The AT&T MLS All-Star gameday roster will be unveiled on Sunday, with the 22-man squad that will take on Arsenal on July 28 at Avaya Stadium set to be revealed at halftime of the Montreal Impact-New York City FC contest.
We have a semblance of an idea of what part of the roster will look like already, as the Fan XI was revealed last weekend. Unsurprisingly, that group is stocked in the attack, with Sebastian Giovinco, David Villa and Didier Drogba on the forward line and Gio dos Santos, Kaka, Darlington Nagbe and Andrea Pirlo in the midfield.
No one in the Fan XI is guaranteed to make head coach Dominic Kinnear’s gameday squad, but it’s a safe bet that we’ll see most – if not all – of the bigger names from that list in San Jose. That’s a good thing. I think All-Star Games are at their best when they turn into attacking track meets, with both teams trading punches on either end of the field. The dudes on the Fan XI can certainly play a role in accomplishing that, though Kinnear will need to add a few pieces – particularly on the wings – to really set this thing on fire.
Thankfully, he has some options. FC Dallas’ Fabian Castillo hasn’t had his best year, but he’s got killer pace on the flank and has some experience torching opposition in All-Star Games – just ask Tottenham’s backline. Throw him out wide in a 4-3-3 with Nagbe, dos Santos or Montreal’s Ignacio Piatti on the opposite side and let Kaka, Pirlo, MLS assist leader Sacha Kljestan and Castillo’s FCD teammate Mauro Diaz pull strings in the middle. Toss Drogba, Villa, Portland’s Fanendo Adi or Bradley Wright-Phillips at center forward, and you’ve got some real attacking firepower, even compared to an elite EPL team like Arsenal.
We’ve got plenty of spark up front, but Kinnear won’t want to get too overextended. He’ll need some serious central midfielders to play behind his No. 10, guys who can cover plenty of ground and bother Arsenal when they’re in the attack. Again, he won’t be short of options. He’s played a bit higher up the field for Colorado this year, but Jermaine Jones is no stranger to sitting a bit deeper against world-class opposition. Portland’s Diego Chara has had a very nice year, while RSL’s Kyle Beckerman and New York’s Dax McCarty would be a couple of solid defensive mid options, as well.
The choices are a bit more straightforward in the back. There, Kinnear can worry a bit less about tactics and pick his most talented options at each position, pairing stout center backs (Laurent Ciman, Jelle Van Damme, Matt Hedges, Steve Birnbaum) with defensively solid fullbacks capable of jumping into the attack (Keegan Rosenberry, Justin Morrow, Ashley Cole). The goalkeepers will sort themselves out, too, with Kinnear having no shortage of solid options to choose from.
Enough talk about the backline, though. If this All-Star Game is one that’s remembered a few years down the road, it’ll be because it’s an attacking spectacle. So don't worry too much about the result, Dom. Let your attacking flag fly, bring out the big guns and give us the supercharged attacking roster I’m hoping for.
