it's not just about the game."
Perhaps the only experience last year that wasn't great for Angel was the long flight from to Colorado. That isn't an issue this time around with the game being played at BMO Field, where Angel has had a wealth of success in his two seasons in the league.
"They couldn't pick a better city to do it," Angel said. "Toronto is arguably the best atmosphere in this league in terms of supporters. I'm looking forward to it and I'm glad I'm involved there."
Angel was one of five players New England coach Steve Nicol chose to play in the game after the First XI were selected by a vote of media, fans, players, coaches and general mangers.
"It's always an honor to be part of the All-Star Game and it's also very good to know I got called up by the manager. I think that is even more important for me," Angel said. "I'm glad I'm going to be involved again. It's an honor for me, obviously a big thanks to Steve and it's a night to enjoy."
Last year, Angel finished second to Luciano Emilio in league-wide scoring with 19 goals. This year, he's been hampered by injuries, having scored three goals in nine appearances. But he's worked his way back onto the field and even scored in the Red Bulls' last game, a 2-1 loss at Kansas City.
"I'm starting to feel better as well, which coincidentally is going to turn out to be a good thing for me," Angel said. "I'm starting to be physically fit and feel better. The better I feel, probably the better I'm going to perform. It's all happening at the right time I think."
And while Angel loves the all-star game concept, he said there is no such thing as a friendly anymore in the world of soccer.
"When you play with top players, none of us want to lose, although West Ham is in a completely different stage of their season," Angel said. "They're only at the beginning of the preseason. For us, it's going to be a normal game and we want to win it. We won against Celtic last year and we want to win against West Ham as well.
"Regardless of what we want to prove, when you have probably the best players in MLS right now are playing against a top European team, we want to win this game," he added. "We want to show on the field we can compete against anyone in the world."
Dylan Butler is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
