Brooks Lennon figured out early on in his time at All-Star Week festivities in Chicago that his experience as part of the MLS Homegrown team was going to be different than anything else he’d experienced. In the midst of a photoshoot in a Windy City alley with Justen Glad, he turned to staff accompanying him on the trip with an ear-to-ear grin.
“This is fun,” he beamed. “It’s like we’re stars.”
The schedule has been packed as the duo has been whisked from one event to another as the eyes of Major League Soccer turn to Chicago for the 2017 MLS All-Star Game. The best in the league will take on Real Madrid on Wednesday from Soldier Field, but the week started well before kickoff for the players on the All-Star team and the young players invited to the 2017 MLS Homegrown Game, to be played Tuesday night at the Chicago Fire’s Toyota Stadium.
On Sunday, just 12 hours after drawing 2-2 with Columbus Crew SC at Rio Tinto Stadium, Lennon and Glad boarded a plane bound for Chicago. Shortly after arrival, they were given the red carpet treatment and taken away for a photo shoot and meeting at the MLS Digital Headquarters. After a short nap, they met up with the rest of their Homegrown teammates at a team meal, rejoining several U.S. U-20 players who were part of the team that reached the quarterfinals just months earlier in South Korea.
After a short training session at the University of Illinois-Chicago, the extra-curriculars continued as Glad returned to MLS Digital for a roundtable discussion and appearance on Extra Time Radio, with other interviews mixed in between, while Lennon headed to the EA Sports FIFA Skills Challenge.
“It’s awesome. It’s cool to be treated like that – you’re doing photo shoots and you’re getting chauffeured everywhere,” Glad said in the midst of it all on Monday. “It’s cool to have that experience. To be able to do it with Brooks makes it even better.”
On the field, Glad was readying for his third Homegrown game appearance while MLS debutant Lennon was in his first. Training on Monday – the lone session before taking on the Chivas U-20s on Tuesday – was a quick introduction led by U.S. National Team and MLS legend Brian McBride, along with former MLS MVP Mike Magee.
“It was a good feel. It was good to get out there with the boys and the coaching staff and get one practice under our belts,” Lennon said. “It felt good and it was a good session.”
Added Glad, “I think everyone’s excited to play in this game. It was short and sharp and everyone is ready to go.”
For his part, McBride understands the experience of an All-Star event and how he can influence that from the coach’s chair in how he treats his players in the short build-up to the match.
“I think this will be a lot of fun for them tomorrow,” he said. “Our biggest thing is we want them to enjoy the All-Star experience and be prepared for a difficult game.”
Kickoff on Tuesday is scheduled for 6 p.m. MT with a live stream on MLSsoccer.com.
