Soccer: MLS stars knock off powerful Chelsea

BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. — Chelsea has a team of international superstars and the high-priced roster to go along with them.

In soccer, though, fitness can trump fame.

Dwayne De Rosario of the Houston Dynamo scored in the 70th minute Saturday and backup goalkeeper Joe Cannon made several late saves to preserve the Major League Soccer All-Stars' 1-0 victory over Chelsea, the two-time English Premier League champion.

"Without legs, it's very difficult to play football. My players were without legs," Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho said. "For me, this was a training session against other players. And no more than that."

Chelsea has spent big since owner Roman Abramovich took over four seasons ago, shelling out about $750 million to build a roster of international standouts that includes Andriy Shevchenko, Michael Ballack, Didier Drogba, Joe Cole, John Terry, Frank Lampard, Hernan Crespo and Michael Essien.

But while the MLS players are in the middle of their season, Chelsea has been training for all of a week. It was the first game in blue for Shevchenko, the European Player of the Year in 2004, and Ballack, Germany's captain. The two, acquired during a two-week span in May, started Saturday and were substituted at halftime.

Most of the Chelsea players were at the World Cup, but they are still getting used to each other and it showed. They had five shots on goal, but two went right into the MLS goalkeeper's hands. Drogba's apparent goal in the 28th minute was waved off because he was offside.

Chelsea's best chances came near the end of the match, with three shots on goal in the last 10 minutes. Essien's shot in the 84th minute went directly into Cannon's hands, and Terry banged another off the Colorado Rapids' keeper three minutes later. Cannon saved a shot by Ricardo Carvalho in extra time.

Arjen Robben had yet another chance with a header in the 90th minute, but it was wide.

"A bit slow in some parts, but that's to be expected," said Terry, Chelsea's captain. "This is our first game. This is what we need, 90 minutes under our belt. ... We're obviously disappointed. When the fitness comes a little bit more, we'll get the results."

But it was exactly the result De Rosario, and many in the crowd of 21,210, wanted.

Though he has won an MLS title and was a runner-up for the league's MVP award last year, he missed the World Cup in Germany. De Rosario is Canadian, and Canada didn't qualify.

"For me, this was my World Cup," said De Rosario, the game's most valuable player. "It's a beautiful feeling to score in a game like this."

Hilario, Chelsea's backup goalkeeper, had no chance to grab De Rosario's shot.

Note

• Israel lost its appeal of a decision by European soccer's governing body that ordered two Israeli teams to play UEFA Cup games outside the country because of the ongoing violence.