Full 28-man roster announced for MLS All-Star game as Rooney makes changes
The MLS All-Star game is right around the corner, with the match scheduled for July 19 at D.C. United’s Audi Field. Coach Wayne Rooney has selected 28 players for his roster to face Premier League side, Arsenal, who will be looking to ramp up their preseason sharpness levels ahead of the start of the English domestic campaign.
Mikel Arteta’s side have already added Kai Havertz to their squad while Granit Xhaka has said his goodbyes. The team will be fit and firing under the orders of the Spaniard who defied all expectations last season and brought The Gunners to within touching distance of what would have been a simply astonishing Premier League title.
As for the All-Stars, Rooney has made a couple of big decisions as the clock ticks on, and he has now added New England Revolution midfielder Carles Gil and Philadelphia Union centre-back Jakob Glesnes to the roster.
How are the players selected?
· 12 players determined by a combined vote of fan, media and players
· 14 players selected by MLS All-Star head coach Wayne Rooney of the host team, D.C. United
· 2 players selected by MLS Commissioner Don Garber
Why is Messi not in the roster?
One absence from the roster is a certain Argentine by the name of Leo Messi, who will not play a part in the game. The player will not be eligible given the tight turnaround between the newly confirmed date of his presentation as an Inter Miami player, and the game against Arsenal.
Carlos Vela, Josef Martínez, Lorenzo Insigne, Xherdan Shaqiri, Federico Bernardeschi are other names that do not feature in the list who one might have expected to see, but their absences are more due to performance levels than anything else.
Messi is not included in the MLS All-Star skills challenge roster, either although that demands less physically than a potentially injury-inducing game of 11-a-side football, so we might well see the World Cup winner on the pitch at some point during the celebrations.
Who is in the 28-player MLS All-Star roster?
| Voted by fans | Selected by Wayne Rooney | Selected by Don Garber |
|---|---|---|
| Dénis Bouanga (LAFC) | Christian Benteke (DC) | Kei Kamara (CHI) |
| Jesús Ferreira (DAL) | Cristian Espinoza (SJ) | Mathieu Choinère (MTL) |
| Jordan Morris (SEA) | Giorgos Giakoumakis (ATL) | |
| Luciano Acosta (CIN) | Carles Gil (NE) | |
| Thiago Almada (ATL) | Héctor Herrera (HOU) | |
| Aidan Morris (CLB) | Riqui Puig (LA) | |
| Hany Mukhtar (NSH) | Lucas Zelarayán (CLB) | |
| Álvaro Barreal (CIN) | Jakob Glesnes (PHI) | |
| Jon Gallagher (ATX) | Ryan Hollingshead (LAFC) | |
| Matt Miazga (CIN) | Tim Parker (STL) | |
| Walker Zimmerman (NSH) | John Tolkin (RBNY) | |
| Roman Bürki (STL) | Tyler Miller (DC) | |
| Djordje Petrovic (NE) | ||
| José Martínez (PHI) |
Where can I watch the MLS ALL-Star game?
Great question. You can follow it live on AS USA as we’ll be giving minute-by-minute updates on the action as it unfolds at D.C. United’s Audi Field on July 19.
