This year marks the 20th season of Major League Soccer, and the league is citing the big round number to pat itself on the back for doing what its predecessors couldn’t— sustain domestic club soccer in the United States on a long-term basis. If you watched the MLS All-Star Game last night you saw the self-congratulatory message on full display, including a hype video before kickoff narrated by Alexi Lalas. “It’s not perfect, but it’s ours.” And while the league isn’t perfect, it certainly has come a long way.

This week, we reflect further on 20 seasons of Major League Soccer by revisiting one of the highlights of the first— the 1996 (and inaugural) All-Star Game.

Read the full article at Paste Magazine.