Major League Soccer announced the 2016 AT&T MLS All-Star Gameday Roster, which features Sporting Kansas City defender Matt Besler.
The 26-player squad will face English side Arsenal FC in the annual summer showcase at 6:30 p.m. CT July 28 at Avaya Stadium in San Jose, Calif.
The Gameday Roster consists of 24 players chosen by All-Star head coach Dominic Kinnear- taking into consideration the All-Star Fan XI and player voting- as well as the two Commissioner’s Picks, midfielders Mauro Diaz (FC Dallas) and Kyle Beckerman (Real Salt Lake).
2016 MLS All-Star Roster
Goalkeepers (2): David Bingham (SJ), Andre Blake (Philadelphia Union)
Defenders (8): Matt Besler (SKC), Steve Birnbaum (DC), Laurent Ciman (MTL), Andrew Farrell (NE), Liam Ridgewell (POR), Keegan Rosenberry (PHI), Brandon Vincent (CHI), Kendall Waston (VAN)
Midfielders (9) : Kyle Beckerman (RSL), Mauro Diaz (FCD), Giovani dos Santos (LA), Jermaine Jones (COL), Kaka (ORL), Sacha Kljestan (NY), Darlington Nagbe (POR), Andrea Pirlo (NYC), Wil Trapp (CLB)
Forwards (7): Clint Dempsey (SEA), Didier Drogba (MTL), Sebastian Giovinco (TOR), Cyle Larin (ORL), Ignacio Piatti (MTL), David Villa (NYC), Chris Wondolowski (SJ)
Besler, 29, receives MLS All-Star honors for the fifth time in his career, third most in club history behind midfielder Preki (seven) and defender Jimmy Conrad (six). The center back has made 12 MLS appearances this season, helping a defense that has faced a league-low nine shots per game.
Now in his eighth season with Sporting Kansas City, Besler scored the third goal of his professional career in the 92nd minute of a 3-2 win over Columbus Crew on July 3. It was his first appearance for the club since spending the month of June with the United States Men’s National Team, where he started two matches at Copa America Centenario.
In addition to earning All-Star accolades on five occasions (2011, 2013-16), Besler has landed MLS Best XI (2012, 2013) and 2012 MLS Defender of the Year recognition during a career highlighted by a 2013 MLS Cup championship and two Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup titles (2012, 2015). The Overland Park, Kan., native has also played 35 games for the U.S. Men’s National Team since debuting in 2013.
Last summer, Besler, Graham Zusi and Benny Feilhaber each played 45 minutes in the MLS All-Stars’ 2-1 victory over English Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur. The MLS All-Stars have played an international opponent each of the past 11 years, going 7-3-1 over that time span.
– Story from Sporting KC