K.C. Awarded 2013 All-Star Game

LIVESTRONG Sporting Park, the boisterous home pitch of defending U.S. Open Cup champion Sporting Kansas City, has been awarded the 2013 MLS All-Star game, the league announced on Thursday.

The midsummer classic is set for Jul. 31, with an 8:30pm ET kick off. ESPN will broadcast the match. An opponent has not yet been announced.

The $200 million stadium opened in June 2011, and immediately gave the re-branded Sporting K.C. (formerly the Kansas City Wizards) one of the best home field advantages in MLS, with a 94.6 percent average capacity figure in its debut season.

In 2012, the stadium boasted 17 sellouts, including the 2012 U.S. Open Cup final, which K.C. won on penalties over three-time champion Seattle.

Additionally, LIVESTRONG Sporting Park has already witnessed a collection of international matches in the course of its brief history. Its most recent came on Oct. 16, 2012, when the U.S. beat Guatemala 3-1 to advance to the hexagonal round of World Cup Qualifying.