Monday, July 15, 2013

Besler, Collin, and Zusi on All Star Game Day Roster

Peter Vermes and MLS Commissioner Don Garber today announced the full roster for the All Star Game on July 31st at Sporting Park. The 20 man roster that will be coached by Vermes will take on AS Roma.  All 11 of the MLS "Fan XI" were named to the final roster.  That means that all three of Sporting KC's selections, Matt Besler, Aurelien Collin, and Graham Zusi will all be in uniform for the game that night.
With the Gold Cup final set to take place only 3 days before the game though some changes could definitely be made to the roster. There are currently five players named to the 20 man roster that are still competing in the Gold Cup; goalkeeper Nick Rimando, defenders Corey Ashe and Tony Beltran, midfielder Kyle Beckerman, and forward Chris Wondolowski. That number could grow if the likes of Besler, Zusi, or Omar Gonzalez are called in for the knockout round when Jurgen Klinsmann will be allowed to make some roster changes if he chooses to.
Kansas City and Salt Lake lead the way with representatives with each having three players on the roster. Houston, Los Angeles, Montreal, and New York all have two players on the team. Dallas, Seattle, Portland, Chicago, Vancouver, and San Jose all have a single player.
If Vermes wanted to be a bit of a dick and enact a matter of payback for the All Star game in New York a few years ago he could. At that time, Vermes was not happy that Hans Backe played Sporting's designated player, Omar Bravo 81 minutes in the loss to Manchester United.  The only player that played longer was David Beckham who played the whole game. Thierry Henry and Tim Cahill are New York's representatives this year. And to put the cherry on top, Sporting play New York in KC the Saturday after the All Star game.
Here's the full roster.
Goalkeepers: Raul Fernandez (Dallas), Nick Rimando (Real Salt Lake)
Defenders: Corey Ashe (Houston), Matt Besler (Sporting KC), Tony Beltran (Real Salt Lake), Aurelien Collin (Sporting KC), Omar Gonzalez (Los Angeles), DeAndre Yedlin (Seattle).
Midfielders: Kyle Beckerman (Real Salt Lake), Patrice Bernier (Montreal), Tim Cahill (New York), Brad Davis (Houston), Will Johnson (Portland), Mike Magee (Chicago), Graham Zusi (Sporting KC).
Forwards: Marco Di Vaio (Montreal), Thierry Henry (New York), Robbie Keane (Los Angeles), Camilo (Vancouver), Chris Wondolowski (San Jose).

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