Pochettino's men were looking to build their fitness and match sharpness ahead of the new Premier League season against the best players in the MLS.

The All-Stars took the lead when Nacer Chadli handled in the area and Kaka dispatched the resulting penalty, while David Villa doubled their lead minutes later.

Harry Kane picked up where he left off last season with a good strike from distance to reduce the deficit, but Spurs were unable to find an equaliser as they fell to the defeat.

Read how all the action unfolded in our commentary below.

Good evening and welcome to the live commentary of the friendly clash between the MLS All-Star and Tottenham Hotspur.
Tottenham begin their Premier League campaign in just under 10 days time when they will face off against Manchester United at Old Trafford. Mauricio Pochettino's men are preparing for the clash against the Red Devils by taking on the best the MLS has to offer this evening.
Spurs are playing their first match of pre-season against the MLS All-Star side which may be due to their exploits at the end of the season when they played Malaysia XI and Sydney FC. Mauricio Pochettino's men should be fresh, although he will want to see the up to match speed as soon as possible ahead of the big kickoff next week.
However, Pochettino's side will be able to test their abilities against some of the best players in the MLS, including Steven Gerrard, David Villa and Kaka, although Frank Lampard will miss the game due to a calf injury, which has prevented him making his debut for New York City FC. There will be plenty of quality players on the pitch in Denver tonight.
We'll not keep you waiting to find out who will be playing this evening as the team news has been announced and we'll start with Spurs.
SPURS STARTING XI: Vorm, Walker, Alderweireld, Vertonghen, Davies, Bentaleb, Dier, Chadli, Dembele, Eriksen, Kane
Subs: McGee, Glover, Trippier, Yedlin, Fazio, Wimmer, Rose, Alli, Carroll, Onomah, Winks, Coulthirst
MLS ALL-STAR STARTING XI: Rimando, Beltran, Gonzalez, Besler, Beasley, McCarty, Zusi, Kaka, Zardes, Villa, Dempsey
Subs: Ousted, Irwin, Marshall, Moor, Ciman, Francis, Feilhaber, Cronin, Juninho, Finlay, Kamara, Altidore, Castillo
A strong lineup from Spurs this evening as Harry Kane leads the line in attack as he will be looking to maintain the high level of performances he produced last year on his way to notching 31 goals for the club. Christian Eriksen will support the England international in attack, while Nacer Chadli and Mousa Dembele also occupy the midfield alongside Eric Dier and Nabil Bentaleb. Toby Alderweireld makes his first start for Pochettino's men following his move from Atletico Madrid as he partners Jan Vertonghen at the back, while Kyle Walker and Ben Davies start in the full-back positions. Keeper and captain Hugo Lloris out of action with a broken wrist, so Michel Vorm deputises for the Frenchman, and may continue in the role against United next week.
The Spurs players are about to go through their warm-ups ahead of kickoff.


No Steven Gerrard or Robbie Keane for the All-Stars in Denver, but Kaka captains the side which also features David Villa and former Spurs forward Clint Dempsey. The MLS side has plenty of firepower as Villa is fresh off a two-goal performance in New York City's win over Orlando City last week, while Graham Zusi and Gyasi Zardes along with Kaka will be looking to provide the ammunition for the Spaniard and Dempsey this evening. Omar Gonzalez and Matt Besler will have their work cut out in the centre-back positions against the threat of Kane, but DeMarcus Beasley and Tony Beltran will look to attack from the full-back positions.
The All-Stars are preparing for action now ahead of kickoff.


Former Seattle Sounders defender now Tottenham man DeAndre Yedlin may get the opportunity to say one last goodbye to the MLS as he is on the bench and could be an option in the second half for Pochettino if he wants to rest Kyle Walker.
The MLS All-Star match last year the All-Stars triumped 2-1 over Bayern Munich thanks to goals from Bradley Wright-Phillips and Landon Donovan, while Robert Lewandowski netted the opener for the Bundesliga champions.
Kickoff is just minutes away in Denver....


The players are out on the pitch and we should be underway shortly after all of the pre-match formalities.
The Americans do love their pageantry and no event would be complete without fireworks and a flyover from the Air Force. This is a pre-season friendly!
KICKOFF! We're underway in this pre-season clash.
CHANCE! A long ball over the top of the Tottenham defence causes problems for Vertonghen as he misjudges the flight of the ball and Dempsey pounces on the loose ball. The American feeds the ball back to Zusi who fires a low effort at goal, but his strike goes just wide of the post.
CHANCE! Bentaleb gives the ball away in the final third and Villa drives towards goal before giving the ball to Dempsey in the box. The forward tries an ambitious chipped effort which sails wide of the post.
Tottenham win a corner down the left and the ball comes back to Davies to launch a ball to the back post, but Kane and Chadli cannot connect to threaten Rimando's net.
Tottenham are struggling to build a rhythm which is understandable given that this is their first action of pre-season.
CHANCE! Kane should put Spurs ahead as he latches on to Dembele's deflected effort inside the box, but his strike from close range is turned behind by Rimando. The first opening for the England international.
CHANCE! Now the second opening as Kane reacts to the ball in the six-yard box after Dier wins the header from the corner from the right. However, the forward steers the ball wide of the post. It was an instinctive prod from Kane, so he couldn't not do much with his strike there.
Tottenham begin to find their gears as Eriksen and Dembele combine to release the run of Davies down the inside left channel, but the defender fails to time his run correctly and is flagged offside. Kane was free in the middle to turn the left-back's cross home, but the whistle had already blown.
Walker surges down the right for Pochettino's men and appears to get past Beasley, but the defender gets enough on the ball to force it behind for a corner. From the resulting cross, the ball is cleared into the path of Bentaleb, but his strike from the edge is well blocked by Besler.
Another long ball over the top causes the Tottenham defence problems as Vorm stays on his line. Alderweireld and Dempsey battle of the ball and the MLS win a corner from the tussle between the duo.
PENALTY TO MLS ALL-STAR!
GOAL! MLS All-Star 1-0 Tottenham (Kaka)
MLS All-Stars take the lead as from a corner from the right Chadli is caught looking away from the ball and it strikes him on the arm, leading the referee to point to the spot. Kaka takes the spot kick and remains composed to fire the ball into the bottom corner.
CHANCE! Tottenham should be level as Kane latches on to a cross at the back post from Chadli, but he strikes his effort straight at Rimando who makes a good reaction save to maintain his side's lead. The England man was sliding to make contact, but he should have beaten the keeper from that distance.
GOAL! MLS All-Star 2-0 Tottenham (Villa)
MLS All-Stars double their lead straight from the save from Rimando as Zardes raids down the left and crosses to the back post. Kaka collects the ball and drills a low effort at goal, and Villa reacts to the ball between Alderweireld and Vertonghen to steer it into the net.
Villa raids inside the box again down the inside left channel and tries to put the ball across the face of goal, but Demblele manages to get back at the Spaniard to win control and clear the danger. Good defending from the midfielder.
Dembele, Chadli and Eriksen all exchange passes on the edge of the All-Stars box, but Beltran and McCarty stick to their task to keep Tottenham at bay. Spurs were a bit too cute with their attacking threat there, they could have been more direct to break into the area.
The goals from the All-Stars have knocked the rhythm out of Spurs' passing game. They were playing good football for a 10-minute period, but they were exposed at the back, which will trouble Pochettino with just 10 days left ahead of the Premier League season.
CHANCE! Kane is denied by Rimando again with another sliding effort. Eriksen put a lovely ball across the face of goal and the striker did well to time his run to slide on to the ball, but the keeper spread himself well to make the block with his body.
GOAL! MLS All-Star 2-1 Tottenham (Kane)
Kane is off the mark in pre-season with a superb strike! The 22-year-old had been threatening to get on the scoresheet, but he was continually denied by Rimando, until he was allowed to run at the All-Stars defence and this time he powered his effort beyond the keeper into the top corner.
Confusion at the back for All-Star as Beasley tries to play the ball back to Rimando with his head, which forces the keeper off his line as Kane looks to pounce. However, Rimando manages to get his foot to the ball to clear it downfield.
The All-Stars break forward in numbers through the middle and Zardes has the chance to lift the ball in from the left, but his cross is poor as Villa and Kaka looked to capitalise on the attack, but Alderweireld is allowed to clear.
CHANCE! Dempsey comes close to restoring his side's two-goal lead as Beltran raids down the right and puts a low ball into the box. Kaka, Villa and the former Spurs man try to turn the ball towards the net, and Dempsey and Vertonghen slide for it, although the defender does just enough to force the ball wide for a corner.
There will be one minute of added time.
HALF-TIME: MLS All-Star 2-1 Tottenham
The first half ends and Spurs trail the MLS All-Stars due to goals from Kaka and David Villa. Mauricio Pochettino will be concerned about the manner of how his side conceded the goals as both were a result of crosses into the box, the first of which lead to the penalty and the second was not dealt with by his back four. However, Spurs have been a threat in the final third due to Harry Kane's presence. The 22-year-old notched his first goal of pre-season with a spectacular strike into the top corner, and was unlucky to add a further two goals when Nick Rimando twice denied him from close range.
The All-Stars have been good in the final third of the pitch as Clint Dempsey as pressured Toby Alderweireld and Jan Vertonghen all evening. Neither of the two centre-backs look entirely comfortable with crosses into the box, while Kaka and David Villa have also been meances due to their penetrating runs into the channels.
SUBSTITUTIONS: All change for the All-Stars in the second half, while Spurs make four changes as Dele Alli, Kieran Trippier, Tom Carroll and Kevin Wimmer all arrive on the pitch in place of Christian Eriksen, Kyle Walker, Nabil Bentaleb and Jan Vertonghen.
RESTART! We're back underway in Denver.
Slow start to the half for both sides as the new players on the pitch attempt to get up to the pace of the match.
The All-Stars break upfield and Castillo finds space to run at the Spurs defence before sliding a through ball into the path of Kamara. The forward is one-on-one with Vorm, but he is stopped in his tracks by the referee's whistle as he is offside by some margin.
CHANCE! Alderweireld launches a pinpoint pass over the top of the All-Stars defence for the run of Chadli. The winger takes the ball in stride and tries to fire the ball below Ousted, but his strike goes wide of the post. A huge opportunity for Sours to level the scores.
Spurs up the ante on the All-Stars goal as Davies raids down the left and lifts the ball into the box, forcing Moor to head the ball behind. From the resulting corner, the Welshman gets the ball again, but his time his delivery is cleared with ease as he fails to beat the first defender.
Alli makes a run down the left and tries to beat the challenge of Moor. The midfielder goes down on the edge of the box following a challenge by the defender, but the referee deems that the Colorado Rapids man won the ball.
CHANCE! Kane brings the ball down and plays it into the path of Chadli down the left. The winger raids forward and then cuts inside on to his right foot on the edge of the box before unleashing a powerful strike at goal, only to see his effort creep wide of the post.
SUBSTITUTIONS: Danny Rose, Harry Winks, Federico Fazio, DeAndre Yedlin, Josh Onomah and Luke McGee replace Chadli, Dier, Alderweireld, Davies, Dembele and Vorm.
CLOSE! Rose makes an immediate impact of the bench as he fires a ball across the face of goal, but no player in a blue shirt can react to turn the ball home as Kane was on his heels in the penalty area.
Rose continues to make an impact off the bench as he makes an inch-perfect tackle to deny Castillo a shooting opportunity after Kamara had turned his man down the left and put a dangerous ball across the face of goal.
Tottenham have lost some impetus in the final third of the pitch as a result of their changes as the young players try to get up to the speed of the game as well as the conditions in Denver.
CHANCE! Neat interplay from Carroll and Kane on the edge of the box sees the striker slide a through bal into the path of Onomah down the left. The defender takes a touch to get the ball on his right foot, but his strike at goal is tame and is easily saved by Ousted.
Mistake are starting to creep into the game of the All-Stars as Feilhaber gives the ball away cheaply in the final third of the pitch. Pablo Mastroeni's side will want his team to close out the victory here, so they need to ensure they are more productive with the ball in the Tottenham half.
SUBSTITUTIONS: Shaquile Coulthirst replaces Harry Kane for the final 14 minutes, while former Sunderland striker Jozy Altidore comes on for Sam Cronin.
OFF THE LINE! Trippier makes a vital intervention on the line after Kamara and Castillo exchanged passes to send the winger through on goal as Rose slipped over in the box. However, Castillo was unable to find the net as the full-back cleared his deflected effort off the line.
CHANCE! Trippier raids down the flank and fires a low ball across the face of goal, but Ousted manages to keep his effort at bay. Onomah latches on to the ball on the edge of the box, but his effort is saved with eased.
CHANCE! Coulthirst latches to a long ball over the top of the All-Stars defence and has space and time as well as teammates in support, but he chooses to go along and blasts his strike over the bar.
Spurs are running out of time to get an equaliser. They've had their moments in the second half, but they need to carve out a clear-cut opportunity quickly.
Castillo runs at Trippier down the left and he loses his balance as he is about to loft the ball to the back post, although he still manages to win a corner. However, the set piece comes to nothing. Castillo has made an impact from the bench.
CHANCE! Altidore has the chance to seal the win for the All-Stars when he latches on to a cross in the area, but he puts his header wide of the post.
There will be one minute of added time.
FULL-TIME: MLS All-Star 2-1 Tottenham
Tottenham's first game of pre-season ends in defeat, which may give Mauricio Pochettino some cause for concern with the new Premier League season just 10 days away. However, the form of Harry Kane will give him hope as the striker was a thorn in the side of the All-Stars all evening and could have had a hat-trick if not for Nick Rimando.
Spurs were cut open a few times at the back as new boy Toby Alderweireld and Jan Vertonghen struggled at times with long balls played into the box, especially in the first half. Pochettino will be determined to get those issues sorted out quickly, although the duo will not have many opportunities to build a rapport ahead of the new season.
Thanks for joining our commentary this evening. Until next time, goodbye.
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