WASHINGTON DC — Audi Field felt like the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday night as Arsenal rolled to a 5-0 victory over the MLS All-Stars. Gabriel Jesus opened the scoring with a decent goal from outside the box and Arsenal fans got their first look at their £105 million man when Declan Rice came into the game during the second half looking comfortable in the center of the park. US men’s national team striker Folarin Balogun was also greeted with raucous support as he came on as a substitute with his future up in the air if Inter show interest.
Arsenal controlled the game from start to finish despite the MLS All-Stars creating chances, but the first touches were not in favor of the American men. After conceding the opening goal, it wasn’t long before Arsenal doubled their lead with Leandro Trossard beating the defence.
But it was Gabriel Jesus’ goal that was unique.
After the break, the pressure didn’t ease as Tim Parker conceded a penalty that Jorginho didn’t miss before Rice came on, and the Gunners’ first look at Rice will leave them hopeful for things to come. While wearing number 41 will take some getting used to, his role is clearly at the center of the engine room for the Premier League side. Prior to the game, Mikel Arteta described Rice as a “lighthouse who shows the way for others” and the analogy made sense on his first appearance.
While it’s one thing to fit seamlessly into midfield against an all-star team that haven’t played together at club level, it’s quite another to do it in the Premier League, but the reasons to be excited about Rice are clear with his accurate passing, steady engine and ability to command the center of the field and get more numbers out. With how close Arsenal were to winning the title, an addition like Rice who allows Arteta to play a more aggressive midfield for him could make all the difference in the competition.
That aggression was reflected in Arsenal’s fourth goal, a beautifully tapped ball from Martin Odegaard to Gabriel Martinelli that bounced all over the MLS midfield. Kai Havertz also grabbed his first Arsenal goal in the game to show what the revamped midfield can really do.
While the night didn’t go as planned for the MLS All-Stars, the chance to push yourself against the biggest clubs in the world is still a good thing, especially with the new era that Lionel Messi will usher in. While friendly at the end of the day, these matches can be a good benchmark as the league strives to rank itself among the top leagues in the world in the future. Messi is one step towards getting there, but it will take more top level players in the coming years to reach the quality that Arsenal are showing in the country’s capital.
