Tottenham Hotspur faced off against the MLS All-Stars in their first pre-season match.

Spurs got off to a poor start as Nacer Chadli handled in the box and presented Kaka with an opportunity to score from the spot. The Brazilian slotted the ball home, while David Villa added a second minutes later.

Harry Kane got a goal back for Mauricio Pochettino's men, but they were unable to find an equaliser as they fell to a 2-1 defeat in Denver.

Here, Sports Mole analyses the match to see if the All-Stars deserved their win.

Match statistics

MLS ALL-STARS
Shots: 8
On target: 3
Possession: 38%
Corners: 9
Fouls: 5

TOTTENHAM
Shots: 14
On target: 6
Possession: 62%
Corners: 7
Fouls: 11

Was the result fair?

The All-Stars proved to be more clinical in the final third of the pitch as Kaka and David Villa helped their side dominate the early stages of the match. Their goals proved vital in the victory as Spurs struggled for fluency in their passing game in the first period. Although Pochettino's men dominated possession in the second half they failed to carve out many clear-cut opportunities to level the scores as they ultimately and deservedly fell to the defeat.

All-Star's performance

It's never easy bringing a group of players who have never played together before, but Pablo Mastroeni had his side well organised and allowed them to play with freedom in the final third of the pitch. Kaka and Villa's quality was crucial in establishing the lead, but Dempsey and others also played with aggression to put Spurs on the back foot, leading to the two goals. Kane did get the better of the All-Stars defence on occasions and on another day he could have had a hat-trick if not for Nick Rimando. Their play was not as fluent in the second half as a result of multiple changes, but the team were still resilient enough to hold out for the win.

Tottenham's performance

Given that this was Spurs' first pre-season match there will not be alarm bells for Pochettino and his staff, although with the Premier League season just 10 days away, he is running out of time to mend the problems his side had in Denver. Kane picked up where he left off last season, which will delight the Argentine, while Chadli and Christian Eriksen showed flashes in the final third. However, defensively Tottenham were cut open too easily at times and Toby Alderweireld and Jan Vertonghen struggled with long balls into the box and the persistence of Dempsey in and around them. Defensive issues have often plagued Spurs, and it will be interesting to see if the new partnership at the back can solidify their defence in the future.

Sports Mole's man of the match

Harry Kane: The England international maintained the high level of his play from last season in his first game of pre-season and looked sharp in and around the box. He could have scored a hat-trick in the match if not for some excellent keeping by Rimando, but the forward showed his quality with a splendid solo finish, dispatching the ball into the top corner.

Biggest gaffe Chadli will wonder what he was doing with his arm outstretched in the 19th minute of the game when he battled in the air to clear the ball from a corner. The ball struck his arm and gave the referee no alternative but to award the penalty, which was scored by Kaka.

Referee performance Ismail Elfath had a fairly easy game to deal with this evening as he correctly gave the penalty against Spurs because of Chadli's handball, and then had very little to do apart from book Eric Dier for a poor challenge.

What next?

All-Stars: The All-Stars will return to their MLS teams as they will not be in action again until next year when a new crop of players will represent the league.

Tottenham: Spurs face off against Real Madrid in their final pre-season match on Tuesday ahead of the Premier League campaign, starting next Saturday.