Real Madrid Defeats MLS All-Star Team on Penalties to Win 2017 MLS All-Star Game

Real Madrid needed penalty kicks to defeat the best players in Major League Soccer in the 2017 MLS All-Star Game on Wednesday.

After finishing 1-1 in regulation in front of a sellout crowd at Soldier Field in Chicago, the European champions won 4-2 on penalties.           

Although the MLS All-Stars won this event two out of the last three years, the first La Liga team in the exhibition was too much to overcome.

Marcelo Closes Win

Real Madrid had the edge in regulation, claiming 55.3 percent of possession and winning 61 duels to the All-Stars' 49, and Los Blancos continued to shine when it came to the penalties, nailing all of their kicks.

The MLS All-Stars got off to a poor start when Dom Dwyer had his penalty shot saved, while Giovani dos Santos hit the crossbar. 

Karim Benzema, Gareth Bale and Mateo Kovacic easily knocked in their attempts, and Marcelo showed no hesitation while drilling the final penalty past Stefan Frei.

Fox Soccer provided a look at the game-winner:

Borja Mayoral earned the Most Valuable Player award.

Rest for Real's Top Stars

After losing to Barcelona in the 2017 International Champions Cup final on Saturday and with the Super Cup next week, Real Madrid gave many of its top players a chance to rest.

Cristiano Ronaldo, one of the sport's main attractions, hasn't been with the team for its United States tour, and much of the starting lineup featured younger players trying to crack the roster. 

Leander Schaerlaeckens of Yahoo Sports discussed the starting 11 pregame:

Sergio Ramos and Toni Kroos were in action early, and manager Zinedine Zidane also subbed in Benzema, Marcelo and Bale in the second half for the final 30 minutes.

Fortunately, the fans were also able to see a good amount of play from international MLS stars like Bastian Schweinsteiger, Kaka and David Villa.

Rough Start

The game began with bad news, as Atlanta United's Greg Garza suffered a separated shoulder in the first 10 minutes, per Julie Stewart-Binks of ESPN.

It didn't get much better for the MLS All-Stars. OptaJack noted just how one-sided the match was for the first 45 minutes:

Villa finally gave Keylor Navas some action in the 36th minute, coming close on this point-blank attempt, but he couldn't get the ball past the Real goalkeeper, via Fox Soccer:

Action in Second Half 

The addition of key Real Madrid starters opened up the match and created more exciting opportunities, though the go-ahead score came just before the substitutions.

Dani Ceballos found a wide-open Mayoral, who hit it into the top corner for a goal in the 59th minute:

While the Spanish squad had plenty of chances to put the match away with a second (or third or fourth) goal, 16 of its 30 shots were off target.

Still, it remained clear to Dan Thomas of ESPN FC which side was better:

The MLS players earned a late equalizer, however, when Dom Dwyer was there for the rebound off a Dax McCarty header in the 87th minute:

Even though the All-Stars managed to rally to tie the game, Real Madrid's class shone through as Los Blancos remained calm under pressure to claim the deserved victory.

MLS will kick off the second half of the season Saturday with everyone trying to catch Toronto FC. Real Madrid will now prepare for a competitive match against Manchester United in the UEFA Super Cup next Tuesday at Philip II Arena in Macedonia.