On Wednesday night, Real Salt Lake’s Nick Rimando and Tony Beltran will be part of perhaps the greatest MLS All-Star team ever assembled when the best in the league take on Tottenham Hotspur at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, Colorado.
The team is bustling with superstars from around the world and should make for an exciting match.
“I think this is a reflection of how far we’ve come with the sport in this country. For me, it’s by far the most talented group of players representing MLS since I’ve been a part of the league,” Colorado Rapids and MLS All-Star Head Coach Pablo Mastroeni said. “I wish I still had legs to play with these guys. I think it’s grown tremendously.”
The team includes seven players from the U.S. National Team’s 2014 World Cup squad – including Rimando, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Also on the team are two World Cup winners, Kaka with Brazil in 2002 and David Villa with Spain in 2010. Laurent Ciman was also part of Belgium’s roster for the 2014 tournament.
And that’s not to mention the players who were named to the team, but won’t be there for the match – Italian star Sebastian Giovinco and longtime Premier League standouts Robbie Keane, Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard, as well as current U.S. National Team captain Michael Bradley.
Even Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino marvels at the players on the roster and the growth that it signifies for the league.
“I think that the level is increasing every year,” said Pochettino, who is in his second summer touring the U.S. with Tottenham and said he regularly watches MLS matches on SKY Sports in England. “I think it’s a very good level. It’s difficult to compete with the big leagues like England or Italy or Spain. But today the soccer in the USA is growing up.”
Rimando earned his fifth MLS All-Star selection through the fan vote while Beltran is making his second All-Star appearance.
The 2015 AT&T MLS All-Star Game kicks off at 7 p.m. MT on FOX Sports 1 and UniMas.
