For the seventh year running, Tucson will welcome some of the giants of Major League Soccer to participate in the Desert Diamond Cup 2017.

Returning to the Southwest once again are the defending cup champions New England Revolution. Along with the Revolution, Tucson will play host to the Colorado Rapids, cross city rivals New York Red Bulls and New York City F.C., and finally two MLS heavyweights in the Houston Dynamo and Sporting Kansas City.

Mitchell Brewer is a Valley resident and a soccer fan who went to the event in a previous year. He said the big attraction of this event is a chance to see some of the MLS’ top players in person at this live event.

“I think it’s really cool to see all these top tier players, at least for the MLS,” Brewer said. “This year we’re going to have [NYCFC midfielder] Andrea Pirlo come, and that’s going to be kinda cool to see an international superstar like that.”

The first round of fixtures include the holding cup champions Revolution up against former Premier League and standing U.S. men’s national team goalkeeper Tim Howard and his Rapids. Bradley Wright-Phillips and the Red Bulls take on the always consistent Sporting KC. Lastly, the night match has newcomers NYCFC pitted against the Dynamo, a team looking to make its second trip to Tucson a championship affair.

The Desert Diamond Cup is held at Tucson’s Kino Sports Complex which is located at 2500 E Ajo Way. The tournament is broken down into two rounds. The first round is on Feb. 18 with the first match kicking off at 1:00 p.m. and the final match starting at 6:00 p.m. The second and final round is Feb. 25 with the first match starting at 1:00 p.m. and the tournament final beginning at 6:00 p.m.