2016 MLS All-Star Game: MLS All-Star Fan XI Overview
By Rohit Menon
With plenty of international stars headlining the 2016 MLS All-Star Game, the MLS All-Star Fan XI looks to be a pretty formidable unit. But how will they fare against English Premier League club Arsenal?
MLS All-Star games have allowed foreign teams a chance to get a feel of what the MLS is all about, while also allowing their squads to get in their necessary pre-season preparations. It is a yearly fixture which showcases the best talent in the league against some of the best players in the world, as the MLS strives to prove that it is a highly competitive league.
Arsenal FC will be heading into this annual event with plenty of stars in their squad, although their biggest stars will definitely be missing out on the trip to California. The absences of Olivier Giroud, Laurent Koscielny, Mesut Ozil, Aaron Ramsey and Alexis Sanchez following their participation in international tournaments means that the Gunners will be forced to field a relatively weaker second-string side, with plenty of youngsters set to be given a chance in the game.
Match fitness of the Arsenal players is another thing to take into consideration, as the club have just started pre-season training following the conclusion of their season in May.
Arsene Wenger’s side should not take this fixture lightly if they want to win it. Their opponents have beaten Bayern Munich and Tottenham in the past two editions of the MLS All-Star game and will most certainly be looking to make it three wins on a trot, given the issues faced by the Gunners’ squad.
With 6 designated players in the line-up and a few homegrown players, this Fan’s XI already looks to be a pretty strong one. Although not all players nominated in the Fan XI are ensured a starting spot in the All-Star Game by MLS All-Star head coach Dominic Kinnear (San Jose Earthquakes), here is a general overview of the chosen players in a 3-4-3 formation.
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