Last night was this:

(Credit to Brian Gjurgevich)

Soccer City, USA, hosted the national teams from Costa Rica, Cuba, Belize and our own Nats for a pair of Concacaf Gold Cup matches. And, in the process, we pissed off Texas.

And then this came out today:
(Credit to mls)

So, the 2014 MLS All-Star Game will be played at Jeld-Wen. Merritt and the mayor and our not-terribly-beloved MLS commissioner Don Garber made the official announcement this afternoon, months after MP let it slip on Twitter.

I’m not a fan of the ASG in its current format. It falls mid-season and is little more than a money-grab wherein our chosen (though exactly how they’re chosen is questionable) players take on an extra match in the dead of summer that is played against an arguably better-rested European side for no apparent reason other than the aforementioned money-grab. And I’m certain I’m not alone in my thinking.

But, when it comes down to it, with the game being played in Portland, I’ll most likely put up the cash and go. Because I’m a sucker. And I’ll probably buy an over-priced commemorative scarf. Because I’m a rube.

I wonder what our level of involvement will be. The clip above makes it pretty clear that the TA will be expected to raise a pretty significant tifo. Clive and Salt Girl (or whatever it is people call her) are pretty prominent. But to do something on that scale for a game that so many of us care so little about seems disingenuous at best.

But to not do something, something truly spectacular, would be a lost opportunity. I think. I don’t know.

Thankfully, we’ve got some time to think about it. Thoughts?