There were many players in the MLS locker room Thursday who were veterans of several MLS All-Star Games. A few, like David Beckham and Cuauhtémoc Blanco, were rookies in the event.
And then there was Pablo Mastroeni, who was selected for his ninth MLS All-Star Game Thursday night at BMO Field.
"I think it makes me younger," Mastroeni said. "I look at some of the guys and all the guys I look up to are all probably about my age, but their ability with the ball, their know how, it never gets old."
When it comes to the various MLS all-star game formats, Mastroeni has seen it all. Although he's been selected nine times, Mastroeni has only played in five games and came on as a substitute on the hour mark in last year's tilt against Celtic FC played at his home stadium.
Mastroeni, who will turn 32 next month, is second only to future Hall of Famer Eddie Pope in terms of MLS All-Star Game longevity. He is tied with Jeff Agoos and Cobi Jones for second all-time.
"Eddie Pope is a legend," Mastroeni said. "Playing with him in the national team all these years, all the things he's quietly passed onto me and the legacy he's left as far as American soccer goes is great. To be in the same sentence as Eddie Pope is an absolute honor."
Pope, the longtime U.S. international who won MLS cups with D.C. United, has 10 All-Star Game appearances. But Mastroeni said he isn't looking to tie or break his record.
"That's not a goal of mine, man," the Rapids defensive midfielder said. "There's a few things I'd like to, but that's definitely not one of them. If it happened to come about I'd be excited like I was today, getting butterflies before the game."
This year with Colorado, Mastroeni has moved to the back and played centrally and the same was true against West Ham as Mastroeni played alongside Kansas City's Jimmy Conrad, who was named captain for the night by Steve Nicol.
"To play alongside the league's best and to see how beautiful the game can actually be even having played on turf was not only fun to play in, but was fun for me to watch," he said. "It's a lot easier to defend when you have the ball and I think guys in the midfield and up front did a great job of moving the ball and make the other team work."
Mastroeni said after a few minutes of learning each players' intricacies on the field, the MLS All-Stars were able to start playing some beautiful soccer. Of course it helps to play alongside the best in MLS.
"Initially it's just getting to know everyone and their movements," Mastroeni said. "Obviously when you're at this level soccer is the same concept, it's touch and move and get into good spots and these guys did a great job of finding the pass early so the next guy had a lot of time on the ball. When we were in tight spots it was all composed and get out of tight spots and switch it to the other side. Once you get a flow going like this, everyone wants to be involved and it was contagious.
Dylan Butler is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
