The MLS All-Star roster 2022 for a matchup with the Liga MX All-Stars on Wednesday, Aug. 10, at Allianz Field in St. Paul has been unveiled. 26 players have been selected for the event with fans picking 12, MLS All-Star manager Adrian Heath (Minnesota United) selecting 12 and commissioner Don Garber adding the final two.
There's always a bit of controversy with these things, and the conversation this time centers around the philosophical dilemma of rewarding Seattle Sounders players for achieving Champions League glory while deprioritizing their contributions at the halfway point of the league season. Do we dare mess with the integrity of the Skills Challenge by letting these guys in?! It's fascinating stuff.
Raúl Ruidíaz has been voted in despite only playing nine games (although he has five goals and everyone acknowledges that he's a beast among boys), while Jordan Morris has a return of five goals and one assist in 14 matches. Those aren't All-Star numbers, but he did make the Champions League Team of the Tournament so what the hell, he's an MLS hero.
The selections do a pretty god job respecting the table — there are no representatives from bottom dwellers Chicago, Toronto, Atlanta, San Jose, Kansas City and Colorado — although D.C. United's Taxi Fountas has been rewarded for his ridiculous start to life in MLS (nine goals and three assists in 11 games). There's also a coach's pick for DeAndre Yedlin despite Inter Miami's struggles in the Eastern Conference.
Also, five of the league's six highest paid players have been overlooked. Xherdan Shaqiri ($8.2 million) has only produced three goals and two assists in 15 appearances for Chicago, Gonzalo Higuaín ($5.8 million) is a backup, Alejandro Pozuelo ($4.7 million) has just been traded, Jozy Altidore ($4.3 million) has only scored once in New England and Josef Martínez ($4.1 million) is ranting about how bad the Five Stripes are.
Chicharito ($6 million) makes it, but he's not necessarily deserving with just two goals in his last 12 games (seven from 18 overall and zero assists). Teammate Douglas Costa ($3 million) is about as far away as you can get from an All-Star Game at this point.
Some of the biggest snubs include Cincinnati's Brandon Vazquez (nine goals and four assists), San Jose's Jeremy Ebobisse (10 goals), LAFC's Cristian Arango (seven goals), Orlando's Facundo Torres (three goals and four assists), Philadelphia's Jakob Glesnes, Montreal's Đorđe Mihailović and the absence of a player from Real Salt Lake (although Heath was never going to use a coach's pick on one of those guys).
MLS All-Star Roster 2022
Goalkeepers
Andre Blake (Philadelphia Union) - Voted in
Sean Johnson (NYCFC) - Commissioner's pick
Dayne St. Clair (Minnesota United) - Coach's pick
Defenders
Julián Araujo (LA Galaxy) - Voted in
Alexander Callens (NYCFC) - Voted in
Aaron Long (RBNY) - Coach's pick
Kamal Miller (Montréal) - Commissioner's pick
Diego Palacios (LAFC) - Coach's pick
Kai Wagner (Philadelphia Union) - Voted in
DeAndre Yedlin (Inter Miami) - Coach's pick
Walker Zimmerman (Nashville SC) - Voted in
Midfielders
Luciano Acosta (FC Cincinnati) - Coach's pick
Sebastián Driussi (Austin FC) - Voted in
Carles Gil (New England Revolution) - Voted in
Hany Mukhtar (Nashville SC) - Coach's pick
Darlington Nagbe (Columbus Crew) - Coach's pick
Emanuel Reynoso (Minnesota United) - Coach's pick
Ilie Sánchez (LAFC) - Voted in
Forwards
Paul Arriola (FC Dallas) - Voted in
Valentín Castellanos (NYCFC) - Voted in
Jesús Ferreira (FC Dallas) - Voted in
Taxiarchis Fountas (DC United) - Coach's pick
Chicharito (LA Galaxy) - Coach's pick
Jordan Morris (Seattle Sounders) - Coach's pick
Raúl Ruidíaz (Seattle Sounders) - Voted in
Carlos Vela (LAFC) - Coach's pick
Liga MX All-Star Roster 2022
Manager: Diego Cocca (Atlas)
Goalkeepers
Óscar Ustari (Pachuca)
Camilo Vargas (Atlas)
Defenders
Kevin Álvarez (Pachuca)
Diego Barbosa (Atlas)
Hugo Nervo (Atlas)
Luis Reyes (Atlas)
Brayan Angulo (Toluca)
Matheus Doria (Santos)
Lisandro López (Tijuana)
Jesús Angulo (Tigres)
Midfielders
Luis Chávez (Pachuca)
Erik Lira (Cruz Azul)
Avilés Hurtado (Pachuca)
Alexis Vega (Chivas)
Fernando Beltrán (Chivas)
Ángel Mena (León)
Julián Quiñones (Atlas)
Jordan Carrillo (Santos)
Aldo Rocha (Atlas)
Heriberto Jurado (Necaxa)
Álvaro Fidalgo (América)
Forwards
Julio Furch (Atlas)
Juan Dinenno (Pumas)
Germán Berterame (Monterrey)
Uriel Antuna (Cruz Azul)
