MLS All Star Game 2015: TV Info, Live Stream and Preview for Tottenham Clash

The MLS All Stars will meet Tottenham Hotspur on Wednesday, July 29, in the 2015 MLS All Star Game, and while Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard won't be making an appearance, plenty of other top players will feature for both teams.

Fox Sports will provide full TV coverage and live streams of the match, while Spurs will also provide a stream for fans in the UK.

As reported by Forbes' Jesse Lawrence, neither Gerrard nor Lampard will play on Wednesday, and somewhat controversially, Sky Sports responded to the news by dropping its coverage of the match. Fortunately, Spurs came up with an alternative:

While the absence of both Gerrard and Lampard is annoying, neither had played a minute of MLS football before the selection was announced. The news Toronto FC's Sebastian Giovinco will miss the match due to injury, per the MLS website, is far more devastating. The former Juventus star has arguably been the top player in MLS this season, and he seemed ready to underline his quality with a big performance.

So, does that mean fans should just skip the MLS All Star Game altogether? Not at all. DaMarcus Beasley, Kaka, Juninho, Clint Dempsey, David Villa and Jozy Altidore are all still part of the MLS All Stars, while the likes of Harry Kane and Christian Eriksen will feature for Tottenham. Here's everything you need to know about Wednesday's clash.

Date: Wednesday, July 29

Time: 9 p.m. ET, 2 a.m. BST

TV Info: Fox Sports 1 (U.S.)

Live Stream: Fox Sports Go, Tottenham's official website.

Preview

David Zalubowski/Associated Press

The 2015 MLS All Star Game will once again follow the format the league adopted in 2005, where a team of the MLS' top players takes on a guest team, in this case Spurs. The format has worked well in recent years, although there are plenty of analysts who believe it may―or should―soon come to an end.

Goal USA's Ives Galarcep believes the MLS has enough stars of its own to go back to a traditional battle between the two conferences, for example:

Seattle Sounders' Clint Dempsey also weighed in on the matter, and he told reporters he's a fan of both formats, via the MLS website:

"

I think moving forward as the league continues to develop I think there’s a shout to kind of reconsider that East vs. West as you continue to have great talent coming in and to showcase all of it in a way that’s ultra competitive.

I think the game last year against Bayern Munich made this a really competitive event. I don't know if the players at this point in the season you think ‘Do we want to put them through this?' But the response they had against Bayern was tremendous. This format has been very exciting and very entertaining and I think this game against Tottenham will be no different.

"

For Dempsey, Wednesday's match will be a special one. The USA international spent several seasons playing in the Premier League, including one campaign with Spurs, before returning to the U.S.

There's a good chance he'll meet former team-mate Jan Vertonghen on the pitch, and Tottenham's Twitter account shared this image of the two together, as the Belgian commented on the match:

"

.@Jan_Vertonghen: "We’ve never faced the All-Stars before so it will be a great occasion." - http://t.co/zHMdVfpLFy pic.twitter.com/rNtrSSBtgP

— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) July 26, 2015"

For Spurs, this pre-season friendly may be far more meaningful than some fans actually think. Mauricio Pochettino's men will only play two more friendlies—against Spanish giants Real Madrid in the Audi Cup and a third-place play-off or final against Bayern Munich or AC Milan the following day—before they open their Premier League campaign against Manchester United on August 8. In little over a week, Spurs will have to be at their best, so Wednesday's test is a big one for the side.

Kane was the team's biggest breakout star last season, and via Squawka, the 22-year-old will be someone the MLS All Stars will have to keep an eye on:

The England international is a pure scorer, and with the likes of Eriksen and Nacer Chadli providing him with plenty of chances, expect him to feature prominently. He's remarkably mobile for such a big man, and as the defenders playing for the MLS All Stars lack chemistry, as they hardly ever play together, his constant movement will cause havoc.

The MLS All Stars have a prolific mobile forward of their own in Villa, and as shared by Galarcep, the addition of Ethan Finlay, who was somehow initially not selected to the side, means the Spaniard should be seeing some great service as well:

Finlay leads the MLS in assists with 12, per the league's official website, while Columbus Crew team-mate Kei Kamara is the league's top scorer. If coach Pablo Mastroeni wants to field the best team possible, he'll find a way to get both on the pitch at the same time, along with Villa.

Tottenham's defence looked shaky at times last season, and while Spurs are hopeful the addition of Toby Alderweireld fixed that problem, the Belgian is yet to debut for the club. He's likely to receive some minutes on Wednesday but has little chemistry with anyone not named Vertonghen, so the MLS All Stars should be able to take advantage.

Follow @ReverschPass