Four LAFC stars are set to headline the 2019 MLS All-Star Game roster in Orlando on July 31st at Orlando City Stadium.
With the most selections of any club, LAFC are sending Carlos Vela, Walker Zimmerman, Diego Rossi and Mark-Anthony Kaye to the 2019 MLS All-Star Game. Vela and Zimmerman were voted by Major League Soccer fans to the 2019 MLS All-Star Fan XI, which was announced three days ago. Rossi and Kaye were then added by head coach James O’Connor to the 26-man roster.
The 2019 MLS All-Star Game will be played between a collection of the league’s finest players and 10-time Spanish Champions Atletico Madrid. It’s set to air on FS1, TSN, UniMas and TVA Sports domestically, as well as more than 170 countries globally.
Carlos Vela is no stranger to the MLS All-Star Game, having been named captain in last years game in his first season in Major League Soccer. He has spent 2019 building upon last season and then some, dominating the competition in a way that no one has before.
Vela currently leads the league in a number of categories: goals (16), shots (87), shots on goal (35) and assists (10). In addition to his record tallies, he’s also been named MLS Player of the Month for March and April, MLS Player of the Week twice, and he’s been voted to the MLS Team of the Week an incredible EIGHT times.
Walker Zimmerman’s appearance in the 2019 MLS All-Star Game is his first time being selected in seven seasons in the league. Zimmerman is having a monster year, anchoring LAFC’s backline and leading them to rankings of second in goals against average (0.81) and second in fewest goals conceded (13).
Diego Rossi, one of the hottest young talents in the league in only his second season with LAFC, has proven to be the perfect running mate and co-star to Carlos Vela. Defenses have hardly known what to do with Vela cutting in from the right onto his left foot while Rossi is cutting in from the left onto his right foot.
After notching 12 goals and nine assists in the 2018 campaign, Rossi currently sits on eight goals, good enough for fourth in the league. At age 21, he has already represented his home country of Uruguay, helping the U-20 Uruguayan National Team win the South American championship.
Mark-Anthony Kaye is having a fantastic 2019 season after his 2018 form was devastated by injury. This campaign has seen him become an integral cog in the midfield, with three goals and five assists already in his 15 appearances. He’s been voted to the MLS Team of the Week three times, and started for Canada in this year’s CONCACAF Gold Cup.
2019 MLS All-Star Game Roster by Position
The 2019 MLS All-Star Game is the 16th time the the League’s best have faced an international club, but only the second time they’ve matched up with a La Liga squad. In 2017 in Chicago, Real Madrid’s galacticos played the MLS All-Star squad. Other top clubs from the English Premier League, Serie A, the Bundesliga, Liga MX, and the Scottish Premiership have squared off in MLS All-Star Game’s gone by, with the All-Stars holding an 8-4-3 record over the years.
Atletico Madrid is one of the powerhouses in world football. The club has won 10 La Liga championships, good enough for top three among Spanish clubs. They’ve won 30 trophies in a all competitions, went to the Champions League Final multiple times in the past decade, and are the reigning Europa League champions. They currently sit second in La Liga standings.
The 2019 MLS All-Star Game kicks off at 5:30pm PST, July 31st.
