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(press release)SANDY, UTAH / NEW YORK (Monday, July 19, 2010) - MLS Commissioner Don Garber and MLS All-Star Team head coach Bruce Arena of the LA Galaxy have made their selections to complete the 23-man 2010 AT&T MLS All-Star roster. The MLS All-Stars will take on Manchester United in the 2010 AT&T MLS All-Star Game on July 28, 2010 at Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas (6:30 p.m. MT, ESPN2, TeleFutura).
Among the group named by Arena was Real Salt Lake goalkeeper Nick Rimando, whose standout play during the first half of the MLS season made him the fourth member of the Claret-and-Cobalt named to the League's All-Star membership, joining First XI selections MF Kyle Beckerman, MF Javier Morales, and DF Jamison Olave. Beckerman has officially ruled himself out of the midsummer showcase in order to focus on his return from a torn tendon in his left foot, an injury that has sidelined the RSL captain since late May. However, Beckerman will still count as an All-Star, and RSL's contingent of four players now ties the defending MLS Cup champions with the Galaxy for the most representation on the 2010 All-Star roster.
"It's a terrific honor to be selected again to the MLS All-Star Team," said the 31-year-old Rimando. "It will be a great privilege to represent both Major League Soccer and Real Salt Lake next week against one of the biggest clubs in the world in Manchester United, and it's a challenge I'm looking forward to."
Remarkably, this will mark just the second MLS All-Star Game appearance for one of the most accomplished netminders in League history, Rimando's first nod coming nearly a decade ago when the then-Miami Fusion FC backstop started the 2001 MLS All-Star Game for the Eastern Conference. Rimando has played a large part in Real Salt Lake's successful 2010 campaign to date, as evidenced by a 566-minute shutout streak - the 3rd longest such run for a goalkeeper in League history - that came to an end over the weekend at FC Dallas.
Rimando, the reigning MLS Player of the Month in June, is firmly entrenched among the League leaders in every major goalkeeping category this season, his 0.81 goals against average (T-3rd), nine wins (T-2nd), .656 winning percentage (4th), seven shutouts (T-2nd), 78.3 save percentage (3rd), and 1,450 minutes played (T-2nd) all placing in MLS' top five. Rimando also become just the fifth backstop in MLS history to reach the 100 win plateau with his victory on July 2 against New England, while his 67 shutouts (4th), 935 saves (6th), 1.27 GAA (9th), and 244 games played and started in goal (both 5th) all rank highly on the League's career charts.
Due to international club competition for five members of the All-Star First XI and the injury to Beckerman, Arena selected 11 additional players for next Wednesday's game day roster:
Goalkeeper Nick Rimando (Real Salt Lake); defenders Kevin Alston (New England Revolution), Jonathan Bornstein (Chivas USA), Wilman Conde (Chicago Fire) and Heath Pearce (FC Dallas); midfielders Sebastian LeToux (Philadelphia Union), David Ferreira (FC Dallas), Brad Davis (Houston Dynamo), Shalrie Joseph (New England Revolution) and Jeff Larentowicz (Colorado Rapids); as well as forward Juan Pablo Angel (New York Red Bulls).
