MLS All-Stars

So the final roster of the 2008 MLS All-Star Game in Toronto against English Premier League team West Ham United has been finalized: after Sacha Kljestan (M - CD Chivas USA), Michael Parkhurst (D - New England Revolution) and Robbie Rogers (F - Columbus Crew) were named to the US Olympic Team and forced to miss the match coming up this Thursday, July 24, their replacements were named.  Juan Carlos Toja (M - FC Dallas), Jonathan Bornstein (D - Chivas USA), and Steve Ralston (M - NE Revs) will replace the Olympians, joining the remainder of the Starting XI: 

Matt Reis (GK - NE Revs)

Jimmy Conrad (D - Kansas City Wizards)

Frankie Hejduk (D - Columbus Crew)

David Beckham (M - LA Galaxy)

Cuauhtémoc Blanco (M - Chicago Fire)

Shalrie Joseph (M - NE Revs)

Kenny Cooper (F - FC Dallas)

Landon Donovan (F - LA Galaxy)

Additionally, the players named as Coach's Selection are: 

Pat Onstad (GK - Houston Dynamo)

Jim Brennan (D - Toronto FC)

Christian Gomez (M - Colorado Rapids)

Pablo Mastroeni (M - Colorado Rapids)

Steve Ralston (M - NE Revs)

Juan Pablo Angel (F - NY Red Bulls)

Finally, rounding out the 18-man lineup for the All-Star Game are the Commissioner's Picks:

Dwayne De Rosario (M - Houston Dynamo)

Edson Buddle (F - LA Galaxy)

Edson Buddle's selection as a Commissioner's Pick was the best use of this pick by the MLS Commissioner Don Garber in recent memory, since Buddle is currently tied with teammate Landon Donovan with the most goals in the league (11 goals in 13 games - with 44 shots and 24 shots-on-goal, Buddle has 55% shot accuracy and 46% scoring).  Many fans were upset that they could not even vote for Buddle, as he was left off the ballot.  Buddle's spectacular form this season came out of nowhere - long considered a talented striker, he has never before achieved such solid gold performance in his life (last year he scored 5 goals and had 0 assists in 16 appearances for the Galaxy).

De Rosario's selection seems like a sympathy vote for one of the heroes of the league - while De Rosario, when viewed in terms of his entire career, or his last several seasons, is undeniably an MLS All-Time All-Star, his performance this season has been particularly underwhelming; in 14 games played this season, the midfielder has managed only 4 goals and 2 assists (with 24 shots-on-goal out of 51 attempts, he averages 47% shot accuracy and just less than 17% scoring).  His team, the Houston Dynamo (4-4-8), 2-time defending MLS champions, currently sit in 5th place in the Western Division, 4 points behind conference leaders Real Salt Lake, and third-from-last in the league.

With 4 goals and 6 assists in 15 games, Cuauhtémoc Blanco's selection is slightly more reasonable than De Rosario's.  Blanco was absolutely on fire (no pun intended) in the first few weeks of this season, however lately his form has left something to be desired.  He is a good enough player to arguably deserve to be included on the All-Star team, but I can't help but feel like he was voted in more on marquee power than the merits of his performance this season.  The same could be said of Juan Pablo Angel, with only 3 goals and 2 assists in 9 games this season, last year's League MVP has struggled to realize his spectacular form from last season (19 goals and 5 assists in 24 games).

Another player who's selection is questionable is Juan Toja, who has managed only 2 goals and 2 assists in 16 games this season, far undercutting last season's performance (6 goals and 1 assists in 27 games).  At only 23 years old, I hope to see the Colombian return to better form in the future.

With 3 goals and 6 assists in 16 games, Christian Gomez is also a questionable selection, along with Rapids teammate Pablo Mastroeni (0 goals, 0 assists in 13 appearances) who has struggled with injuries this season.

In his first full season in the MLS, David Beckham has redeemed the disappointment his injury trouble wrought last year.  In 15 appearances for the Galaxy, he has managed 5 goals and 7 assists (tied with Javier Morales and Landon Donovan for 2nd place in the Assists rankings).  Misconstrued by the American Press as a prolific goal-scorer, Beckham's 5 goals are uncharacteristically high for the Brit, who's real specialties are not scoring goals, but helping others do so.  He is a master of set-pieces (free kicks, corners, etc.) and crossing the ball in to strikers from the right wing with laser-precision - this is why his right foot is said to be valued at $250 million.  On a personal note, I used to despise Beckham because of his association with Manchester United and Real Madrid, the two evil empires of club football.  My feelings of begrudging respect for his skill were similar to how I felt about Michael Jordan, growing up a Utah Jazz fan in the 1990s - I didn't have to like the guy, but I had to give him his props.  However, Beckham has handled the transition to the MLS with such grace and humility that I can't help but like the guy - it's not his fault that the soccer-ignorant American media doesn't know enough about soccer yet to understand what makes him a world-class player.  By the way, to set the record straight, Becks has never been considered the "World's Best Player" - only it's Most Famous (which has more to do with his modeling career than with his accomplishments on the pitch).

In a final note, I feel I must mention that, if not for his $10 million transfer to Spanish La Liga team Villareal C.F. in early June, Jozy Altidore would almost certainly have been included in the All-Star roster, having scored 3 goals and 1 assist in only 8 appearances with the NY Red Bulls this season.  Altidore's transfer shattered the record transfer fee for an American player (previously $4 million paid by Fulham FC for former NE Revolution forward Clint Dempsey).