Special Feature w/VIDEOS - MLS All-Star Game
On Thursday night, once again "MLS takes on the World" in their annual match between the league's All-Star side - as chosen by fans, coaches, and players themselves - and a premier international first division team...
The MLS All-Stars are undefeated in this All-Star Game format, and the uniqueness of this All-Star format among U.S. sports seems to give the home side more to play for, than say, in a simple East v West game...
West Ham United of the English Premier League are the visiting side this time around, and they will meet on MLS home turf at Toronto FC's BMO Field...
This should be one of the most fun and certainly interesting of all MLS All-Star Games. Though it is the eighth time for the Galaxy's Landon Donovan, this will be the first MLS All-Star Game for his teammate David Beckham, as well as for Chicago Fire's Cuauhtémoc Blanco, who incidentally began his MLS career the same weekend as Becks did last year; these three millionaire players were also the three top vote-getters this year in the online fan voting for the All-Star First XI, which counted for 25 percent of the total All-Star votes...
Here is the All-Star roster for tonight's match (by position)...
Goalkeeper:Pat Onstad (Houston Dynamo), Matt Reis (New England Revolution)
Defenders:Jim Brennan (Toronto FC), Jimmy Conrad (Kansas City Wizards), Frankie Hejduk (Columbus Crew), Michael Parkhurst (New England Revolution)
Midfielders:David Beckham (Los Angeles Galaxy), Cuauhtémoc Blanco (Chicago Fire), Dwayne De Rosario (Houston Dynamo), Christian Gomez (Colorado Rapids), Shalrie Joseph (New England Revolution), Sacha Kljestan (Chivas USA), Pablo Mastroeni (Colorado Rapids), Robbie Rogers (Columbus Crew)
Forwards:Juan Pablo Angel (forward, New York Red Bulls), Edson Buddle (Los Angeles Galaxy), Kenny Cooper (FC Dallas), Landon Donovan (Los Angeles Galaxy)
TV: ESPN / CBC Bold / Telefutura - also streaming live on ESPN360.com Live telecasts begin at 7 pm EDT
from MLSNet.com,
Landon Donovan has a message to any first-time MLS All-Stars who are thinking of having an extended vacation in Toronto this week. "If they do come in and don't understand (the importance), a lot of us will tell them right away," Donovan said in a conference call Monday morning. "They'll see it in training and the way we approach it." If there's anyone who really appreciates the MLS All-Star Game it's Donovan, who will be playing in his eighth when the best of MLS takes on English Premier League side West Ham United Thursday night at BMO Field in Toronto.
Read Dylan Butler's complete Match Preview here
more All-Star Week features from MLSNet.com,
MLS All-Star notebook: Wednesday
Steve Davis: All-Star match-ups
Jeff Bradley: What makes it great
VIDEOS - "Extra Time" special 1, (3:23)
(with series hosts Shep Messing and Greg Lalas)
"State of the League" complete unedited address, (55 min.)
(by MLS Commissioner Don Garber)
Wednesday press conference segment, (14 min.)
(David Beckham, Cuauhtémoc Blanco, Steve Nicol)
More... ( http://ballhype.com/story/match_day_features_mls_all_star_game/ )
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