Declan Rice, Arsenal’s newly acquired midfielder, came on as a second-half replacement and assisted the Gunners to a 5-0 win over the MLS All-Stars on Wednesday night.
Gabriel Jesus, Leandro Trossard, Jorginho, Gabriel Martinelli and Kai Havertz all scored, but they weren’t the only highlights for the numerous red-clad Arsenal supporters in the crowd at Audi Field.
Rice joined Arsenal from West Ham for a British transfer record sum of 105 million pounds ($138 million) last weekend. When he came in just over an hour into the game, the crowd roared and they cheered again when he got possession of the ball.
Folarin Balogun from the United States national team, whose days at Arsenal could be numbered, also appeared for the London club at the same time as Rice.
The Gunners enjoyed a 3-0 lead at that point.
In the fifth minute, Jesus scored with a wonderful chip. His shot from outside the penalty box sailed past St. Louis goalkeeper Roman Burki and bounced in off the left post. Trossard extended the lead in the 23rd minute with another goal from outside the penalty area.
Trossard was shaken up early in the second half and replaced by a sub. St. Louis fullback Tim Parker received a foul for a handball in the penalty area in the first minute after halftime and Jorginho made it 3-0. Martinelli and Havertz scored late to extend the lead to 5 goals.