MLS Commissioner Don Garber made his two roster selections for the 2016 AT&T MLS All-Star Game, naming FC Dallas midfielder Mauro Diaz and Real Salt Lake midfielder Kyle Beckerman to the squad that will face Arsenal at San Jose’s Avaya Stadium on Thursday, July 28 (7:30 pm ET; ESPN, UniMás in the US, TSN, RDS in Canada):
Diaz and Beckerman became the 12th and 13th players named as All-Stars, joining the 11 players on the the Fan XI. Ten of those 11 were selected via an online fan vote, and an 11th, New York City FC’s David Villa, was selected via the AT&T/EA Sports FIFA "More Than a Vote" Challenge.
Hours after Garber tweeted his picks, the complete 26-man gameday roster was revealed at halftime of Sunday’s Montreal Impact-New York City FC game (5 pm ET; ESPN in the US; TSN, RDS in Canada). Headlining the squad are US and Canadian national team standouts such as Clint Dempsey, Jermaine Jones and Cyle Larin, as well as experienced international players including Montreal's Ignacio Piatti and Portland's Liam Ridgewell.
Diaz, 25, is in his fourth year in the league and will be making his first All-Star appearance. The Argentine maestro has been the focal point of Dallas’ run to the top of the Western Conference and Supporters’ Shield standings, and has tallied three goals and nine assists so far in the 2016 campaign.
Beckerman, 34, is an MLS lifer and US international who will be making his ninth appearance on an All-Star roster. One of the league's top defensive midfielders for well over a decade, Beckerman has started all 13 of his appearances for Real Salt Lake in 2016 and has one assist on the year. He was also part of the United States squad that reached the semifinals of the 2016 Copa América Centenario and made four appearances, including one start, for the USMNT in that tournament.
