Soccer
MLS All-Star Game: How does it work? How are the players chosen?
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MLS does things differently.
As a league operating in North America, the organization is seen as an footballing outlier in the way it operates. Expansion fees, salary budgets, designated players and allocation money are all foreign concepts to most fans of the world's most popular game, but they fall in line with the way other major sports work in the United States and Canada.
Another uniquely North American feature of MLS is its annual All-Star Game, which takes place near the midseason mark.
How does the MLS All-Star Game work?
Like All-Star Games in other North American sports leagues, MLS' version is meant to highlight the best performers of that particular season.
The early days of the MLS All-Star Game pitted conferences against each other, although the East vs. West format has long since given way to other iterations, which include MLS taking on a high-profile European or Mexican team, or MLS facing a LigaMX All-Star selection.
In 2023, MLS will host Premier League giants Arsenal for the second time. The Gunners defeated the MLS All-Stars 2-1 in 2016.
How are players chosen for the MLS All-Star Game?
As noted, the All-Star Game is ostensibly meant to showcase the best performers in Major League Soccer for that particular season.
That doesn't always end up happening, with bigger names often supplanting more productive, but lesser known, players. It is an All-Star Game, after all.
Officially, a fan vote is is held in conjuction with a media poll, along with MLS players themselves casting ballots for who they think deserves to represent the league (players cannot vote for themselves or teammates). In 2023, those votes are weighted and combined to select 12 players on the squad.
The next 12 players are selected by the head coach of the MLS All-Stars, which in recent years has been the coach of the MLS team hosting the event. D.C. United are hosts of the 2023 edition at Audi Field, and thus Wayne Rooney will be the MLS coach vs. Arsenal.
Two final selections are made by MLS commissioner Don Garber, who usually chooses a long-time player in the league and/or a rising star or big-name foreigner. In years past, Garber has selected Alphonso Davies (2018) and Steven Gerrard (2015).
Notable MLS All-Stars
- Roberto Donadoni (1996, 1997)
- Carlos Valderrama (1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2002)
- Jorge Campos (1996, 1997, 1998)
- Walter Zenga (1997)
- Alain Sutter (1997)
- Luis Hernandez (2000, 2001)
- Lother Matthaus (2000)
- Landon Donovan (2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014)
- Tim Howard (2001, 2002, 2017)
- Clint Dempsey (2004, 2005, 2014, 2015, 2016)
- Dwayne De Rosario (2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012)
- Juan Pablo Angel (2007, 2008, 2010)
- David Beckham (2008, 2011, 2012)
- Cuautehmoc Blanco (2008, 2009)
- Freddie Ljungberg (2009)
- Thierry Henry (2011, 2012, 2013, 2014)
- Rafael Marquez (2011)
- Chris Wondolowski (2011, 2012, 2013, 2016)
- Marco Di Vaio (2013)
- Tim Cahill (2013, 2014)
- Robbie Keane (2013, 2014, 2015)
- Michael Bradley (2014, 2015, 2017)
- Obafemi Martins (2014, 2015)
- Jermain Defoe (2014)
- David Villa (2015, 2016, 2017, 2018)
- Jozy Altidore (2015, 2017)
- Kaka (2015, 2016, 2017)
- Steven Gerrard (2015)
- Frank Lampard (2015)
- Sebastian Giovinco (2015, 2016, 2017, 2018)
- Cyle Larin (2016)
- Didier Drogba (2016)
- Jermaine Jones (2016)
- Giovani dos Santos (2016, 2017)
- Andrea Pirlo (2016)
- Miguel Almiron (2017, 2018)
- Bastian Schweinsteiger (2017, 2019)
- Tyler Adams (2018)
- Jonathan dos Santos (2018, 2019)
- Carlos Vela (2018, 2019, 2022)
- Josef Martinez (2018. 2019)
- Alphonso Davies (2018)
- Zlatan Ibrahimovic (2018, 2019)
- Nani (2019, 2021)
- Wayne Rooney (2019)
- Javier Hernandez (2022)
- Thiago Almada (2023)
- Hector Herrera (2023)
- Riqui Puig (2023)
