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Who should the MLS All-Stars start vs. Manchester United?

DavidBeckham (ISIPHotos.com)

Photo by ISIPhotos.com

The MLS All-Star team is set to take on Manchester United in a match-up that should be entertaining, but clearly won't be easy.

New York Red Bulls head coach Hans Backe will be tasked with selecting a lineup capable of keeping up with the English champions, something that will be a bit more difficult after LA Galaxy and U.S. national team star Landon Donovan bowed out of the match with an injury.

There is still plenty of firepower to build a good squad, and certainly enough star power to keep fans interested in this mid-season friendly.

So who will Backe turn to as starters against Manchester United? Here is the squad we can see him trotting out at Red Bull Arena on Wednesday:

MLSAllStarProjectedStarters

No real surprises here. We could certainly see Hans Backe going with Omar Cummings or Omar Bravo up top instead of Wondolowski, but it remains unclear just how healthy Cummings is at the moment.

Think the Joseph-Beckerman tandem is a bit too defensive? Keep in mind that Joseph can definitely get forward if called on to do so.

As for the defense, a Ream-Olave combo works well because Olave's speed can cover for Ream's lack of speed while Ream can play the role of distributor out of the back. Heath Pearce is playing centerback for Chivas USA these days, but Hans Backe is well aware that Pearce can play left back, and would easily be one of the best left backs in MLS if he played there regularly.

We've put Faryd Mondragon in goal, and he's been outstanding, but Backe could be tempted to give Kasey Keller the nod given this is his final season before retirement. Either way, it seems a good bet that Keller gets on the field on Wednesday.

What do you think of this squad? Who would you replace? Who would you start that didn't make our cut?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. The line-up has two holding midfielder. I’d rather see De Ro with Joseph or a more attacking midfielder in the middle with him. I’m not a big Wondolowski fan just because he’s not as good as several of the other people in MLS. Agudelo won’t start I guess, but Agudelo is a better soccer player than Wondo. I’ve seen comments about Agudelo’s movement but he seems to always be moving and looking to get open and he’s good at either attacking or shielding the ball until he can make a good pass to someone else. I don’t see Wondo really attacking or shooting against Man U. I could see Henry not even passing to Wondo. Otherwise, the line-up looks pretty good. Lots of injuries are effecting it. I’d love to see Feilhaber in the All-Star Game, but people felt he hasn’t done enough to make the team or start. Brek Shea deserves a start just on performance and skill level. There are better left backs than Pearce. So, I don’t think Pearce or Wondo should start and Shea and De Ro should start. It was weird that Backe traded De Ro for McCarty because one is a holding mid and the other is an attacking mdi. I bet they’d play well together.

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  2. why dont you clarify your statements so everyone on this site can understand why you say what you are saying instead of going on a soccer blog and insulting us……..oh wait, that’s right. You cant clarify your statements.

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  3. “reply i dare you”? what are you, 8 years old? Grow up. im sure this guy is that “Po” commenter. How do I know? Cuz you keep posting comments that do not further conversation.

    Let me give you an example on why i said that they are still wanted by big clubs:Just recently, I guess you didnt know that a club called “Tottenham Hotspur” (i didnt lose you yet did I?), who plays in the EPL (english premier league) wanted to secure Becks on loan a few months ago but it didnt happen. Did i dumb it down enough for you to understand or are you going to keep on ridiculing me with a 5 word response?

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  4. Even though im a big mls fan Man United will laugh, put in their near 4th string and win comfortably.

    Red Devils-3 MLS All Stars-1

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  5. why should MLS fans be ashamed of them being the top 2 guys? I guess you didnt know that top clubs around the world still want Becks and Henry’s services.

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