SAN JOSE, Calif. – San Jose Earthquakes Unified Team midfielder Esteban Mercado and defender Bryce Young will represent the club in the 9th annual Special Olympics Unified Sports All-Star Game, which will be played prior to the 2024 Major League Soccer All-Star Game in Columbus, Ohio, on Wednesday, July 24 at Lower.com Field. Major League Soccer and Special Olympics announced today the rosters for each conference, which can be viewed here.
As part of the Special Olympics Unified Sports® All-Star experience, MLS and Special Olympics will host 52 Unified team members, representing 26 MLS clubs for an 11 v. 11 competitive match. The 2024 Special Olympics Unified Sports All-Star Game will be played on Tuesday, July 23rd at 3:30 p.m. ET at Historic Crew Stadium in Columbus (One Black and Gold Blvd., Columbus, OH 43211), and is free and open to the public. The match can also be streamed on the MLS YouTube channel.
MLS Greats will serve as celebrity coaches, and the teams, comprised of individuals with intellectual disabilities (Special Olympics athletes) and without intellectual disabilities (Unified partners), will be outfitted in authentic uniforms provided by adidas. The East and West Unified All-Star teams will also be recognized on-field before the MLS All-Star Game presented by Target.
The Unified All-Star Game is part of the season-long Special Olympics Unified Soccer Exchange program that provides opportunities for Unified soccer teams to participate in a first-team MLS experience. The Unified All-Star Game is part of a week of soccer celebrations in Columbus. For a full list of All-Star events, visit mlssoccer.com/all-star. MLS’ All-Star game will be available to watch in more than 100 countries and regions in English, Spanish and French on MLS Season Pass on the Apple TV app.
About Major League Soccer
Headquartered in New York City, Major League Soccer — celebrating its 29th season in 2024 — features 30 clubs throughout the United States and Canada, including a new expansion team in San Diego that will debut in 2025. All MLS, Leagues Cup, and select MLS NEXT Pro and MLS NEXT matches can be watched through MLS Season Pass, available on the Apple TV app on Apple devices, smart TVs, streaming devices, set-top boxes, and game consoles, and the web at tv.apple.com. MLS Season Pass features the most expansive and accessible lineup of programming ever for MLS fans. For more information about MLS, visit mlssoccer.com. For more information about the Apple TV app, visit apple.com/apple-tv-app.
About Special Olympics
Founded in 1968, Special Olympics is a global movement to end discrimination against people with intellectual disabilities. We foster acceptance of all people through the power of sport and programming in education, health and leadership. With more than six million athletes and Special Olympics Unified Sports® partners in over 190 countries and territories and more than one million coaches and volunteers, Special Olympics delivers more than 30 Olympic-type sports and over 100,000 Games and competitions every year. Engage with us on: Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn and our blog on Medium. Learn more at www.SpecialOlympics.org.
