Houston Dynamo midfielder Ricardo Clark was renting a car after getting his car banged up a couple of days ago. That's when he got the message that he had been named to the MLS All-Star Game.
"It kind of balanced out after that," Clark said.
Balance is something familiar to Clark. He could fit into the MLS midfield that will face Chelsea FC on Saturday at Toyota Park with Dynamo teammate Dwayne DeRosario, who was the leading vote-getter for the First XI, the initial 11 players selected for the 2006 Sierra Mist MLS All-Star Game through fan balloting and polling of the league's players, coaches, GMs and the media.
Clark and Houston Dynamo defender Eddie Robinson were added to the 18-man gameday roster for the match when Landon Donovan (Los Angeles Galaxy) and Pablo Mastroeni (Colorado Rapids) were unable to play because of injury. With four players in the All-Star Game -- forward Brian Ching was named as an addiitional player by head coach Peter Nowak -- Dynamo have the second-most of any club, behind only D.C. United, who have contributed eight.
"We do have a lot of chemistry," Clark said. "The chemistry is with the whole midfield."
Like Robinson and De Rosario, Clark is also a first-timer in the All-Star Game. He was a first-round pick of the MetroStars in 2003, playing nearly every minute in his rookie season. He was traded to the San Jose Earthquakes last year, before the club moved to Houston.
Robinson is in his sixth season in MLS, having really made his mark a year ago. Coming off a hamstring injury that cost him nearly the entire 2004 season, he returned to start 29 games a year ago for an Earthquakes team that recorded 12 shutouts while posting one of the best defensive records in MLS history, allowing just 31 goals in 32 games.
The center back said regardless of whether players have played before in an All-Star Game, facing Chelsea will bring butterflies.
"Whether it's your first time or your 11th time, I think there's a lot of pressure. We're not only representing ourselves, but we're representing the league and our country," Robinson said. "There's a lot of pressure, I think, on all of the guys to perform."
Like Clark, Robinson found out on Tuesday that he would be playing against Chelsea in the All-Star Game. But first, he had one pressing matter at hand: Dynamo had a U.S. Open Cup match on Wednesday night, when the held on to defeat the Carolina Dynamo of the PDL 4-2 at Robertson Stadium.
"It's very exciting, certainly unexpected. I was very excited, but at the same time, I was trying to postpone that excitement to concentrate on the game [Wednesday] night."
For Clark, he is not planning on this being the last time he enjoys the acknowledgement of an All-Star selection. But he also knows he can't rest on his laurels after being included to play one of the world's biggest clubs.
"Any time you get comfortable, that's when your game drops and that's when someone else takes your spot," said Clark. "You always have to be on your toes and always be trying to improve as a player."
Thomas Foote is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
