All-Star Game coach Dominic Kinnear and MLS commissioner Don Garber have named their picks for the All-Stars joining the 11 fan-voted players.
After a fan vote determined 11 of the players who will represent Major League Soccer in the All-Star Game to be played against Arsenal, San Jose Earthquakes coach Dominic Kinnear and commissioner Don Garber named the remaining 15 players who will make up the rest of the MLS All-Star team. Their choices leaned heavily on USMNT players and other American stars, and it wasn't without controversy.
Kinnear selected 13 of the players, headlined by Clint Dempsey, Jermaine Jones, Chris Wondolowski and Steve Birnbaum, who all represented the United States at the Copa America Centenario earlier this summer. He also added former USMNT players Sacha Kljestan and Wil Trapp, as well as up-and-coming Americans Brandon Vincent and Andrew Farrell.
Garber added another USMNT player in Kyle Beckerman, as well as FC Dallas midfielder Mauro Diaz. Notably absent in their picks and the fan vote was Portland Timbers midfielder Diego Valeri, who scored his eighth and ninth goals of the season on Sunday against the Seattle Sounders, including an absolute stunner that showed just how amazingly talented he is.
The MLS All-Stars will play against Arsenal on July 28 in San Jose, Calif. The full 26-man roster is listed below.
Goalkeepers: David Bingham (San Jose Earthquakes), Andre Blake (Philadelphia Union)
Defenders: Matt Besler (Sporting Kansas City), Steve Birnbaum (D.C. United), Laurent Ciman (Montreal Impact), Andrew Farrell (New England Revolution), Liam Ridgewell (Portland Timbers), Keegan Rosenberry (Philadelphia Union), Brandon Vincent (Chicago Fire), Kendall Waston (Vancouver Whitecaps FC)
Midfielders: Kyle Beckerman (Real Salt Lake), Mauro Diaz (FC Dallas), Giovani dos Santos (LA Galaxy), Jermaine Jones (Colorado Rapids), Kaka (Orlando City SC), Sacha Kljestan (New York Red Bulls), Darlington Nagbe (Portland Timbers), Andrea Pirlo (New York City FC), Wil Trapp (Columbus Crew SC)
Forwards: Clint Dempsey (Seattle Sounders FC), Didier Drogba (Montreal Impact), Sebastian Giovinco (Toronto FC), Cyle Larin (Orlando City SC), Ignacio Piatti (Montreal Impact), David Villa (New York City FC), Chris Wondolowski (San Jose Earthquakes)