Major League Soccer held its All-Star Game at Columbus Crew Stadium on Saturday in front of almost 24,000 fans, and the event was a success from beginning to end.Wednesday, the team kicked off the weekend by hosting an exhibition match against Newcastle United of the English Premier League. Thursday night, the league held a skills challenge, similar to hockey’s event or baseball’s home run derby.Saturday, the plaza around Crew Stadium was packed over an hour before the game. A live band provided the soundtrack to a plethora of exciting events, like soccer skills booths, balloon sculptors, face painters and food and merchandise vendors. Soccer fans from around the country and the world walked around, soaking it all in.The game itself was another smashing success. The Eastern Conference won, 9-4, and provided the sell-out crowd a number of thrilling and memorable moments. The Northenders, the Crew’s rowdiest fans, enjoyed a give-and-take with Eastern Conference goaltender Mike Ammann, taunting Ammann and in turn, being taunted back. After the crowd chanted “Open Cup, Open Cup,” a reference to the Crew’s upcoming U.S. Open Cup match-up with Ammann’s New York Metrostars, the goaltender turned around and raised three fingers on one hand and one on the other, representing the score the last time New York beat the Crew. After another taunting chant, Ammann bent over and shook his posterior as the crowd roared its approval. The Northenders also yelled support for the Crew players in the game. Chants of “we want Dante” echoed through the stadium long before Columbus forward Dante Washington entered the game. Every time a Crew player touched the ball, the crowd screamed. When Washington and Crew forward Brian McBride scored goals late in the game, the crowd went nuts. Even the players were impressed with the atmosphere.Kansas City Wizards goaltender Tony Meola, the Western Conference’s starter, rated the game “an A+ and then some.””It was super. The people here are super, the stadium’s great and this should be the model for every team in the league,” he said.Washington, a hometown favorite, was thrilled with the support. “What more can I ask for? The fans were definitely behind the three of us from Columbus. They were behind both teams,” he said. “It was great: Everybody knew the fans here in Columbus were great. They got to show everyone in the world.”Crew defenseman Mike Clark, who was named to his first All-Star match, said the weekend was a memorable one. “There were so many memories. Just walking out here the first time, the crowd, the excitement, the fact that they supported the Columbus Crew players so well. It’s something I’ll never forget as long as I live,” he said.The weekend was an important test for Major League Soccer. The game was televised nationally by ABC and was designed to showcase the league’s premier facility, the soccer-specific Crew Stadium. The league passed the test with flying colors.The atmosphere at the stadium was a celebratory one, and it seemed that everyone in the stadium was singing, banging a drum, or dancing around during most of the game. Everyone in the crowd seemed to have a good time. I will admit that I was one of the many people who scoffed at the idea of a major professional soccer league being successful in America. The MLS came into existence in 1996, and many people felt that the league would fold within a year or two. Five years later, the league is slowly working its way toward being truly “Major League.” Columbus’ soccer-specific stadium will soon be joined by a similar facility in Los Angeles. MLS is showcased weekly on ESPN’s Soccer Saturday and it even has its own weekly highlight show, MLS Extra Time. The television ratings have been low, but the league’s fanbase is slowly building, and as the 12-and 13-year-olds who make up the majority of fans become adults, ratings and attendance will increase. Just five short years after the Crew started playing on the under-sized pitch of Ohio Stadium, the team owns the premier facility in the country and draws some of the most rabid fan support in the league. The All-Star weekend helped showcase the team and the league for all of the nation to watch.Congratulations to the Crew and all of Major League Soccer on an exciting and successful weekend.