2014 MLS All-Star Game squad announced, Dom Dwyer snubbed
By Chase Ruttig
Dec 12, 2013; Portland, OR, USA; Bayern Munich board member for internationalization and strategy Joerg Wacker, and Portland Timbers owner Merritt Paulson, and AT&T Oregon president George Grander laugh during the 2014 MLS All Star Game during a press conference at Adidas America. Mandatory Credit: Craig Mitchelldyer-USA TODAY Sports
The 2014 Major League All-Star game takes place in Portland on August 6 as the best stars in the league take on German giants and 2013 Bundesliga champions Bayern Munchen (Munich) in the annual game that pits MLS against European football/soccer to showcase the league’s talent as well as to give a European club a friendly against in-form and extremely talented opposition.
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This year Major League Soccer may have its strongest All-Star roster of all time as a roster loaded with United States World Cup talent combines the best and brightest of the league, including former EPL strikers in Jermain Defoe and Thierry Henry as well as promising young Mexican striker Erick “Cubo” Torres.
The roster is comprised of the MLS Fan XI and two picks from MLS Commissioner Don Garber before All-Star Game manager Caleb Porter filled the remaining ten spots. Garber selected Torres and Portland Timbers star Diego Valeri with his two selections while Porter put just one Timber onto the roster with his ten selections in adding Will Johnson to the squad.
Most notably absent from the squad will be promising young Sporting Kansas City striker Dom Dwyer, who couldn’t crack a loaded list of forwards despite having more goals than several players on the list. Dwyer’s omission caused an uproar amongst fans and analysts around the league, but after Obafemi Martins made the Fan XI it was likely that either Torres or Dwyer were going to miss the cut and unfortunately it was Dwyer who has been in-form as of late.
10 of 19 MLS clubs will be represented in the game, nine more players will also be named to the “inactive list” per MLS’ collective bargaining agreement meaning players like Dwyer will be added to the bench roster at the end of the day as a consolation prize for missing out on the main roster.
The official 2014 MLS All-Star Game 23 man roster is as follows:
2014 MLS All-Star Roster
*=Fan XI; ^=Commissioner’s Pick
Goalkeepers (2): Nick Rimando* (Real Salt Lake), Bill Hamid (D.C. United)
Defenders (6): Matt Besler* (Sporting Kansas City), Aurélien Collin (Sporting Kansas City), Omar Gonzalez* (LA Galaxy), Chad Marshall (Seattle Sounders FC), Michael Parkhurst (Columbus Crew), DeAndre Yedlin* (Seattle Sounders FC)
Midfielders (8): Osvaldo Alonso (Seattle Sounders FC), Kyle Beckerman* (Real Salt Lake), Michael Bradley* (Toronto FC), Tim Cahill (New York Red Bulls), Clint Dempsey* (Seattle Sounders FC), Will Johnson (Portland Timbers), Diego Valeri^ (Portland Timbers), Graham Zusi* (Sporting Kansas City)
Forwards (7): Jermain Defoe (Toronto FC), Landon Donovan* (LA Galaxy), Thierry Henry* (New York Red Bulls), Robbie Keane (LA Galaxy), Obafemi Martins* (Seattle Sounders FC), Erick Torres^ (Chivas USA), Bradley Wright-Phillips (New York Red Bulls)