West Ham United To Take on MLS All-Stars July 24th

Welcome to Canada, Alan Curbishley.

According to the Toronto Star, Major League Soccer has chosen Premiership outfit West Ham United as the opponent for their annual All-Star game in Toronto this summer.

The game itself, which takes place on July 24th at BMO Field, will mark the fourth year in a row in which a British opponent has taken on the All-Stars of MLS. Fulham, Celtic, and Chelsea all previously took part in the previous matches.

Last summer, New York Red Bulls' striker Juan Pablo Angel came away with the game MVP award as the MLS All-Stars came away with a 2-0 victory over Celtic in Colorado. 

After rumored to have been linked with Bayern Munich (Germany), Real Madrid (Spain), Barcelona (Spain), Newcastle (England) and Liverpool (England), the MLS finally settled on the East London football club as the opponent. 

Normally considered by outsiders as the center of the hockey universe, Toronto has seen its interest in soccer skyrocket since the success of the 2007 U-20 World Cup and the introduction of Toronto FC to the MLS lineup.

The World Cup marked the highest attendance in the tournament's history after Canada surpassed Mexico's 1983 edition of the FIFA U-20 World Cup. The final of the highly successful tournament was held in front of a sellout crowd at BMO Field where Argentina emerged victorious for the 6th time.

That same year, the creation of Toronto FC spurred the vastly growing interest in soccer across the country of Canada. Surpassing expectations, TFC consistently played in front of boisterous and energetic home crowds averaging 20,000. 

The 2008 edition of the All-Star game adds to a growing list of achievements in a city where the demand for soccer is continually rising. Former Aston Villa hitman Juan Pablo Angel will join the squad again, along with Dwayne De Rosario (Houston Dynamo), Jozy Altidore (New York Red Bulls), Landon Donavan (LA Galaxy) and Cuauhtemoc Blanco (Chicago Fire).

Of course, that's not mentioning the worldwide celebrity in LA Galaxy's David Beckham.

As for Curbishley's football club, the match will serve as a tough test as the Hammers look to prepare for a possible run at European contention, through either league qualification or success in the Carling and FA Cup.

Currently, West Ham finds themselves in 10th place in the English Premiership with 43 points.